1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

[Frank D.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

You can replace the bar - but you are too far down the road now I think.... You'd have to have access to the bonding piece tha that holds the header bar...

I sourced an original bar with the stamped (not drilled) center nose emblem access holes and installed it (it pays to have friends with rare parts).. Along with an original radiator core support, nose support rods, horns, etc... A friend was resto-modding a one-owner basket case 63 and I was the beneficiary of many original parts... The radiator core supports can be tough to find...the Coffman repros are OK but detectable...they don't have the oval hole under the regulator to support Powerglide cooling hoses for later 63s.

The repro nose support rods are detectable too....subtle differences and hard to see on assembled car but they're there...

All things which can be damaged beyond repair in a front-ender...

There are many reasons a front end could have glass work besides a crash; a typical one is cracking on the hood surround where the headlight buckets reside....at the rear corners of the cavity where they rotate...a weak area....

Your car looks awesome so far.....and you are welcome to PM if you need more info...
Having been where you are I can appreciate the difficulty of what you are trying to do without being judgemental...

[Harry S.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

The front header bar was bent in my April 63 car. I spoke with the original owner and he did it when he clipped a truck. As a result the headlight motor would not install correctly. Not being able to locate a replacement header bar I bought one from LIC, cut the holes out then replaced that section with the good center section from the original bar. All is fine now. Just added lots of $$$ to the body work.

[Frederick H.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

Good Evening Harry. Yep - I am already well over budget but the guy doing the work (72 years old) is very picky. I will probably fill the small hole in the center (portion of bar facing the motor) and not bother trying to replace the bar. The headlight bucket and motors all worked ok before disassembly. I have taken lots of "before" pictures to document the rest of the car (interior was original and never restored previously but carpet and seats were not in good shape). After owing it since 1970, I am just ready to start driving it and enjoying it.
My wife and I took a fall vacation to New England last year and it was one of the best vacations we have had - the weather was beautiful the entire week.

Thanks,
Fred

[Timothy B.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

You can replace the bar - but you are too far down the road now I think.... You'd have to have access to the bonding piece tha that holds the header bar...

I sourced an original bar with the stamped (not drilled) center nose emblem access holes and installed it (it pays to have friends with rare parts).. Along with an original radiator core support, nose support rods, horns, etc... A friend was resto-modding a one-owner basket case 63 and I was the beneficiary of many original parts... The radiator core supports can be tough to find...the Coffman repros are OK but detectable...they don't have the oval hole under the regulator to support Powerglide cooling hoses for later 63s.

The repro nose support rods are detectable too....subtle differences and hard to see on assembled car but they're there...

All things which can be damaged beyond repair in a front-ender...

There are many reasons a front end could have glass work besides a crash; a typical one is cracking on the hood surround where the headlight buckets reside....at the rear corners of the cavity where they rotate...a weak area....

Your car looks awesome so far.....and you are welcome to PM if you need more info...
Having been where you are I can appreciate the difficulty of what you are trying to do without being judgemental...

Frank,

When you used that original metal brace did you remove the rivets and replace the fiberglass bonding strip with a new one?

[Frank D.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

Frank,

When you used that original metal brace did you remove the rivets and replace the fiberglass bonding strip with a new one?

My bodyman did - the front end damage desroyed the fiberglass piece and we tried to straighten the header bar but it was too far gone....
So a new fiberglass strip with rivets was used to support an original header bar.

[Timothy B.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

Ronald,

If you have any pictures to post showing the different rivets and how they are set in St. Louis vs A O Smith for the header bar in question I would like to see them.

Thanks in advance, Tim

[Frederick H.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

Good Evening Harry,
I have found different thicknesses from club member's '63's in the fiberglass that runs across the front surround that is adjacent to the front of the hood when closed (part of which is the hump in my first photo that showed the poor repair). It varies from 3/8", 3/16", and some thicker. I could not find anything in the manuals regarding thickness for this portion. Any ideas?

[Ronald L.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

Ronald,

If you have any pictures to post showing the different rivets and how they are set in St. Louis vs A O Smith for the header bar in question I would like to see them.

Thanks in advance, Tim

[Ronald L.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

Good Evening Harry,
I have found different thicknesses from club member's '63's in the fiberglass that runs across the front surround that is adjacent to the front of the hood when closed (part of which is the hump in my first photo that showed the poor repair). It varies from 3/8", 3/16", and some thicker. I could not find anything in the manuals regarding thickness for this portion. Any ideas?

[Ronald L.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

The toughest part is slipping the old bar out from under the four lamp brackets and the new one in

Need to dry fit and the use a slower setting adhesive

[Frederick H.]

Re: 1963 Fiberglass Fit for Inside Front Nose

Thanks Ronald. I am already over budget and since I do not have the ability to do this repair myself, it will just have to remain as is unfortunately.

[Ronald L.]