I have searched but not found exactly what I am looking for. I know you can remove the entire front clip as one piece. Assuming you remove the hood first using the spring tool many have described. I have seen photos of the front clip attached to a cherry picker with an engine leveler - my question is where and how do you attach something to facilitate this? If anybody could help me with a step-by-step tutorial, or direct me to one already done if anybody has - it would be appreciated. I have read all the posts that I could find, perhaps I missed a detailed one. I do have the shop manual, but a description by someone that has done it is so much easier to understand. Thanks.
If you have the shop manual, then this step by step information should work for you. http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1949_53/11chasis/11_08.HTM
Every situation is different but after you remove all of the bolts find a few holes and attach some eye bolts. Hook your hoist to the eye bolts and take up the slack. Now remove the bolts you missed earlier and lift off the front clip. It's not all that heavy and three normal sized people should be able to pick it up.
Drain the cooling system. Disconnect upper and lower radiator hoses. One or two bolts under the radiator holding the core support to the frame bracket. About 4 bolts at the rear of each fender, the top and bottom accessible from outside as I recall, the middle ones from behind the kick panel. Remove battery. Disconnect wiring harness leading from firewall to terminal strip at left front are. Disconnect the fresh air vent tubes. Corral at least one, ideally two, husky friends and direct them to lift it off. Ray
Pulled the front clip as a unit for a heart transplant on my '50 and just two of us sat it aside, not very heavy. like ratfink said, I didn't pull the hood for the swap of the engine and tranny.
Like others said, you do not need to pull the hood. However, you do need to pull off the front bumper. Otherwise you'll either destroy your front pan or spend an hour and a half cursing at your friends while you try to pull it off over the bumper. I did mine with one helper, it was no big deal Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Maybe this is the information you're looking for that nobody answered: there are two nuts that hold the radiator support underneath the front and one bolt at the top of each front fender right by the windshield posts and one or two bolts on the bottom of the front fender down by the corner of the door. That's it, if I remember correctly. Pull those few knots and bolts and the entire clip comes off in one piece. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Good information, thanks guys. And yes atomic, that does make it a little more simple. I have to tear the car down completely anyway, so hood needs to come off. Already took the front bumper and brackets off. Have the wiring and air ducts removed along with hoses. Hopefully I can get the clip off and drivetrain pulled, then work towards installing an IFS setup.
I took mine off piece by piece - you can buy all the fender hardware repop and I thought I'd just put it back together with new bolts and stuff. But there was nothing hard about it either way.
No none mentioned the hood springs. They can be a pain, and it is worth the time and dollars to either make or purchase spring removal tools.
And .... without a GOOD TOOL to remove those hood springs, those buggers can REALLY become lethel weapons.
^^^ the best thing about the tool is you take them off when they are expanded and it is very easy to put them back on.
I understand.........and understood..........it's just a slow Friday night and I just wanted to add some levity .........
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