1977 Chevy Silverado K/20 - Tilt Nose

This is my 77 K/20. I designed this tilt front end from scratch. A lot of thought went into this project. I thought it through several times, noting details and possible problems. Expecting the unexpected at all times. Months of planning lead to my beginning this task.
I began looking through my 10 years worth of 4 wd magazines, cutting out every picture of a Chevy with a tilt nose. I needed something to go on. This was all new to me. I knew from the pictures, that most Chevy trucks with tilt noses, had no air conditioning. I wanted to keep my AC in tact. After much thought, and adapting my plans, I figured out how to keep my AC. The next problem was making the hinges. I designed them. The most important thing being where the pivot point would be. A few sheets of graph paper, and a compass helped, as well as a protractor. I spent more time measuring, than anything else. Which I expected.
Next, I had to figure out what I'd do after I cut my fenders in half. They're hollow, and I'd have to make some sort of "caps" for the ends. I used a thin piece of aluminum flashing to make a template for each side. To get the exact contour, I used the tailgate. I opened it, and put the flashing against the end, then traced the pattern onto the flashing. I cut the templates out, and then traced the shapes onto a piece of 18 ga sheet metal I had, and cut them out.
Minor items, such as lengthening my battery cables, rerouting the headlight wiring harness, rerouting the AC lines, and strengthening the fenders was the easy part. My hood still opens the "normal" way, or I can tilt the whole nose.

Here's the hinges I made, painted and drying. Poor quality pic I know, sorry!



Here's the caps I made for the ends I welded on. It took a lot of grinding and I finished it by hand with a file.



Here the caps welded on and primed.

Tilt Nose
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