Front sheet metal interchangeability
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 71
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Front sheet metal interchangeability
Hi, I have been reading through a few posts on here, where guys were saying that 40 truck fenders, hood, & grill would (and would not) fit on a 47 pickup. I have a 47, and the hood & fenders are going to need a decent amount of work anyway, and being that the truck isn't original, it has a 302/overdrive in it, I would like to change the front end to 40 sheet metal. The only thing I've concluded so far, is that the 40 fenders and hood will fit the cowl of the truck, and bolt into the same locations on the frame, but that I'd need to trim the front ends on the frame rails, because they will interfere with the 40 body parts, since the 47 is a bit longer up there. Is this correct, and if so, will everything else work? What I mean by everything else, is will my running boards mate up correctly to the bottoms of the 40 fenders? Will my radiator/radiator support fit with the 40 fenders, etc...? Does anyone know everything that I'd need to change to do this, or is it as simple as shortening the ends of the frame rails, and bolting it all together? Thanks, and hopefully somebody can help me out before the time comes to either start on the stuff I've got, or start looking for replacements.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 216
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From: Paris Crossing, Indiana
Well, bigf350sd, this has been a question several folks on this site have tried to work out. Some have been successful and some haven't. If you search you might find posts about this. Here is a drawing http://www.wescottsauto.com/Tech/Fra...ram1935-40.pdf that shows the 40 ford truck frame. The 40 is mounted on a car frame with transverse springs and X frame. The 42-47 has parallel springs and frame Maybe you can see the difference. It will take fabrication skills and welders and cutters to do this which you may already have. Also you need a 40 front sheet metal. There are many 42-47 parts around. Anyway good luck.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 16,201
Likes: 4,815
From: Burbank, WA
I'm not going to say it won't fit, because with enough butchery and hackery anything can be done. But the frames between the 40-41 and the 42-47 trucks are totally different and share nothing with each other. Obviously the newer frame is longer and wider and will not have any of the mounting points necessary for the front end to fit. I believe the wheel track is wider so you'll have trouble getting the tires to fit under the sheetmetal, as well. You will also need the 40-41 running boards and brackets as those will be different too. It will be a colossal undertaking, and if you really want a 40-41, I would suggest going all the way with the right frame and go from there.
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