I am attempting to help a friend repair her 1998 Suburban after she hit a pole. I've managed to remove the old front bumper, grille and radiator support, and have replacement parts ready. However, I am not certain how the new radiator support goes in place. My main problem is the bushings between the radiator support and the frame. Without the bushings in place, the radiator support slides right in and bolts in place, without any hassle. However, with the bushings in place, the radiator support is too high to fit underneath the front fenders, and of course, there is no way to get the bushings in once the support is bolted in place.

I haven't found any detailed bodywork instructions for this truck online, and the dealership is closed until Monday. Do I need to remove the fenders in order to get the new radiator support in place?

 

are you sure you have the right bushing in there and its falling through the hole like it should?

 

It looks that way. The bushing does fit a bit snug in the hole, but I lubed it with silicone spray and torqued it down to make sure it was all the way in. The radiator support is still inches above the fender when resting on top of the bushing. I am half tempted to jerry rig a new set of bushings myself.

 

If there's inches difference, I'd check the dimensions of the replacement parts. How do they compare w/ the parts removed?

 

Both parts are the same height. The new one looks right bolted to the fenders, with about 2" clearance between the bottom and where the bushings mount to the frame. The problem is, with the bushings in place, I don't have enough room to slide the support under the front of the fender and shoehorn the bottom into place.

 

How'd you get the old one out?

 

The old one was rather rusted along the bottom. After I unbolted it from the fenders, it came right out. I was able to lift it right off of the bushings without undoing any of the bolts. I'm in Northern NY, right next to Fort Drum, so they use a lot of salt on the roads up here.

 

R u saying that you've replaced the radiator support before?

 

It looks like Kaiter might be a 'bot. All he's done is repeat what others have said...

 

He's gone.