1958 with a 1955 nose

[Mixup]

Hi, I'm from the 67-72 board and I'm buying a 1958 1/2 ton pickup. I want to put a 55 nose on it. Anyone know what needs to be changed besides the hood, grille and fenders?

[entourageguy]

Sorry thats not allowed. 4 lighters must stay that way. Only Cal was able to do that because he bought his that way.

Anyway to the older truck portion. I'm sure someone will pipe in with the info.

and of course pictures are always welcome...

Brian ...

[dwcsr]

First send me the fender from the 58 then do what ever you want. Then
You may have to move the radiator support mounts but not sure.
The frame in a 58-59 is 2.5 inches longer past the fron axle so you may have to trim the frame horns so the bumper won't stick out. But other than that I think its a bolt on deal.

[Mixup]

The frame won't be a problem, it's on a 90 pickup frame. The guy that did it has done a few like that. He did a great job you can't even tell it's been changed until you look underneath. I have a 69 pickup that I just finished which I'm keeping. I don't know anything about what parts interchange on the 58 but I've seen a few with the 55 nose. Thats why I'm asking. The deal to buy the truck isn't done yet. I want to get all my ducks in a row before I buy it. It's painted with flames and was done about 5-6 years ago. The truck has been sitting since. It needs everthing. Right now it's a shell and chassis thats it.

[chevyrestoguy]

You'll need to redrill your '58 firewall to match the bolt pattern of the '55 hood hinges.
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BMW 7 SERIES HISTORY

[5Mike7]

No, no drilling required

I sold my '59 with a '55/'56 front clip on it....thing is you mentioned it's on a '90 frame, so all bets are off...but, you shuold have a direct bolt in with '55/6/7 stuff...only difference in frame in the '55-'57 vs the '58 and '59 are that the '58/9 extend a few inches out (for sheetmetal purposes) in front...so you might have an issue with your bumper looking a little "bucktooth" unless you trim the frame some.

I'm also about 99% sure (but it was 25 years ago when I did the swap) I had to use the '55/6 inner fender wells too with the '55/6 fenders.

[55dude]

post some pic's dude! lets see it sounds cool.

[MrSinister]

5MIKE7 is correct in that the inner fenderwells need to switched since the hood spring mounts to them. The outer bumper brackets are also different but it won't make any difference since you are using a differnt frame.

[b.sharp]

You will basically need the hole doghouse off a 55-57 truck. Everything on the '58-59 doghouse is different. I thought about doing the same thing but a doghouse would cost more than I gave for the truck. And it seams like no one wants the dual headlights. Someday they will be worth more original than the single light front ends. Make sure you get one without rusted out fenders or hinge brackets. The after market fender are a bit pricey.
Lots of luck with the build if you get the ride.

Latr, B.Sharp

[1-ton of fun]

i'm keeping my 4 lights on mine. i wish i could use the 55 hood, though

[Mixup]

Well if I get it I might keep it the way it is. Right now we are trying to agree on a price but so far he won't budge.

[chevyrestoguy]

I bought my '59 and it already had a '55 clip on it, but when I put a brand new set of '55-'57 hood hinges on it, I had to slot the two lower attach holes on the firewall for them to line up. I compared the new hinges to a set of '58-'59 hinges and the bolt patterns were slightly different. Easy fix, but I thought that maybe Mixup might need to know the little stuff that always drives you up the wall.
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Ford Super Duty History

[55ChevyPU]

Originally Posted by MrSinister

5MIKE7 is correct in that the inner fenderwells need to switched since the hood spring mounts to them. The outer bumper brackets are also different but it won't make any difference since you are using a differnt frame.

They do? I dont have a hood spring attached to the inner fenders O_O

[Mixup]

Thanks guys for all the help.

[5Mike7]

Originally Posted by b.sharp

You will basically need the hole doghouse off a 55-57 truck. Everything on the '58-59 doghouse is different. I thought about doing the same thing but a doghouse would cost more than I gave for the truck. And it seams like no one wants the dual headlights. Someday they will be worth more original than the single light front ends. Make sure you get one without rusted out fenders or hinge brackets. The after market fender are a bit pricey.
Lots of luck with the build if you get the ride.

Latr, B.Sharp

I would have swapped my front clip back for a '58/9 one if I could have found something reasonable...just to make the truck "original" again, would have added quite some value to it.