Thanks for the responses. Otto - I’m just mocking things up and fitting parts to the cab forward at this point. At some point you bet, that V brace will be so nice that everyone will ignore the rest of the truck and just talk about the V brace!
Paul - this is the perplexing part about this fitment. I have three v braces - all identical from three different sources. The unknown for me is -
Are the GMC braces ‘shorter’ than the Chevy truck braces? Thus allowing for the threads to come through both sides of the firewall?
The side curtains are setting the distance of the radiator support to from the cab. As a result, there is no room to adjust the radiator support forward or back once the curtains are loosely or tightly bolted to the cab.
The V braces - all naturally position themselves (due to the length of the curtains) with the threads inside the cab for each V brace. Those nuts are not tight to the firewall interior … just barely touching if at all.
I am wondering if…I have either Chevy truck V braces and or Chevy truck side curtains on this GMC. Knowing that GMC engines are 1.5” longer than the Chevy engines….(I don’t know why GM would have two different side curtains for each brand though…from a cost and fabrication perspective… that would not make any sense)
I’m not worried about this … just want to assemble correctly. What with the curtains holding up the radiator support in addition to the radiator hoses…. and crossmember support bolts; the radiator should be fine and flex on the frame somewhat.
I agree though –– I’ll assemble the front clip, hood, front fenders, etc in loose fashion – and see what if any adjustment can be made then.
I am attending the NE Chevy and GMC truck show tomorrow - and will see if I can photograph an assembled GMC … maybe get a measurement if an owner would allow.
Last… after all of this this writing: in typical fashion - I am going about this blindly and the hard way … the truck came unassembled and missing many items… so, I am acquiring parts and pieces as I go - hoping for correct fit and searching for diagrams and photos on the Net in addition to the manuals I have been able to find…that don’t offer much detail.
My mind wanders - and think about putting together a book on how to assemble these… but…”from a cost and fabrication perspective” I may end up homeless and broke - only to find myself in retirement, disheveled more than I normally allow, and holding out a cup at the entrance to antique truck shows.
