1967-1968 GMC Grille & Bumper Upgrades - A Face Full Of Chrome - Tech

What I thought to be a burned-out headlight turned out to be broken wires. A lot of repeat labor can be saved by testing new lights at the plug and inspecting wires before they are concealed behind bezels and trim pieces.

The grille is held in with 10-24 J-nuts at the top that in most cases break before a 5/16 wrench can be used to unbolt them completely. Using a pair of needle-nosed vise grips worked good to keep the J-nuts from turning or breaking.

The bottom of the grille is held in with 5/16-18 J-nuts that are also prone to breaking after exposed to years of use. I'd advise going to a local hardware store, and stocking up on a dozen of both sizes before starting on this job.

One never knows what to expect when they are working on an old truck. Somewhere in the truck's life a shade tree mechanic used pop rivets in addition to bolts to hold the grille in. After I figured out what the problem was, I had to cut and drill the rivets out.

To prevent any damage to the new '67 grille from LMC Truck, I first made sure, by feeling by hand, that there weren't any high or low spots that would scratch or bend the grille.

Made by Malco, this hand seamer works great to straighten any flat flange area such as the upper grille support.

To do an incredibly, professional-looking job of straightening the sheetmetal surround for the GMC's grille, I squeezed the Malco pliers tight as I slid them along the surround and pulled the metal straight.

To handle the high spots around the bolt holes, I used a flat chunk of steel as a dolly on the inside and then tapped the outside of the spot flat with a hammer.

Discovering a narrower than original gap is not uncommon. A test-fit proved the new grille was slightly too wide for the '68's opening. I loosened the truck's fenders and opened up the gap to fit the new grille.