The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop brace rods

I have a problem that I hope someone out there can help me with. During the tear-down of my '50 3100, the igmos who were pulling the front cap at the body shop just started pulling parts off willy-nilly and slung them in a pile. Somewhere during this process, two 3/8" diameter rods, approximately 26" long(one slightly longer than the other)were removed from somewhere in the front cap area. These two rods have flattened ends which are bent at an angle and are drilled for bolts. The geniuses who did the teardown are now looking at me and wanting to know where the rods are supposed to go. I don't have a donor truck to look at for an example, so I'm up the proverbial creek without any Charmin.

These rods are not the brace rods that go from the fenders to the firewall up top. Any advice, suggestions, etc. will be greatly appreciated. By the way, I know where two IGMO GENIUSES can be had REAL cheap!!!! :confused:

did the 50 have the tensioning rods on the underside of the hood? - they're not symetrical, so one would be slightly longer - should find some bolt holes in the hood to check against

Bill

Red58, there are two rods on the hood, but they are way shorter than these. Fortunately, the hood didn't get jerked apart by these idiots. The rods in question seem to have come from somewhere lower down on the truck.

If they have two holes in the flat end and are 29 1/2" long they bolt to the fire wall and go thru a bracket on the inside front of the fender.
If they're flat on both ends and are 25" long they go from the upper core support down the the lower pan.
Denny Graham
Sandwich. IL

If I read you correctly, you are saying that these rods go from the front of the radiator support down to the lower pan in front of the radiator and behind the grille. They are 26" and 26 1/2" long overall. I'd bet a brass monkey that those are the rods. Thanks for the heads-up.

I think these are the two he's referring to:

Fender Brace

Radiator Support to fender brace

the flattened ends bolt to the recessed area of the firewall and angle forward to the inner fender bolts.

Robin58, I think you have shown me what I need with the illustration of the Fender Brace. There are no brace rods in place now (they just hung the fenders on the truck this week). We'll go to the shop tomorrow and see what shakes out.

By the way, what corner of the Pelican state do you call home? I hatched out up in Bossier Parish way back when.

If your working on a 1950, 3100 the 26" rods with both ends flattened, bolt into the top front of the core support where you will find a nut welded to the inside of the core support channel. From there they go down to the lower pan on either side of the center vertical grill brace. There should be two holes about 2" apart in the lower pan.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny that sounds different than the two pictures I posted for him. Do you happen to know what Section/Sheet that is in the Assembly Manual? The only ones I can see coming off the top radiator support in a fashion like you describe appear to me to crisscross?

Cooter...
Maybe this photo helps?

Ghostrider, methinks you have nailed the location for those wascally wods. Didn't get to play with my truck today, but soon as I can, we're gonna see if they don't fit as the pic shows. Thanks.

Yep Ghostrider, those are the ones, your core support is missing the cross braces that robin was asking about. Most of them have the cross braces but I have seen some that do not have them, why I don't know, maybe someone removed them at one time or another. I know that some of the hot rodders remove them to make room for the AC coils or electric fans.
robin as far as I know, the 26" long braces are not shown in any of the books that I have access to. The assembly manual illistrations are for a later model and it appears that they were braced differently.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,
My core support never had the cross braces, and they definitely were not there before and then removed by someone. I'm not sure why some do and some don't. Maybe it was part of the Korean War effort to save material. I do know that in '52 the radiators were made lighter, with the air cells spaced further apart to save material, and that actually increased the cooling capacity.

Steve

Gostrider, my 53 has them!

Ghostrider & DG--ya'll nailed it. I finally found an unmolested 51 3100, stuck my head under the hood and took a peek at the front of the radiator. Sho nuff, like ya said, the two rods were there, going from the radiator support down to the bottom pan. I appreciate all the responses from everyone. Hope I can return the favor for someone else on down the road.

Yep like I said, I've been lookin round at a lot of them the last 8 months trying to catch up with you all. I have seen a couple with out them, and I wasn't sure if someone had removed them or whether they came that way. Apparently some came with out them.
Glad to help Mike, good luck.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I have been tearing down my truck. I also have the 2 rods in front of the radiator. One is longer than the other. They both have a bend in them. I was going to ask if they were menat to be bent, but from your description, they are supposed to be bent.

Here is a picture "sort of".

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL284/1946755/9706179/245120905.jpg