Face Off - 2006 GMC Sierra - Front Clip Swap

With our parts delivered from LMC Truck, we laid everything out to make sure each part needed was included. Here we had the new hood, fenders, lights, grille shell, core support, foglights, bumper, valence, frame horns, and nuts and bolts for installation.

As the owner of an '04 GMC Sierra, I love the slick looks of that body style's front end, however, I can't ignore the bold, broad, and tough looks of the '07-and-newer GMC Sierra front clips. The designers really nailed the big, one-piece headlights and simple, large-opening grille. Looking side-by-side at the old versus the new, it truly is a natural progression from the last body style to the current one. Herein lies the dilemma. What if you have a nice '06 GM truck with a custom interior, suspension, and trick bodywork already, but you want to update the front end to the current look? We're not going to lie and say it's a simple bolt off, bolt back on install, but if you start with the right parts the first time, you'll have a running start to a head-turning machine.

Looking at local dealerships and junkyards for decent body parts, the estimates we were getting seemed astronomical and we couldn't get all the parts in one place. Opening the new LMC Truck GM catalog to see what parts they had available, we were pleasantly surprised when everything we needed was in stock and ready to ship. When we say everything, we mean the nuts and bolts, and everything in between. With each part receiving an exploded view in the catalog, we easily ordered all the parts needed to bring our '06 Sierra up to date with brand-new trucks. In a few days, a delivery truck unloaded several giant boxes with a new hood, fenders, grille shell, radiator core support, bumper, valence, headlights, foglights, light brackets, frame horns, and all of the necessary nuts, bolts, and wiring harnesses. To make our '06 Sierra look like a new-body-style, we drove our former cover truck to Lucky Luciano Custom Paint, in Phoenix. As the painter of several magazine feature trucks over the years, we had full confidence that he and his team could transform our GMC. To see how they did it, check out the story, and for all your body parts needs, go to www.lmctruck.com.

1. What would make someone tear apart a former cover truck and scrap this insane paintjob? Easy, it's called progress. Friend of the magazine Justin Veit wanted his truck to have a fresh new look, and the crew at Lucky Luciano Customs in Phoenix, accepted the challenge.
1. What would make someone tear apart a former cover truck and scrap this insane paintjob?
2. To speed things along, we skipped the tear-down and skipped straight to the bare-bones look of the truck in need of a new front end. Soon, this '06 will confuse anyone looking at it head-on.
2. To speed things along, we skipped the tear-down and skipped straight to the bare-bones
3. After removing the '06 radiator core support from the previous picture, the new LMC Truck core support for '07-and-newer GM trucks was bolted in place with a 13mm socket and wrench.
3. After removing the '06 radiator core support from the previous picture, the new LMC Tru

4. As our lovely hand model is showing, the new '07 fenders were given a quick test fit, but as you may suspect, this isn't a simple bolt-on affair. The lower body lines are different, as are the upper rear portions that mates to the A-pillars.
4. As our lovely hand model is showing, the new '07 fenders were given a quick test fit, b
5. With a measurement taken, a cutoff wheel was used to cut the innermost (closest to the cab) section on the original fender with the '06 body line. Since this former cover truck's fenders were works-of-art and we wanted to hand them up on the shop walls, repop fenders were purchased and cut instead of the actual gold ones.
5. With a measurement taken, a cutoff wheel was used to cut the innermost (closest to the
6. The cut off section with body line was then hammered and body-worked to the trimmed '07 fender. This is where years of bodywork experience paid dividends.
6. The cut off section with body line was then hammered and body-worked to the trimmed '07

7. Small tack welds were then used to secure the piece to the new LMC fenders.
8. Here you get a sense of how the new fender is taking shape. One of the defining characteristics of the new-body-style GM trucks is the lack of lower body lines. However, when the new front clip is attached to the older trucks, it looks best to incorporate the old with the new.
8. Here you get a sense of how the new fender is taking shape. One of the defining charact
9. For the upper portion of the fender (closest to the A-pillar), you can see the old fender (with the green tape line) stuck onto the new fender. The portion protruding from the bottom of the pic would actually stick up above the natural fitting location when installed to the truck.
9. For the upper portion of the fender (closest to the A-pillar), you can see the old fend

10. To help you better understand what we mean, take a look at these two photos. In order for the new fender to meet with the old door properly, the uppermost portion of the old fender needs to be seamlessly welded onto the new fender, and the upper portion of the new fender cut off.
10. To help you better understand what we mean, take a look at these two photos. In order
11. To help you better understand what we mean, take a look at these two photos. In order for the new fender to meet with the old door properly, the uppermost portion of the old fender needs to be seamlessly welded onto the new fender, and the upper portion of the new fender cut off.
11. To help you better understand what we mean, take a look at these two photos. In order
12. Once all of the metal surgery was completed, another test fitment was needed. This time, the modified fenders fit perfectly, with the exception of a small piece of the lower A-pillar that was cut down and body-worked.
12. Once all of the metal surgery was completed, another test fitment was needed. This tim

13. As you can see, there were several hours of welding and bodywork in each fender, but the end results speak for themselves. No step was overlooked and no corner was cut (all puns intended) to make the fenders look like they were created from the factory just for this older-body-style truck.
13. As you can see, there were several hours of welding and bodywork in each fender, but t
14. The '06 body line really adds depth to the new front end, and check out the fender-to-door gap, it looks factory.
14. The '06 body line really adds depth to the new front end, and check out the fender-to-
15. For the final photo in this month's installment, we threw the hood, lights, and grille shell on to get a feel for the new look. Check out next month's issue where we'll show you the rest of the LMC Truck frontend conversion.
15. For the final photo in this month's installment, we threw the hood, lights, and grille

SOURCE
LMC Truck 15450 W. 108th Street Lenexa KS 66219 800-562-8782 www.lmctruck.com	Lucky Luciano Customs 2001 W. Cheryl Drive Suite 3A Phoenix AZ 85021 1-602-906-1313 http://www.luckylcustom.com