1 piece fiberglass front end

[Bowtie7ty]

How much lighter are these than a steel front end? I found one in my area for $300. What do u guys think. Im going for weight reduction so is this worth it?

[special-K]

I guess it would be good on a drag truck.I don`t see much use elsewhere.

[tecky11]

how about some more info?

[cdowns]

they are usable and save some weight// you must have excellent fabrication and finishing skills for it to look and work good// they are not off the shelf bolton type of deals

[unclewatts]

I used to have a friend who worked with fiberglass bodies and I can tell you it's a heck of a lot of work and usually you have to correct defects in the fiberglass surfaces to make it look right. If you have a body shop at your disposal, go for it. If you are just a garage guy like most of us I would look elsewhere for weight reduction. Just my $.02. BTW, I don't know exactly how much lighter. It depends on the amount of brackets, bracing, etc. that you end up using.

[mclairmo]

I would stick with steel. I installed a fiberglass hood on a 66 Mustang and it was junk, did not fit perfectly, had chunks missing at the edges and was harder to prep and paint.

[Mordachai]

just a few random thoughts.



are you going to be racing the truck? track only or street driven? what are your plans for weight loss/redistribution on the ride?

if it's a street driven truck, then a 'race weight' front end won't hold up for very long. typically a race weight front end would prolly be somewhere around 50#.
my 'street weight' front end is 1/4" thick on average, and weighs about 80#-100#, maybe 120# tops. Plus the weight of the core support braces, the hinge or other mounts needed for the new front end.

you can save some decent weight by going all glass. but this would require fabbing some core support braces. the steel fenders give the core it's rigidity.

I always tell people if they want to drop weight off the front, and street drive it, then a glass hood and roll pan are a good compromise. you still have all the strength and structure for your core support/rad/batt, hood etc from the steel fenders. You'll have to stretch the spring on the stock hinges or use different hinges for the glass hood. but dropping the weight from the steel hood and bumper will save you a good bit of weight without all the hassle and headache of a 1 pc front.


a few thoughts about the front end. going for $300 is awful cheap, I'd wonder why. maybe it's race weight and they found too flimsy for street driving. just check out the front end well if you decide to go for it. It could just be a good deal waiting.
I'd like to see pics of it too..

[1968SWBBigBlock]

If it is the one that was for sale @ Goodguys it is brand new - looks just like the one in the above posting