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I'm about ready to start assembling the front end of my old truck. I have the front fenders painted, the fender apron painted, grill painted and gaskets on order. Is there a assembly order to use that will make it a little easier to put it on the frame? I'll be doing it by myself so there wont be any help around to fold things in place. I was thinking putting the grill and apron together and setting them in place then the two fenders.
I have taken my 49 front end apart a few times and found that If I hang the fenders really loose and then install the grill and valences it makes things way easier. Don't forget the rubbers on the braces, I used double sided tape to keep them in place.
I struggled mightily to get my front clip together. You might want to look at my thread on the topic to see the kind of problems a rank amateur like me can have with something that should been a straight forward task.
Thankfully, Gearhead 52 came to my rescue. The general order he suggested is as follows:
1) Attach inner fenders to cowl and radiator support.
2) Loosely fasten fenders to inner fender.
3) Finally attach fender braces and upper and lower valences.
There are of course other steps and attachment points not specifically mentioned above. Following the 3 point general order suggested above by Gearhead 52, however, allowed me to successfully get the my sheet metal back on my truck.
I struggled mightily to get my front clip together. You might want to look at my thread on the topic to see the kind of problems a rank amateur like me can have with something that should been a straight forward task.
Thankfully, Gearhead 52 came to my rescue. The general order he suggested is as follows:
1) Attach inner fenders to cowl and radiator support.
2) Loosely fasten fenders to inner fender.
3) Finally attach fender braces and upper and lower valences.
There are of course other steps and attachment points not specifically mentioned above. Following the 3 point general order suggested above by Gearhead 52, however, allowed me to successfully get the my sheet metal back on my truck.
k thanks. Sounds like finders first and leave things loose. I hope to get a buddy over thursday or friday. He said he might be able to come over. 2 set of hands will sure help.
Assembling the grille and valances before installation will limit your vocabulary but speed the process. A second set of hands would allow the front clip to be installed as a single unit.
Don't forget to get the front fender to cowl gasketing to positioned properly before tightening things down.
Thanks DW. got the cowl/fender gasket. Did some research on it. Seems some put the wide side out and some put small side out. Not sure whats correct, but I'm thinking bigger side out.
well i got the front end on. 1st put both fenders on and left them loose. As I tight'n them up I put the fender cowl gasket in. Worked perfectly and yes I put the wide side out. Next was to put the grill and the valance together. I tried to slip the whole piece on but realize that I need to pull the bumper and the upper grill panel. With the Gill panel off and the bumper off everything went right in. Took a while to line the lower fender apron to the fender. Note to self. Fit everything together before painting and assembling. I thought I did a decent job on cutting all the rust out and welding new plate in it's place, but I know I could have done better with the bodywork if I could have had everything together. The fender braces took a little work, but as soon as I un-tighten them from the radiator support they bolted right up. Here's a few pics. I'll add them to my poorboy thread too
You have done well. Getting the upper and lower fenders properly aligned can be a bit of a test - you passed.
These old beasts have managed to survive use and abuse over many years - they deserve to proudly wear some battle scars along with new paint. It is all part of the charm.
