I would like to replace the hood, passenger fender, and front bumper on my 1991 silverado. Does anyone know where I can find a manual/instructions/website with the information?
Thanks
That’s all pretty straight forward except for the alignment and adjustment of the hood. The factory body manual would have all of the fastener locations and so on but I would just have a look at a generic paint and body book at Barnes and Nobles or someplace for general procedures.
The factory body manual sounds exactly like what Im looking for. Can you please let me know where to find one. I searched the net, amazon, pepboys, autozone and the Barns and Noble.
Thank you very much
You have to buy them through Helms and kinda pricey. I believe it is helminc.com. The sell factory manuals for GM and other majors and should be listed in your owners manual. Sometimes you can find a factory manual on Ebay but usually they are Chiltons or something. I don’t know whether Alldata would have body information in the subscription but might want to check that out. I usually just buy a factory manual when I get a car.
thanks so much. Ill google for Helms and at least I have an idea of what Im looking for. Also do you know if I have to take the hood off to remove the fender. Any pitfalls in replacing the bumper. Thanks again
You might also consider checking eBay or Amazon for a manual.
I bought a Helms EVAC (electrical/vacuum) manual for my Lincoln some years ago for 10 bucks off of eBay and the normal price new from Helms was about 40 bucks at the time if I remember correctly.
I’ve also sold a few pricy when new/no longer used manuals on eBay on the cheap.
Probably the biggest issue on bumper swaps is getting some of the bolts loose as they may have rusted in place. If so, spray them with PB Blaster and let them soak overnight before trying to get them loose.
thanks, you’ve been a big help
The hood should come off first. You’ll need a helper to steady the hood while the final fasteners are removed and the hood lifted off. Same for installation.
The front parts are next (grill, bumper etc).
The fender has to be separated from the inner fender well and all of the attachment points. Fenders are often shimmed for fitment and those shims should be kept together with the position they came off. The new fender will require shimming and the old shims will be a good start.
Body panels require patience and some massaging to get them to fit. It’s not like machined parts that bolt up one way only. Take your time and wear gloves. The panels edges can do some damage.
Do yourself a favor and buy a can of B’Laster PB. It is a superior penetrant and you’ll want to hose down the bumper hardware several times over the course of a couple days prior to taking it apart. Unless you live in a dry and hot climate like the southwest anyway. My brother lives in Denver and I took his 25 year old bumper off with a crescent wrench. You’d need a fire wrench to do that where I live…