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Old 04-23-2017, 08:44 AM   #1
Bears63
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The difference a few parts make...

Put a new striker bolt on for the passenger door. My dad and I were both impressed that the door no longer has to be slammed. Not much pressure needed to close it now. Now I just have to do the other side but that requires hinge pins too.

Also replaced the hood hinges and springs. Went from wrestling the hood to a normal open and close. The hood hinges went on fairly well, the left side bolted right up but I had to auger out one hole on the mounting plate to get the right side to line up. I was actually surprised it wasn't more work than that to get the aftermarket parts on.

Since it may come up, the striker bolts came from LMC and the hood hinges and springs came from Classic Parts. Doubt it makes much difference since most parts are made in the same place.




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Old 04-23-2017, 12:59 PM   #2
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

i need to replace the pins and hinges on mine too..
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Old 04-24-2017, 01:37 AM   #3
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

with the old square body trucks, you have to keep the hinges oiled frequently!!!! or the hoods will bend....and the door strikers are a big problem...once the plastic piece is gone they don't close very well without really slamming the door...have you heard of "pex" ?it is a plastic pipe/tubing for water lines...you can get it at home depot....it is the perfect size to use on your door strikers...and alot cheaper than replacing the strikers.....you can cut pieces of the pex and split it and slide it over the striker and it will last quite awhile, that's what I do...I guess you could remove the striker and put the pex on there whole,without splitting it but alot more work....
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Old 04-24-2017, 06:43 AM   #4
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

Unfortunately the damage to this hood was already done before I got the truck. I did lubricate the old hinges but they were so shot it didn't matter anymore. Thanks for the tip on the pex, Jim. That would be cheaper than what the parts stores charge just for the plastic bushing.

I also did a few more things to the truck on Sunday. Removed the homemade grill guard, which required pulling the bumper, replaced the grill and mounted the bumper with new bolts. Since the front was opened up I also pulled the headlight trim and cleaned a little behind there. The grill was purchased from Brothers and overall it fit fairly well. The big problem was the top center where the hood latch is. That was way wrong and took a lot of modifying to make it work. I won't complain though, the total for the grill was $55 including shipping so I am still happy with it. Looks much better than the old one.



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Old 04-24-2017, 07:41 AM   #5
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

Nice work!
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Old 04-24-2017, 09:27 AM   #6
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

Thanks, Katrina/10!

I was looking around and the way it looks to me is that the hood latch is not correct for a '78. Can anyone verify that? This truck has had front end parts replaced at some point, I know that much, so who knows what was used to fix it.
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Old 04-24-2017, 09:32 AM   #7
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

Post a picture of your latch, and I'll compare it to my 77. They should be similar.
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Old 04-24-2017, 10:03 AM   #8
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

I will get some better pictures posted up tonight.
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Old 04-24-2017, 10:32 AM   #9
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

From your pictures, your hood looks like a 77, but your latch is not the same as my 77. Mine is pretty much a straight piece from the bottom to the top of the grille support area. You might have a 77 hood with a 78 latch.
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Old 04-24-2017, 12:27 PM   #10
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

The manual release hood latches are the same from '77-'80 from what I have read. The lever is right in the middle, right?. On mine the handle is offset to the drivers side leading me to think it's the older style latch.
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Old 04-24-2017, 12:27 PM   #11
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

I am thinking the hood latch is 75-76 with the offset latch
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Old 04-24-2017, 04:56 PM   #12
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

Striker bolts for the doors just need the nylon bushing to make the doors close nice. I used some 1/2" pex tubing that I had laying around.
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Old 04-24-2017, 05:13 PM   #13
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

I replaced the bolts because they were flat-spotted. The right side wasn't terribly bad but the left side bolt is far worse than that one.
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Old 04-24-2017, 06:55 PM   #14
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

grill looks good!
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Old 04-24-2017, 07:36 PM   #15
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

Thanks, Jim!

Here's a picture with a little added to show my hood latch:

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Old 04-25-2017, 07:29 AM   #16
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

The changes and upgrades look good. Turtle Wax Chrome Polish has enough grit in it that it might get the rust residue from the old brush guard off of your bumper. Got more changes planned? You could do a build thread.
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Old 04-25-2017, 09:13 AM   #17
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

I will try the Turtle Wax. I was wondering what to use. I hate taking a chance on products unless there are recommendations. Just cheap that way

As for other changes, yes, there is a lot planned over time with this truck. Beatrice, I call her. Seemed fitting for a big ol' stubborn b***! Since it is my daily driver anything I do will be pretty well planned out beforehand, can't keep it apart for long and all. Lots of body parts and bits need replacing. Not sure about starting a build thread since more is going to go into my '63 at this time but... I'll think on that a bit.
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Old 04-25-2017, 11:15 PM   #18
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

Quote:
Originally Posted by LT7A View Post
The changes and upgrades look good. Turtle Wax Chrome Polish has enough grit in it that it might get the rust residue from the old brush guard off of your bumper. Got more changes planned? You could do a build thread.
a tip from Rick on the show" american restoration " take some tinfoil,wad it up and polish your chrome bumper with it, it will take the rust off and make your chrome shine!!!
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Old 04-26-2017, 01:43 AM   #19
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Re: The difference a few parts make...

I have also read and heard that dipping the tin foil in Coca-Cola helps. It has something to do with the carbonation and acids in the soda. Never tried it but what the heck.
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