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Im in the process of going over all the sheet metal on my truck. The Front Rad/Grill support is pretty rotten on the bottom. I looked in NPD, they have them listed for 65 F100 but 4x4. Will that support fit my 2x4?
I'm going to need one for my 65 too. Seems someone on this forum said you could modify a 64 to fit but not sure what the difference is. Hope to find out. John
Do a search for Radiator Support on the 61 to 66 forum and you will likely find many threads discussing it. 65 and 66 4x4 are the same as 61-64 in the cab and front clips which is why there is one for them, but not for us 2x4 folks. I plan to modify a 64 support when I get to that stage on my truck.
Every time I suggest someone use the search function I get scolded. So I did the work for you guys this time. It took me less than two minutes. A post from Banjopicker on page 2 of search results for "radiator support":
Here is what must be done to convert a '64 and earlier core support to a '65/'66:
(By the way, it is best to have a spare one right there handy, or yours out of the truck so that you can make accurate measurements for the changes.)
1. Drill appropriate holes and mount original fender brackets to the inside of the core support. ('64 and earlier are rounded, '65 and '66 are squared off. Repops have the holes predrilled for the rounded, earlier inner fenders.)
2. Mount original (or home made) angle iron brackets to the bottom inside of the core support. This will be self-explanatory once you see an original '65/'66 out of the truck.
3. Drill a few 1" holes for wiring harnessess.
4. Fix the radiator support brackets - this is where it gets confusing. The '65 and earlier have a set of radiator supports spot welded to the inside of the core support.
In '66 Ford got smart, and eliminated them from the core support. The radiator itself is the same, and the radiator mounting brackets soldered to the radiator are the same, but they are turned around on the '66. This allows the radiator to be bolted directly to the core support, instead of bolting to brackets attached to the core support.
So, to use a repop core support on a '66, you must remove the supports spot welded to the core support, OR, swap the brackets on your existing radiator around, left for right.
We compared the repop core supports to an original '64, and to an original '66, and found the quality to be quite good.
Do a search for Radiator Support on the 61 to 66 forum and you will likely find many threads discussing it. 65 and 66 4x4 are the same as 61-64 in the cab and front clips which is why there is one for them, but not for us 2x4 folks.
For the 500th time!
C2TZ16138G .. Radiator Support / Obsolete/Reproduced
This is an excellent example; why there needs to be a tech forum on each series of trucks to cover these issues. Cause once the smart folks like yourself, leave us; we're screwed!
I'm not one that can easy search the past threads; or smart enought to bookmark important subjects for quick references. I'm still at the copy & paste mode.
Thanks for the replies. I completely forgot to even try searching, sorry. After looking over what i have, the truck was definitely in an accident. Placing a flat edge along the bottom up against the angle iron where the support bolts onto the frame, the passenger side is pushed back 2-3", and the guy did a cheapo repair by bending the area that bolts onto the fender forward so the holes would line up. So i will use the oxy/acetylene torch to heat/bend the accident damage and smooth out the idiot's quick fix lol. Also will have to patch up the rot, but after looking at it i think its doable. Trying to keep as much of the original metal as i can.