Header panel help

[87Chief]

Having issues taking the header panel off.. do I need this off to take the panel off? Am I missing something? I have all the other nuts/bolts..

 

This is behind the right side of fender on top..

<a href='http://i.imgur.com/OCh1Ya4' title=''><img src='http://i.imgur.com/OCh1Ya4.jpg' alt='' title='Hosted by imgur.com' /></a>

 

<a href='http://i.imgur.com/kqY2UsH' title=''><img src='http://i.imgur.com/kqY2UsH.jpg' alt='' title='Hosted by imgur.com' /></a>

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[87Chief]

Sorry for double post..

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[mikekaz1]

You should only need to take off the 4 fender nuts under the marker lights and the 5 (?) Torx bolts ontop of the radiator support. And it should pop off.

[87Chief]

I only saw 1 fender nut on each side..

[87Chief]

 

[mikekaz1]

the top one looks like it was snapped off. not uncommon.

[87Chief]

I'll have to get a better look at it later today, I tried pulling on it, but it just won't budge..

[buckwheat]

You undid the five nuts along the radiator support as well, right? They are kinda hidden on the top side of the header facing into the engine bay.

[mikekaz1]

You undid the five nuts along the radiator support as well, right? They are kinda hidden on the top side of the header facing into the engine bay.

personally I keep that agle brackwt on theheader as they tend to be easier to take out of the raditor support and negates the risk if cracking the fiberglass studs

[DirtyComanche]

IIRC, the ones that don't have a top stud/nut going into the fender use another bracket on the top or inside. I've only seen it once and it was a collision repair special, so it might have been a one off. And that was a long time ago... So keep looking around.

[Knucklehead97]

Take out the lights and all that and remove 13mm nuts in these circles

 

Then these 4 11mm nuts in the engine bay

Sometimes there is a screw down below (7mm? Maybe 5/16. Can't remember.)

 

If that doesn't take it off then check the sides where the 13mm nuts are very closely. I've found multiple header panels with extra screws screwed into the fender here.

[87Chief]

I had to go up through the fender on the backside of the header panel...

 

 

 

[87Chief]

Not sure why i had to do that though... Maybe because it's a Chief? I saw all the other ones at the JY (cherokees) having the nut on the outside.

 

Time for some 97+ fenders and header panel.

[87Warrior]

 

 

I had to go up through the fender on the backside of the header panel...

 

My '86 is built the same way. It's a pain to reinstall.

[87Chief]

 

I had to go up through the fender on the backside of the header panel...

My '86 is built the same way. It's a pain to reinstall.

 

 

Yeah, don't want to go through that again..

[mikekaz1]

ahhh I'm going to guess its because of the 86 crossover year. you must have a very early 1987.   the late 87 and on all had a passenger side fender mounted hood prop. yours appears to be header mounted and must use the older style header still, the newer style  did not have the reversed mounting stud. I wouldn't even bother putting the nut back on on reassembly.

[DirtyComanche]

It's all coming back now.  That is the style that I only dealt with once, on an 86 model.  Definitely threw me for a loop when I ran into it.  I don't typically deal with anything that early, or anything 4cyl.

[87Chief]

I just hope with this crossover year I can still do a 97+ front clip conversion with doors and such... 

[Rockfrog]

How does the fender mount up? The 97+ has angle brackets to the subframe that the fenders mount to. Then the header mounts to the fenders. So, if you can find a way of adapting those brackets the rest should be easy. The rest of the fender mounts are just holes with speed nuts added.

Looking at your pics the problems are mainly gone with the stock fenders/header

 

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[DirtyComanche]

I'm sure you can still swap new front end parts onto that. The only difference in them is that mounting stud. They even molded in the area where it mounts on the later ones.

[Rockfrog]

Yeah, the later header moved it to the inside edge of the fender where it is easily reached. Then one more down below the headlight behind the turn signal.

From the looks of it, swapping to a later front fender (or to the 97+ if you're planning the full front clip and not just a header) will fix that. Both that stud and where it attaches to the fender are gone with those particular parts.

 

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[87Chief]

Ok, awesome. Thanks everyone! Once I get some extra money growing from my tree out back  :doh:  I'll post some pics of the new front end, and engine swap  :yes: