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Years ago if I needed to do major surgery on my motor I would recruit a friend or two to help me lift off the nose of my truck and easy access. Fast forward 20 years and I don't have many helpers with a healthy back or that live close by. Should I just remove the radiator support/ grill assy? Also, if I did that, what would be the best way to do it? I'm thinking my fenders would be just hanging in mid air unsupported in the front. My truck has 4 inch lift and 35's, tough on my body to climb in the engine compartment these days. Thanks for any input.
Yep I agree the engine hoist is the best option. I did it on my 96 f150 by my self and had to put the front clip in the back of my '74 alone.. It was not easy but i got it done..
I started to take the front clip off my truck and settled on letting the air out of the tires and taking the hood off... I did have to modify my engine hoist to extend the arm another 6"-8" in order to get over the block and hook up to the carb adapter..... which seems to be a very common modification.....
I've replaced the heads, cam, intake and done a lot of other work on my F350, I settled for removing the hood latch assembly and radiator then standing on a car ramp. Helps if you have the tapered side pointing away from the truck as you won't tip over when leaning into the engine bay! Also, I covered the top side of the ramp I was standing on with a scrap piece of C-channel so I didn't have to worry about slipping off.
Very basic but also very easy and pretty much every amateur mechanic has a ramp lying around. My truck doesn't have a home, either, and is outside in my back yard so removing the fenders and hood isn't really an option for me.
Original poster here. I see a lot of pictures of people just removing the radiator support which I like because it's a one man job. I never attempted it because I am wary of the fenders just hanging there for what might be weeks. Has anyone here gone this route? Thanks for all the replies. Below is a pic of my first choice, taking the whole nose off.. I did this 2 years ago with some help of a neighbor.
I took the grille and core support off on my '72 to remove the engine. It was a pia to get to the grille bolts, and one of my core support bolts was seized with rust because water lays on top of it, I had to cut it off.
As far as "hanging in the wind", I never saw a problem. The fenders are still attached to the inner fenders so it is ridgid. I understand your thinking, but it isn't how it is.
X2 on if you take just the grill shell and the core support off, all the bolts that hold the grill shell and fenders to the core support are a PITA coming out and going back in IMO. Then there is all the alignment issues....
And you have to contend with the core support to frame bushings and bolts either way.
As far as fenders just hanging there...no real worries I guess, there are the 1 middle and 1 bottom bolt and then the 5 that bolt the fender to the inner fenderwell and the 3 that hold the innerfenderwell to the fire wall. So there will be at least SOME support.
If you at least take the battery out and the hood off, that weight will not be pushing down.
If you are going to just take the grill shell and core support off, take the side marker light lens out to be able to go in thru that opening to get to the couple upper bolts in there.
Did you go to that link I attached? That is a walk thru reminder on how easy it is just is. 12 bolts. Unless you have the front fender support bars than add 2 more. And the rubber straps that go from the inner fender to the fire wall add 2 more.
I have done it both ways, and I would never just take the grill and radiator support off, unless i needed to work on one of them. I would find a way to pull the front clip.
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