Fit/Finish of fiberglass one-piece frontends

[luckydog]

I am considering getting a one-piece fiberglass front-end for my truck. However, a little birdie told me that fit would be comprimised, and the lines won't be as crisp as original. Is there any truth in this? I would love to see more pics of trucks with these. The plan for my truck is to be a really nice custom driver, and I will not be showing it.

[68w/sbc406]

fiberglass stuff usually doesnt line up perfectly, like today i was looking at a 70 'camino with a fiberglass hood and all the body gaps looked good but it had a little too much arch to it so in the middle it stuck up 1/4 inch. i believe sneakysnake and 69longhorn(crazylonghorn) have tilt up fiber fronts.

[cdowns]

fit and finish of fiberglass parts is mostly a case of how well you fit them and finish them.most that ive seen aren't just bolt on and go
some bolt on easily most others require alot of work to get show results

[FirstGen]

anyone have any actual experience with the quality though, specifically what exact product (company) applied to out trucks?
Thanks.

[68LSS1]

Originally Posted by cdowns

fit and finish of fiberglass parts is mostly a case of how well you fit them and finish them.most that ive seen aren't just bolt on and go
some bolt on easily most others require alot of work to get show results

cdowns has it right. I've got the split tilt front end from US Body. I think it's a real good unit but I don't care who it comes from, it's going to take some time to get it right. But it's fiberglass so it's hard to screw up. Take too much off, put some back on. Put too much on, take some off. Ed at Mothertruckers said it takes him about 40 hours to get them ready for paint and I'm more of a perfectionist then him. Definitely the end result is the result of what was put into fitting it.

[sneakysnake]

Originally Posted by 68w/sbc406

i believe sneakysnake and 69longhorn(crazylonghorn) have tilt up fiber fronts.

Mine is all metal, Have you ever priced fiberglass.LOL

[96blazr]

Originally Posted by luckydog

The plan for my truck is to be a really nice custom driver, and I will not be showing it.

Then why would you want to go through all the work and expense of a one-piece unit?
I could see you doing this if you were going to show it and maybe race it, but since your plan isn't even to "show it" why not just use the K.I.S.S. method and save some bucks for other things?

Oh well, if you got the Time and Bucks to throw at it....More power to ya.

[luckydog]

I can get one locally for pretty cheap, and by the time I put the time and money into getting my sheetmetal straight, I thought I might be ahead of the game by going one-piece, and have the "coolness" of a tilt front. I know a couple of guys that are a pretty good with fiberglass, they fix million-dollar yachts for a living, so perfection is right down their alley.

One question- You still use the stock rad support with a tilt, right?

[68LSS1]

Originally Posted by luckydog

I can get one locally for pretty cheap, and by the time I put the time and money into getting my sheetmetal straight, I thought I might be ahead of the game by going one-piece, and have the "coolness" of a tilt front. I know a couple of guys that are a pretty good with fiberglass, they fix million-dollar yachts for a living, so perfection is right down their alley.

One question- You still use the stock rad support with a tilt, right?

You won't be using the stock radiator crossmember with a tilt. Remember with the stock front end the fenders support the crossmember. Since their will be no fenders or inner fenders, there won't be any support. Plus there could be clearance issues as the unit is tilting open and closed clearing the crossmember. You will have to fabricate a way to house/hold the headlights (one common way is to use the cut of parts of a '67-'68 crossmember and mount directly to backside of tilt front end), fabricate a way to support the radiator and also keep in mind you won't have inner fenders.

[sneakysnake]

Not real helpfull but,
http://www.usbody.com/

[luckydog]

Duh. Not sure what I was thinkin on that one...

Fabrication is more down my alley than body work, but I still haven't made up my mind.

[69 longhorn]

Originally Posted by sneakysnake

Mine is all metal, Have you ever priced fiberglass.LOL

the tilt on my longhorn is also steel.....more work , but easy on the wallet! 69L

[XXL]

I need a solution for tire-to-hinge clearance, and so a tilt is a logical possibility. However, I really don't like the angle cut required between the fender and cowl to give tilt clearance. The solution for this would be to do a slide-tilt setup... where the clip pulled forward then kicked up. But I don't even have enough time to finish this message, much less the time to...

[69 longhorn]

I dont think the slpit tilt looks bad, but you need to get the split at roughly the same angle as the A pillar on the cab..... http://community.webshots.com/user/hotrodhorn

[68w/sbc406]

Originally Posted by sneakysnake

Mine is all metal, Have you ever priced fiberglass.LOL

Originally Posted by 69 longhorn

the tilt on my longhorn is also steel.....more work , but easy on the wallet! 69L

well atleast i got the fact that you both had tilts right

[69 longhorn]

LOL! most guys that see my truck in traffic, do ask if it has a glass nose

[MOTHERTRUCKERS]

I have sold tilts,installed them and had a whole glass 67 swb truck from US BODY at one time many years ago. Their parts are as good as glass parts get BUT they are not for a daily driven truck in my opinion unless you have experience in fiberglass and metal fabrication. The ONLY reason in my opinion for using glass tilts is to lighten the truck and gain better access to the motor for racing purposes. Granted i have sold some tilts i knew were going on street trucks but the customer had their acts together and we discussed the pro's and con's before they ordered. Think it through it's not weekend project.