[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

They do work without the firewall to fender braces and thousands of trucks have been run without them over the past 65 years ever since guys started swapping engines or just didn't bother to run them.

As I said earlier I have run both ways. Results was far more squeaks, rattles and hood/fenders not lining up or staying aligned when i ran the truck without them. That included the hood blowing up when I passed a truck somewhere in the middle of Wyoming on a two lane road and the hood would have been destroyed except it has 120 louvers and the louvers took the presser off and let me see somewhat until I got the struck stopped. The nose moved around enough that the hood could pop loose and the safety didn't catch or hold.

When I put the truck back together on the 54 frame in a 3 week bash to get it together to take to an event from bare frame to driving I put the braces back in along with the correct braces in front of the radiator. It just works to stiffen up the front end and keep things in place.

It will work without them but may not work as well as it could or should, that is the bottom line.

I have no idea if my old braces are going to work with my sectioned cab and 235 Corvette motor, I hope so, they have been hanging in the shed with "new" Chrome on them waiting for 25 years!

I sure hope they can be used! I personally like the looks of them. And I have found they DO play a part in the alignment. That is why they have the nuts on both sides of the bracket, so you can move that in or out on either side, THAT is the reason they are there.

Brian