1 piece f100 frontend hack job, how to fix this

how its goin fellas, ive been working on my new project all week but the thing that i have been avoiding is the thing that bothers me the most about it.. as some of you may know i just picked up this 55 f100 a couple weeks ago, it has a camaro front clip, chevy 350 and 3 speed automatic.. thing actually runs and drives great, just needs to be finished.. problem i am having is he half *** job some guy did on the one piece front end...

previous owner basically welded the hood to the front fenders, then cut the fenders at a diagional towards the cab, put 2 flimsy hinges at the front then called it a day... i have never seen one of these done right in person so i honestly dont know where to start to fix it.. i took a few pictures to illustrate it as best that i can..

i plan on starting by making a new radiator core support that has 2 braces going to each corner of the firewall so at least my radiator doesnt fall off.. then i ***ume i need to make some sort of mount on each side of the firewall that the top of the hood can rest on.. im just not sure how to the make the fenders not look like a donkeys ***hole when the hoods closed.. any and all help will be greatly appreciated... pics coming in just a sec

 

Yuck.

I'd look for a new doghouse and fix it right.

Rich

 

there.. sorry some of the pics are a little ****py but you get the idea.. but if anyone has any pics of a tilt front end done right id sure appreciate it.. thanks in advance.. ps dont worry the wiring is the next to go

-josh

 

The support for the back of the hood is cake. It can be as simple as laying a piece of weather strip when the hood naturally sits at the firewall or you could weld a piece of flat contoured to the bottom of the hood with some adjustable rubber bumpers placed strategicly along its length.

Where your fenders meet i would weld a strip on the inside with a couple of alignment pins and some sore of welting to keep them from rattling. Then get some luggage latches that can be attached to the inside and pull it together. or of you are after the good old race look instead of the full on custom smooth look get yourself some jeep style external hood latches and mount them on the outside.

 

yea thats what i was thinking rodster.. i called a guy today that has frontend parts but havent seen them yet.. im not a fan of the whole tilt thing on these trucks.. the hood on my 56 opens just like it did in 56....

and its scary to think someone invested any amount of time in this,, then stepped back and said... "yup, that looks just like i wanted it to"

 

Me thinks I would get a new front clip and start fresh.....

 

First thing to do is disconnect it from the hinges and see how good it fits when it's blocked in place. The guy that welded it together might not have done a good alignment on the many pieces.

 

alignment pins would help, i just need to brace the hood somehow since its a bit wobbly when it is lowered...is it possible to weld in sheetmetal to make this gap look somewhat acceptable.. ive done plenty of floorpans and the sort but didnt know if adding up to an inch of sheetmetal then making sure the edges are rolled or boxed for strength would work or if i am just wasting my time with this mess

 

If it was me I'd cut the hood loose from the fenders, weld the fenders back together, then make up a core support, and put it back together with a front tilt hood hinge from No Limit Eng.
I've seen about a hundred cars and trucks done with home made tilt front ends-the best one looked worse than a old man's *** with him wearin a thong.

 

ill do that today pope... if it doesnt line up correctly then this front end is basically s**** metal i ***ume? or at leats not worth the time and money to fix.. i want it to look right

 

that... can not be good

 

I don't know why people put tilt front ends on those trucks. I personally think it's stupid. I worked at a shop that built nothing but 53-56 F100's and we used to install the BMW kits for the hood to open backwards for customers that wanted something different. It was ok looking and worked really good.

 

I know what I would do. Im not you.

The front end can be fixed, its not that bad. The alignment can easily be fixed by cutting out the braces and welding in a good structure made of small diamater round rod and doing it correctly, then capping off the bottom fenders and making alignment pins so they fit nicely together.

You could also s**** it and start over.

What it really sounds like to me is that YOU need to commit to either keeping the tilt front end and fixing it......... or s****ping it, sell if off and starting over going with more stock type. It also sounds like YOU already know what YOU want do, but do not want to admit it to yourself.

Id start by picking a path (original-vs-fix the tilt hood), commit to it, then dont look back. Go with your gut man, youll be glad you did in the end cause it is really YOU that has to be happy with the every little peice of the vehicle. Far as the advice, pick, your path then proceed forward with the questions.

 

I wouls start by disconnecting the hinges and sliding everything back where it is supposed to be. It looks like the fella has made the hinges too long.

You hood should rest on that divot on the cowel and you could plop a coupld of adjustable bumpers on there lust like most cars have at the front of the hood to make it sit correct. If you still have a gap you could certainly weld a filler in either on the back of the hood or the leading edge of the cowl where it drops off.

If you are not a fan of the flip front end you will never be satisfied with what you do so new or different sheet metal may be your best option. One thing to bear in mind with a flip front end especially a steel one is that they are a pain to lift. You should perhaps also be thinking about hydraulic boosters like you used on a late model hatch back or some sort of helper springs for opening it.

I made a one piece front end for my '55 vic when I was a kid. I didn't have it hinged for a long time it was a lift off. I got real adept at turning the wheel just right to get under the fender to check my oil. i was nice for working on it bwtween rounds though and once I got hunges built the wife didn't have to lift it off with me.

That whole flip front end thing is more of a race thing than a cruiser thing.


Maaan I just used thing 3 times in a sentence. Is that against some sort of a rule?

 

Same here. While it does make the truck easier to work on it just seems sorta pointless.

 

Not to hijack, but the wires running thru the firewall are a short waiting to happen.

 

yea the wires are a total mess.. its amazing to me that it runs.. but all that will be fixed shortly (and im up for suggestions on the easiest wiring to run if anyone wants to chime in)

ive decided i am going to try to fix what i have here.. i figure i really have nothing to lose if it doesnt work out, being that i doubt many people will be waiting in line to buy a welded up f100 frontend anytime soon..

can anyone lead me into a direction as to what is a good type of hinge to use on the front of these things... most kits are sold complete, and since it isnt using the original ford frame rails i ***ume most kits wonk work anyways

 

i 2nd the new front clip ........if you like the tilt look i build my own hood tilt would be more than happy to help with my measurements if needed.

 

I thought I had work to do on my 63! The po of mine did a flip hood that I cant stand. Your po way over did himself!!

If you do a search on the f100 users group for the hinges I believe I have seen a couple of posts on there about the flip hinges. As far as fixing the mess thats there, take the **** thats there off to mock up the front end with no hinges to get everything lined up right. As a few have already said alignment pins will help keep everything where it needs to be. I would completely box in the bottom of the fenders that are welded to the cab. That way the holes for the pins will be solid and you wont have to worry about anything moving over time.

 

jd thats exactly what im talking about.. super clean installation buddy.. im going to see what work i can get done tonight and will have some pics in the morning

 

JD55F100....Post some pics of your truck.
I dont know why guys put the tilts in those year trucks. You cant get the front to tilt all the way foreword if its lowerd at all, then you hit you head trying to crawl in past the wheels.
The best is the tilt hood, my little opinion

 

Nice work. That's what I'm talking about. That is set up just like the BMW kits they sell. You did an awesome job. Looks killer.

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=571554
few picture of my build.....

 

It was a late 70's early 80's hot lick thing for a lot of guys with trucks at the time. It didn't look or work that great but someone got a truck in a magazine with it plus the g***ers did it with their gl*** front ends so it had to be cool at the time.

 

Yeah, best bet would be to weld up your fenders, get inner fenders to solid up your radiator support, and I highly recommend the forward tilt hood. My hinges weren't that bad, but after mounting this CPP kit I was very impressed with the improved access under hood.