Radiator Removal

Today brought us great weather and the removal of the radiator.  It showed signs of extensive corrosion on the outside and predictably spewed forth large quantities of rust flakes and other debris while being drained.  The radiator and attached aftermarket external fan and transmission cooler will all be replaced with factory style components during reassembly.  The existing setup had to be lower profile than the original equipment to allow room for the old tilt forward front end.

Rust flakes galore under the old radiator.  Most of them are from the deteriorated radiator mounting bracket, which basically no longer exists.

After removing all of the dead radiator mounting bracket pieces.  I unceremoniously scattered them in the front yard to fertilize the grass with all that iron oxide and had a brief moment of silence to contemplate the cycle of life.

The old mounting hardware for the radiator bracket is almost completely disintegrated like the bracket itself.  The radiator adapter plate is aluminum and in much better shape.  The rivets holding it to the steel frame crossmember were almost completely gone, so I was able to pull it off by hand with the assistance of my special pry bar.  It is custom designed to look exactly like a flat head screwdriver.

These pics were taken after the aluminum radiator adapter plate was removed and some light cleaning.  It will all get the wire wheel soon and some fresh spray paint to stop the slow horrible death it is currently experiencing.

Front End Removal

After much internal debate, I decided to go ahead and take the front body panels off the truck in preparation for removing the engine.  This wasn't technically necessary, but it will make life a little easier in the short term and it needed to be done eventually anyway.

Before:

After removing the hood:

Lots of deep, unrepairable rust on these body panels.  They will be replaced with the new ones I got from the 1955 donor truck.

The inner fenders were cut in a unique way to make room for the aftermarket independent front suspension parts.  I will have to cut the replacement panels prior to installation, but will probably take a more conservative approach and remove as little material as possible.

All panels removed.  I ended up with a big bag of old, corroded nuts and bolts that will all be going into the trash.  Many of them broke or were rounded off during the removal process.  I plan to put the new body panels back together with stainless fasteners.

The old body panels will be recycled once the new ones are installed, so they will live out in the back yard for now.  The dog doesn't appear to mind, but my wife might have something to say about it...