Doing Radiator core support research, help?

[TDS-MN]

Hey All,

One of the major things I need to address on my truck is the rotted Core Support. I have lost about an inch and a half from either side of the frame rail, on the driver's side, where it mounts (used to mount) to the frame, due to rust.

I've heard bad things about the aftermarket foreign-made pieces of sheetmetal, although I am relatively happy with my aftermarket fenders. And most vehicles of this vintage, at least around Minnesota, that you'll find in a salvage yard are rusted as bad as mine is.

I'm curious what my options might be. There is still the occasional square body that shows up at the salvage yard from the Cash for Clunkers program, but my last couple trips the only trucks there were dual-headlight at each end, rather than the single headlight/turn indicator like my '85 has.

Can I pull one of those from a junked truck and make it work? Should I just buy an aftermarket, and maybe I can reinforce it to help it hold up, or something?

As i sit right now, each time I close my hood you can see the whole front end kinda dip and shake. My outer fenders are pretty much holding the front clip onto the truck, which is not going to last as long as I'd like, I'm afraid.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts/ideas.

[bigarmzz]

if you you can find is a dual headlight rad support, dont sweat it, it will bolt right up, and the dual headlight wiring harness will plug right in to your firewall....its that easy

if you werent so far away, i have a rust free one you could have cheap

Originally Posted by TDS-MN

Hey All,

One of the major things I need to address on my truck is the rotted Core Support. I have lost about an inch and a half from either side of the frame rail, on the driver's side, where it mounts (used to mount) to the frame, due to rust.

I've heard bad things about the aftermarket foreign-made pieces of sheetmetal, although I am relatively happy with my aftermarket fenders. And most vehicles of this vintage, at least around Minnesota, that you'll find in a salvage yard are rusted as bad as mine is.

I'm curious what my options might be. There is still the occasional square body that shows up at the salvage yard from the Cash for Clunkers program, but my last couple trips the only trucks there were dual-headlight at each end, rather than the single headlight/turn indicator like my '85 has.

Can I pull one of those from a junked truck and make it work? Should I just buy an aftermarket, and maybe I can reinforce it to help it hold up, or something?

As i sit right now, each time I close my hood you can see the whole front end kinda dip and shake. My outer fenders are pretty much holding the front clip onto the truck, which is not going to last as long as I'd like, I'm afraid.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts/ideas.

[TDS-MN]

I figured it would bolt right up, but am wondering if I can retain my current headlight setup, using the later core support designed for 2 stacked headlights? Or if I can make it work somehow? I don't really want to go thru the trouble of swapping harnesses, and finding the rest of the front end trim parts to convert my truck to the 4 headlight style.