An optical dillusion.

[GPster]

On the '47 to'55 (early) Chevy/GMC trucks, is the hood longer on the big trucks (the ones with 20" wheels) or does it just appear that way because of the wheel opening in the fenders for the larger wheels? The radiator sits high on my project to leave room for the '53 car draglink assembley to have room to operate under the lower radiator tank. If the hood were to sit properly with the line of the body I'd need a scoop about 2" high  to clear the upper radiator tank. The scoop is not as much of a problem as the fact that it needs to be in the section where the hood starts to roll down in the front. If the big truck hood was longer then the scoop might start in a better place. I've already butchered this hood enough so I know what most of the mistakes I've made with it are. Just trying to decide what the next candidate will be. It's amazing how much differant the side of a project looks in a 16' wide garage with shelves or outside with the sun shining and no snow. GPster

[enjenjo]

The hood for most of the big trucks is the same. But there is one model, the 540/620, that has a longer hood. It also has side panels that bolt to the cab where the fenders nornally bolt with no openings, and seperate fenders.

A picture here, GMC, but chevy was similar http://www.oldgmctrucks.com/page0196.html

[enjenjo]

It looks like the 450 hood may be longer too.

[kb426]

On the 2 ton trucks, I measured a hood and found it to be longer by around 1.5" This was on a 48-53. I believe the 54 to be the same. Out here in farm country we have several of those trucks sitting around. The doors and cab are all that appear to be interchangable. I haven't measured everything to be sure.

[GPster]

The car radiator must be wider than the truck radiator. If I was to put a scoop on this to allow for the height of the top tank and filler the scoop would need to be 1 1/2" high and only 2" narrower than the hood's width at that point. Might have to run it without a hood as to have one that sloops down from the radiator to the firewall. Now you guys can fire me pictures of a radiator housing that looks like a '32 Ford only taller, wider and deeper front to back. either that or I'll have to make a "track truck nose. GPster

[GPster]

It's amazing how everything looks better in the sun. The truck cab is only mounted to the frame by it's shackle mounts at the back. Because I'm going to square up the cab to the new doors and build the floor to suit any front support of the cab is temporarily by the front door frames. The firewall has dropped down some and when I get the firewall back up I think the hood will work.  GPster

[enjenjo]

You might look at a GMC hood and grille for the same year, that would look good without fenders if done right.

[GPster]

You might look at a GMC hood and grille for the same year, that would look good without fenders if done right.

I can see a possibility but it would take a hood and about two of those grill housings. I would just use the piece of the grill housing that fits in the curvature in the hood and turn one up-side down for a bottom and bring in pieces to make sides oh an elongated "O". My idea for the hood has been to flatten the sides so they just turn down instead of flaring out to the fender edge. But this counts for more parts than I have right now and it may be a style rather than function call right now. I did get the front of the cab back up I'll have to do some diagonal brace the frame body mount horns. The hood top follows the line of the top of the cowl now. One thing might gain me some slack is the radiator cap and fill inlet. If I could stumble on one of those "U" fill fittings that comes out of the back of the tank that would keep the hood off the radiator cap. That forum about the horizontal grill bars in a "Deuce" shell got me to thinking. If someone doesn't need that shell I have for a Buick powered track roadster I may just turn it up-side down and weld it to my truck hood. Or I could always get some plastic grills for a PT cruiser.