The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Front Clip Removal - 1950 3600

As some of you may have seen, I may have a need to pull my engine (HP forum).

I have seen threads in the past about pulling the front clip in one piece but have some questions for those that have done it.

I am thinking I will plan to leave the inner and out fenders attached to each other and the radiator support, leave the radiator in place, and basically remove the fasteners attaching the inner and outer fenders to the cab, remove the brace/adjustment rods from the cab, and the radiator support bolts to the frame. I anticipate picking the entire assembly off the chassis using a cherry picker, probably attached to the top sides of the radiator support. Of course the wiring that is connected to those parts will need to be disconnected/moved out of the way.

However, I am not sure how the assembly manuvers past the tires (removed ?), shocks, front bumper, spash guard, and steering gear or how well balanced front to rear it may be using that pick up point.

I am a ways away from actually doing this but trying to get my ducks in a row, so to speak.

I've done that a couple times now. You've covered all the fasteners that need to be removed, but I would pick it using the brackets for the support rods from the cab. It balances nicely there. I use a 2x4 as a spreader and tie a rope around each bracket and the 2x4, then hook the cherry picker to the rope looped fairly closely to the 2x4 as close to center as possible. Pick it up a bit and forward slightly to clear the cab, then manually lift the rear of the fenders over the tires and pull the whole thing forward with it tilted forward till the fenders clear the tires. Goes back basically the same way. You do need a helper to guide it. I put a blanket over the bumper splash apron to protect it. No need to remove the hood.

Doing it that way eliminates the need to adjust the fenders, etc. except to raise them up to meet the hood.

WICruiser - Just offering a point that might change how Kevin's process may work or need adjustment in your situation. Since you're running a small block V8 with a firewall mounted brake booster/master cylinder and separate hydraulic clutch setup, you'll need to consider if there is enough clearance for those when you attempt to lift and rotate the rear of the fenders to clear the tires.

I think in your case, a better process would be to place the front end on jack stands and remove the tires as that should allow for more clearance to get round those firewall appendages.

Dan's got a good point if you have a bunch of stuff in front of the firewall. Easy enough to do the jack stand/tire removal thing, which will leave only the steering gear to get over.

A little more info about the process. You need to get the front up high enough so the bottom of the front fenders clear the bumper splash apron. That probably requires tilting the whole clip down in the back first, and THEN raising the rear of the fenders.

Thank you for the tips! I agree that my clutch master and brake system are probably going to be a limiting factor and removing the front wheels is not much of a challenge (just need to plan for enough space to get the clip clear of the truck as it will not be mobile).

With the tires off, there will be a little room to move the clip toward the driver's side to clear that stuff. I swung the clip off to the side once it was clear of the truck. I think you could also do it with 2 or 3 guys without the cherry picker, but it would be a bit cumbersome and more likely to get away from you. With the cherry picker, you can go slow and steady.