Posted by Clint Dixon [172.69.17.43] on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at 16:17:08 :
In Reply to: Re: Radiator Support Shims posted by Vaughn [104.23.195.62] on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at 14:39:12 :
I have never had a cab completely off of a truck. But I have had everything ahead of the firewall off of every Power Wagon I have owned - more than once.
Assuming that the cab mounts are good, whether they be the early wooden mounts or the later rubber mounts (if they are bad I replace them) I let the cab sit where it may on the good cab mounts. I then shim the running boards parallel to the bottom sill of the cab. This is accomplished with adding shims (washers) between the running board blocks and the running board-to-frame mounts as needed. I also tilt the running boards so as to be horizontal to each side by adding shims between either the top or bottom holes of the running board-to-frame mounts and the frame itself. I also assure that the rear sections of the running boards are on the same plane (in all directions) as the front sections in case the spot welds between the two have broken over the years by shimming as needed. I then mount the rear fenders to the running boards. This method has always allowed the rear fenders to be mounted correctly.
Only after all of that is aligned correctly do I move to the front of the firewall.
I set the radiator and cowl together in front of the engine and attach the firewall to radiator cowl rods in place and try to get everything lined up close by eye keeping all fasteners loose. Lastly, I set the hood in place (not bolted down, just in place) and latch it if possible.
Observing the gaps all around the hood, between hood and cab, and the hood and radiator cowl, I then adjust the radiator and cowl as needed with shims between the cowl frame and mount on the frame front crossmember.
Sometimes I have to add more shims to one side of the cowl frame than the other to tilt the whole assembly slightly to one side or the other. I have never had to bolt the assembly down without any shims. I don't pay any attention to how the hinges on the hood align with the body lines on the cab. I only try to keep the gaps all around the hood even. This in itself seems to produce parallel body lines.
I also take into consideration that there has to be a gap between the fan blades and the roll over seam between the radiator core and top tank. If one has the mechanical governor, the whole radiator and cowl assembly usually has to be slid forward as far as it will go to clear the governor clutch from the fan shroud and the fan blades from the radiator seam. This, of course, slightly opens up the gaps all around the hood. The holes in the mount on the front frame crossmember are slotted front to back to allow this adjustment of the radiator and cowl. To drive the mechanical governor an additional pulley is added behind between the fan and the water pump pulley.
For shims between the truck frame and radiator cowl frame I notch out washers to make them into an omega shape so that they can easily be inserted into place or removed if needed.
I find that the hood will never be "level" as the truck itself does not sit level and was designed with a slight "California Rake" (rear higher than the front). The earlier ones even more so than the later ones as the early shackles on the rear springs were about an inch longer than the later shackles.
Junior
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