My 51 GMC 100 Build...

[53lochevy]

here's some pic's should help bud. looking good on your project.

[Cole_lol]

Sorry guys but I keep pounding this to the ground i still dont understand....

Here are some pre pics before it was all down to the frame. I may stick it back together to get a better idea but here are some more pics more support would be great thanks... PS I dont know how much my GMC is difftrent froma Chevy. Any more suggestions?

[55dude]

spend $25 bucks on a assembly manual for your truck, it's money well spent.

[Cole_lol]

HAHA well, i do have an assembly manual and I have no clue what to look at because its for chevy trucks haha and the biggest diffrence between the two trucks i see is the front end haha, and i have not been able to find one for GMC Specific trucks

I have looked and looked at all the parts I have and the only things that I have seen that hold the chrome grill part is those ugly flat steal stock and if you notice on the side pictures there are two bars that are going at like 45 degrees they hold it at the top. According to the assembly manual the chrom girll is attached to the fenders and and what not but I have not been able to see how its supposed to be with my grill that I have it looks as if it is just free floating but im not 100% sure.

[Smokejohnson]

If u find one for GMC let me know. All I can find is Chevy.

[Cole_lol]

Yes Sir, I will let you know when and if I find one. What does the front end of yours look like? How was your grill attached if you dont mind me asking.

[Kid]

Cole, On my 51 GMC, the grill assy. is bolted to the inner fender sheet metal, 3 bolts going aft on each side, & 2 bolts at top going down thru the grill surround & into the nut inserts of the grill, just fwd of the hood latch. Hope this helps.

[Cole_lol]

Ok guys I just want to say Thanks for all your help I really do appreciate it and im sure im sounding crazy when I keep pounding this in haha. But I read and saw how they did it according to the manual and what not but I just dont see how thats possible. I dont see anything that lines up with the inner or outer fenders to attace the grill assembly too. Now im wondering if they just jimmied it to get it to look right and that could be the case. But here is a crude mock up of how it should be connected but I just dont see how...

On the last picture here you see the hole that I am talking about that the bar goes thru and connects to the top of the grill that I showd in my next post.

[Cole_lol]

Heres another picture of how the grill was held on prior to me takein them off. The parts that are circled are bars that go thru a hole on the inner fender and connect to the top of the grill with one bolt.

I just dont understand how it is so much diffrent from eveyone elses.

[Cole_lol]

heres the pics of the mock up not sure what happend i think thye went away when i edited it

[solidaxel]

I think what you have is Chevy inner frnders and that is the difference where the grill mounts to the inner fender. I can see a "L" shaped bracket on the right side of the photo that is looking at the back side of the grill by the bent bar, and I can't tell if there are three holes in the bracket that bolts to the inner fender. As far as I remember on my 55 1st GMC those 6 bolts are all that holds the chrome grill in place

[Cole_lol]

Well guys I think I found my answer. Its crazy becasue I think I have a 1947-1948 GMC grille wich is diffrent from a 1949-1954 GMC Grille.

This is what I found from the www.oldgmctrucks.com webside

'47-'48 GMCs (light duty) used a completely diffrent inner fender setup and grille structure similar to big truck construction, they used a prop rod to support the grille assembly and then a rubber diaphragm gasket throught the front of the inner fender to seal the opeining. These grilles also only have 3 bars.

That explains why they welded the steel to the frame because at those years the frame was extended to hold the bottom of the grille and the bars went thru the inner frame and connected to the top of the grille for support.

Now the question is going to be, if I need inner fenders how do I go about replaceing them.

As it turns out my truck is a MIX of GMC trucks I guess that can be bad but im going to hope to turn it into something good. And if in doubt I can switch the inner fenders and the grill to be of the 1951 style.

Sorry for pounding this and thanks for all your help and maybe we all learned alittle more. HAHA

Cole

[Daniel U]

Nice little bit of trivia

[Cole_lol]

I call it a slight bit of irritation because I could not figure it out and it was just not makeing sence. Only thing i need to know now is how much diffrent is it haha.

[BigSix302]

Hey Cole I just read thru this and if you are going to use a later GMC Grill you will need to get later inner fenders. You can use any Chevy or GMC inner fender from 49 to 54. The inners are the same between the two models. There have been a couple of GMC grills on the big auction sight in the last couple of weeks. They seem to come up fairly regularly. I have a complete front clip setting off the truck if you want pictures. I can get some. Your other choice is to use what you have and just make it look better for your own tastes. Not many folks are going to crawl down and look under there and then have the nads to tell you it is not stock or whatever. Let me know back on the pics and maybe I can still get them this evening.

[BigSix302]

I went ahead and went out and took a few shots. I will have to size them down some. Will post them or I can email them directly to you if you want. I will check back later.

[Cole_lol]

ya you can email them to me. cole_lol@hotmail.com or you can send them here. Im still thinking i may keep it this way because not many people have the front end like this on a smaller truck. how much you going to want for them and stuff let me know in the email i may hit you up on it just undecided. I just didnt want to cut off something that was needed is all im far from the stages of putting stuff back together...

Wait lol sorry miss read i dont think you are wanting to sell them haha just wanted to give me references haha sorry my bad if thats the case

[Smokejohnson]

Originally Posted by Cole_lol

Yes Sir, I will let you know when and if I find one. What does the front end of yours look like? How was your grill attached if you dont mind me asking.

Mine was all apart when I got it so it's kinda like a puzzle for me.
There are 2 things welded to the front of the frame that don't look like they belong there. Here's a pic

[BigSix302]

I took some pictures of my front clip as well as a52 grill I have. I think the grill gives the best view of how it mounts compared to yours. The clip shots are harder to see.

[Cole_lol]

Only If mine was that easy. My grille and fenders so I am told are from a 1947-1948 GMC wich they changed in 1949. All im hopeing now is that I can clean up my innerfenders good and its looking like I can and from what I see my fenders are the same too. But Ill have to build a gravle guard I guess to tie them all togerther. Wonder how all thats going to work

[BigSix302]

There is one on eBay now. I can look for it since I know what they look like. I will email the link to you.

[Cole_lol]

THANKs, I really dont need one just yet, I am way from from even thinking about the grilll reason I was asking in the first place was to make sure I was not removeing something that was needed hahaha. But your pictured do really help. It just blows my mind how diffrent my grille is compared to the others. We are beginning to think that this truck was in an Accident way befor I got it and that the swaped the front end...

[BigSix302]

Possibly. Or some one had these parts and they "put one together" so to speak. I had a 49 GMC 350 truck, at least the front half of it that had the grill mounted like yours. It was a big truck, 2 ton probably. It had all the stuff I see on you half ton. Maybe someone added big truck stuff to a half ton truck and made do with what they had.

[BigSix302]

You need to try and attend the ATHS show this May. There will be a group of GMC guys there and they all love to talk Jimmies, and Chevy's too. Check out this link on the GMC boards.
http://oldgmctrucks.infopop.cc/eve/f...3/m/8661087743

[NEALS49]

Hey Cole, looking good may be I will get motivated (but I dont it) Looks like you are getting some good pics of your build keep it up. My pics are what keeps me going to judge how I am getting along. Been good talking to you on messenger also.