Radiator Supports for 55-59

[ptc]

Hey guys, I am working on the radiator support on my '57 onto a custom front end and finding issues....

First are these the right parts to mount the radiator support?




And second - do you guys think its a good idea to NOT be "rubber mounted" on the front where this all holds the front fenders, front grill, front lights etc?


And third (I think I obviously know this answer but) the radiator support should be level crossways on the mounting points these sit on right? there wasnt any reason why Chevy would make it half a bubble off from side to side????

Just asking cause you never know.... the camaro motors are 1" off center in their frame rails.... and so many more things that are just not engineering savvy....

[Divine 59]

Yes those appear to be a suitable replacement. I would like to know where you found those?
Would recommend keeping the rubber to cushion the parts. On my originals the "rubber" was reinforced with cord (like a tire) and is quite dense. Won't compress when you cinch it down.

[ptc]

Originally Posted by Divine 59

Yes those appear to be a suitable replacement. I would like to know where you found those?
Would recommend keeping the rubber to cushion the parts. On my originals the "rubber" was reinforced with cord (like a tire) and is quite dense. Won't compress when you cinch it down.

Ah yes that is a good idea, using tire sidewall. I found these on a website called Dreamers Rods and Pickups

http://www.dreamershotrods.com/radia...yandgmcpu.aspx

[Rude Dude]

I used these on my truck the ones that you posted are for 60-66 trucks
http://www.classicparts.com/1955-59-.../#.VtZ4RbnSnIU

[dsraven]

I have used conveyor belting for jobs like this as well. sometimes the supplier has used belting they sell by the foot. works great.

[OrrieG]

I used horse trailer flooring matt for my mounts. It needs the cushion, trucks were designed to flex, without it something will have to give.

[ptc]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

I used horse trailer flooring matt for my mounts. It needs the cushion, trucks were designed to flex, without it something will have to give.

Yea I remember seeing either Chuckdriver or Chevydave showing a pic of a radiator support that was beating itself to death. I guess it is a good idea to rubber mount the front end with some good hard rubber or maybe some urethane bushings like suspension? I dont want it to wear out.

[dsraven]

it may be important to use the same kind of bushing on the whole truck. if you were to use urethane on the rad support, but not on the cab, then it will still tend to flex itself differently at these locations but the whole thing is still bolted together as a unit. so, something would have to be stressed to overcome, right? these trucks came with rubber on the back of the cab that sort of matched the rubber under rad support for thickness and durability/heardness. the front of the cab sat right on the steel supports with shims to level, correct? that is how mine looked when I got it but then it had been on the farm for it's whole life. a lot of the panels were welded together due to little accidents or tearing of the mounting bolts at different locations due to rusted out areas around the mounts. the rubber was pretty much as hard and flat as a steel washer so not much absorbing was really going on there.

[_Ogre]

those are close enough to use for the core support, what's important is the tube in the center
the tube lets the bolt snug up on the core support without clamping it tight to the frame

unless you really want to buy the kit, it is not necessary
the square nut is captive on your frame already and you don't need the metal washers, unless the front needs shimming
i used rubber that i cut from an old bed liner mat, similar to conveyor belt, tire side wall or horse mat
i used the same material for mounting the bed sills to the frame, it's a lot heavier than the bed mounts they sell in ''kits''