Started my 78 core support swap into the '85 today. This project is about 8 years over due. I just hope it doesn't turn into a complete disaster, so here goes.


Old front, say good bye.




Grill off, bumper and filler off--notice the severe rust on the bottom of the support that is common. This was another reason I wanted to do the swap:




Old core support out. This was no easy feat with having the fenders still on.




Add the '78 style core support brackets. I used 7/16 bolts. Only interference was the top front bolt on both sides running into the edge of the front crossmember. A little time with the die grinder made a little more room for the end of the bolt--I only needed 1/4 more room. The alternative was to cut and shorten the bolt.




Nudder shot




New support just set in place




Headlights added--got a little ahead of myself





At this point, I see I am going to have to try and unbolt the rear of the fenders. They seem to be in a bind at the front with the core support--pressing very hard down on the support and not allowing me to adjust things right. I am sure the new bushings under the support aren't helping matters either though.

Good news is all the bolt holes on the front edge of the fender line up with the welded nuts on the older support. The goal here is to not have to mod the fenders. I can live with the ever so slight mismatch of the grill and top corner of the fenders as is--it really isn't that bad IMO.

To be continued....

Looks good so far. Will the valence bolt to the '85 fenders? What washer jug is that?

You might want to look at your cab mount rubbers to see what condition they are in, since your fenders are binding a bit. Squished cab mount rubbers will lower the cab just enough to cause the bind you are experiencing. Gene

round headlights

when I did my engine swap, I pulled the core support. easiest engine/trans swap I ever did.

Thanks for taking the time to document this swap. I'll be waiting for updates!

Have you considered just cutting the 85 Balance ends and adding them to the 78 one

Ok, little update. I have been trying to get my hood/fender gaps back to something resonable. The other issue I see with the lower valance is the width. As I mentioned, I will most likely cut the ends and fab new ones. The width issue comes from the fact I need to pull out the bottom side of the fenders to make it flow with the grill--thus making the valance short end to end. So I will be doing some fab work.

I am pleased so far other wise, Stay tuned.

Any updates to this? I'm wondering how it turned out?

Not too much. Been real busy with work. I spent an exorbitant amount of time getting the fenders/grill /hood to fit better. I wish I paid more attention to how things were before I took it apart---but I also wonder if the earlier fenders are just slightly longer in the fron which would help immensly. I got everything pretty reasonable I guess though. To get the best possible fit required pulling the bottom of the fenders out. That means the lower valance is now too short in length. I will probably just use most of the '85 valance and fab some braces to hold the grill in at the bottom.

I did have to remove the weatherstrip that goes on the grill to seal the hood. It was causing fitment issues. Everything is super tight between the cowl, hood, and grill for some reason, and i cant pull the fenders farther foward because then the door gaps look goofy.

All in all, I got everything reasonable for what it is. Really, the best possible solution is to swap fenders--which also means doors, or do as in another post from a year or two ago where they cut the front of the fenders off and weld the earlier front of the fender on. I may do this down the road, but right now I would like to finish this so I can drive it again.