Can I get the radiator support off without having to remove the fenders?

I was just thinking of ways to make my upcoming 460 swap go as smooth as possible. I normally remove the hood and lift the engine up over the radiator support but this truck is tall..

I will be spending some time setting up my 460 brackets pullies etc and having the rad support gone would give nice access to work on stuff...

How big of a pain is it to get the fenders lined back up?

 

12 bolts and the whole front clip comes off. 6 bolts ( 3 on each side ) cab to hood , one bolt on the upper fender ( behind door, at the dent . each side ), one on each lower fender and the two core support mounts. you'll have to unplug ay and all harnesses as well .

 

No real easy way to remove just the core support....the rubber mounts are a PITA.

X2 on just pull the complete front clip, fenders, core support, radiator, inner fenderwells. It is way easier to do any kind of eng swap.

 

Ok here goes, there are 5+ ways to skin a cat, here is just what works for me. I am going off memory and am a long way from my truck to go look. This worked on my none a/c 79 4x4 F250 w/standard transmission, more than once, and I used the same technique on a 79 Bronco with a/c and a automatic transmission.
Painters tape on the door front edge when opened, and a little more plus the back edge of the fenders to prevent scratches. Disconnect battery and remove, and then drain radiator.
Tag and bag each piece of hdwr, or stick it in a large piece of card board and mark it accordingly.
1. Make sure you park the truck where you can get both doors open. Or BEFORE you put it inside a narrow shop....Open each door and remove the one bolt on each side that is right between the hinges. Now put it in the narrow shop...lol.
2. Take a scribe or sharpie and trace a mark the hood hinge positions on the underside of the hood. This will be helpful come re-installation/realignment time. Hood removal is really a 2 person job. If you go it alone, be careful, great way to scratch the hood/cowl. If the hood is all the way open, it is front heavy when you remove the bolts. I can’t really explain a 1 man job here, but it looks like a monkey f..in a football. Just get a helping hand for this. If the hinges are compressed once removed, be careful as they can pop back up easily and get a finger in the process. Disconnect the hood ground on the passenger side. Make sure you make note of the stiffener brackets (under the hinges), if you have them. Ok hoods off.
3. At the very bottom edge/back side of each fender, is one bolt.
4. Make sure if you have the front fender/front edge to frame, small support bars (some do, some don't) remove them from the frame. I would remove them from the fender side also, just to prevent anything from getting bent.
5. Masking tape tag each electrical connection point on each side of the connection and mark them like (1-1), (2-2) or A-A, B-B and so on. There are 3? Main electrical connections on the dvrs side back by the fire wall, behind the hood hinge. Tape, tag, and disconnect.
6. There is an electrical harness that runs across the back side and above the fire wall on the passenger side and goes to the starter solenoid. Disconnect from solenoid (make sure you know make note, where each elbow plug goes on the starter solenoid.) There is a plug for voltage regulator, and then lay wiring on engine. Ground wire from solenoid to eng block (remove from solenoid side).
7. Look over the area behind the headlights/behind the core support area (each side for 1 small square plug) and the windshield washer tank for a elec plug in the front end of the tank. And the rubber feed line that goes to the T up by the cowl.
8. Top and bottom radiator hoses from back side of radiator. Fold rubber hoses back out of the way and zip tie, so they do not flip back open. Is it a automatic transmission? Disconnect transmission lines from radiator and cap lines.
9. There are these 1” or 2” wide rubber straps (one on each side) on the back side of the metal inner fenderwell that attach to the firewall, disconnect from firewall.
10. Scribe mark where the bracket that support the inner fenderwell (where it attaches to the fire wall). Remove 3 bolts per side.
11. Now if you are lucky here, down on EACH side of the radiator there is one main mount bolt for the radiator core support bushings. Lucky meaning, it will come out and is not all rusty and stuck. But if it is rusty, stuck and or the head is stripped. Time for the sawzall, Red Diablo blades here and carefully cut between the top of the frame rail and the bottom of the core support. These bushings and bolt parts are available. A torch is not a good idea here the rubber bushings will smoke like crazy.
12. Have an old tire or some other similar support to set the front clip down on once removed. Put it under the middle of the core support/radiator. So you do not bend the front edge of your fenders.
13. I use 2 other FTE buddies + myself and we just pull the complete front clip off. Make sure the plastic inner fenderwell liners do not get hung up on the shock brackets. As far as by yourself, attach the cherry picker to the middle of the core support, it can be done with a piece of cable, some folks just pull the radiator and use chain. Make sure you triple ck all electrical connections and the core support bushings are free. Lift it up just a bit and ck the fenders, and then lift it up again, just a little. You want to pull it more forward than up, so that the back edge of the fenders contact the back side of the tires. Like I said, it’s doable, but a PITA as far as a one man show. 2 guys can pull it way easier.
I am NOT positive on all the electrical connections, but that is the big stuff. I am sure some FTE members are reading this and will double ck me and chime in with what ever I missed.
Or maybe they have a better hood trick? Like this pic.

 

Does anyone have a pic of step #9? I cant find them on my 76 f250 2wd or my 78 f250 4x4?

 

Once I sawzall the core support bolts, remove grill headlights etc. Then unbolt core support from fenders and inner fenders..then wont I be able to remove just the rad support? Maybe a block of wood between fender and tire to support everything? What am I missing?

 

PM sent, call me I will talk you thru it...

The step #9 rubber straps might not be there? I was only stating what I had on the red truck.

If you do not have them just skip it.

Leave the core support bolted to the inner fenderwells and outer fenders.

 

Sawzall step#11 ONLY IF THE BOLTS WILL NOT COME OUT.

No reason to separate the outer and inner fennderwells from the core support.

No reason to remove the grill and headlights...

Take off the complete front clip like in the pics, way faster, way easier. IMO