The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop 58 front clip assembly

Not having a manual for the 58 I've been studying the On Line 54 and the tech articles as well as the forums for clues but in the end I'm still left with questions. Does the assembly manual actually list and or show the position of each nut, bolt and shim called for? Does it show where the "S","E" as well as the "DL" bolts for the fenders go? I don't see that sort of info in the AD online manual.

I'm sure I can eventually sort it all out but if there is a true reference manual giving the measurements for say the Radiator core as well as a step by step procedure for assembly that said more that "Install the fender" I'd be interested.
Thanks

I bought one of the factory assembly books for the 55-59 Chevy,GMC trucks off Evil Bay and while it helped alot it has not been very user friendly. Most of the diagrams were for the 55s and I'm building a 59. But for the most part I've gotten my $25.00 use out of it.
Mike

not sure what the "S","E" as well as the "DL" bolts are, but the assembly manual does picture how everything goes together, and there really isn't a lot of difference in the 4 eyed front end .... the 5-9 assembly manual is all for the 55.2, that's when it was published, and it does not give measurements of individual parts because it was a reference for the assembly line that didn't have any 'mismatched' components to work with, just indicates what pieces each assembly line station should have on hand, by GM part numbers

if you get too lost CASO, ask away, someone here can help

Bill

I've been in a retreat mode literally in that I had to move the truck deeper into the garage as it was just enough room to squeeze by in front. And since the missing bags of fender and door mounting bolts are found I've been cleaning them up at the bench and thats where the letters came in. I noticed on the recessed cap of the bolts, down under paint and gunk is a letter as noted for different kinds of bolts and so I wondered just how in depth the other manuals might be. I was figuring what I saw on the online version was about it. Still if there is something better I'd like to know about it anyway.

I have the fenders loose fitted with temp hex bolts but plan next to pull it apart and double check the core. I remember shims between the upper core pass side way back in the beginning, but think I just used them under the right side fender... plus I have some inner fender grommet spacer doodads so to be safe I'll start there and loosely fit things back up.
It was remarked on by several who saw it before as "really straight" so I think I'll just try and get back to that believing that its natural inclination is to cooperate.
I know I saw a measurement diagram recently that I thought showed the body and frame numbers... ring a bell?

the resto pack available from GM archives has all the frame measurements, and they do have the 58 pdf ... the shop manual is aimed at mechs who are working on specific things in a short time span, not someone who completely disassembles a truck and puts it back together months/years later and note that the 55.2 shop manual will work better than the 54 [AD] one .... if I remember right, the fender to inner bolts all have a slightly pointy end and all the sheetmetal to sheetmetal bolts have formed on washers, sheet metal to mount points use lock washers on 'flat ended' bolts and most have separate flat washers

the body shims won't be shown anywhere because they're added as needed on assembly for fine tuning the fit, might be useful at the cowl/fender mount point, the lower fender/cab point and core support/fender point, and they're available at most FLAPS in different thicknesses - the assembly manual shows them labeled "as necessary" - other grommets and doodads are shown in the assembly manual, and are pretty much the same 55-59, the primary difference in the front clip is the hood hinges

here's a scan of the core support mounting page, same as the 58 even tho' the supports are different, note the bolts just have part numbers, which might have dimension descriptions in the master parts book - someone put the effort into tracking down all the specs to put together the bolt kits the vendors offer, but it would not have been a simple task

Bill

Thanks Bill.
I bookmarked the wrong year...
Just printed up sec 11 on photo stock. I slip 2 pages in a clear sheet for a 3 ring binder and make a shop book with removable pages.

The assembly manual is your best friend when putting that truck back together! Ask me how I know!
Darren

While we are on the topic of manuals. I have the shop, parts and build manuals for my 1948 two ton. I got spoiled restoring my 1955 Super 55 Oliver tractor. Using the shop manual and the ever helpful parts book with exploded view OF EVERY SINGLE PART, It was so easy to work on. Even has serial number based updates or field conversions. I do find the Chevy manuals a necessity, but man, it can take a while to find your model and try to cross reference part numbers from build book to parts book. Takes forever. However, it has made it so important to take notes, pictures, and draw diagrams when removing parts on the truck. I really rely on this web site for help too. Thanks for the help for sure.

I agree with Super55, if I do another and I'm probably gonna, I'll take more tear down photos.