The beautiful thing about wanting to update your truck's frontend is that complete, bolt-for-bolt packages are readily available depending on your application.
LmcTruck.com served as our one-stop-shop source while in the process of planning to upgrade our '82-'90 Chevy S-10 grille assembly to the later '91-'93 GMC version. Not only did we achieve an updated appearance, but we did so without the need for paint, since we selected the grille with the optional chrome finish, however, LMC does also offer a paintable version to satisfy your personal preference. The new grille assembly has a more refined appearance and is one solid piece instead of the four seperate pieces that make up the previous assembly. A highlight of the swap is how the new GMC grille sticks out a little further than the Chevy unit, which makes for a more flush alignment with the bumper. The conversion did move the headlight housings down roughly one inch, so make sure to check your local headlight height requirements regulations.
1. Here all the required parts...
1. Here all the required parts needed to upgrade/convert the '82-'90 S-10 or S-15 to the later '91-'93 GMC grille. All the parts are from LMC Truck and only set us back $310.10 plus shipping. The later grille has a bunch of new mounting points, as well as moves the headlights down about an inch, so we picked up a new core support instead of jerry-rigging the old one. We did the job in one afternoon with no special tools; as a matter of fact we didn't even need to drain the radiator. Now if you have working A/C then you'll need to have it recharged after the job. Ours crapped out a long time ago and we have given up on the idea of fixing it.
2. Here is the grille that...
2. Here is the grille that you will find in the '82-'90 S-10 trucks. The GMC version of this year looks very similar. While this grille is not the worst looking one we have seen, the later '91-'93 version looks more refined.
3. First thing to do is remove...
3. First thing to do is remove the headlight bezels and then the grille by removing the Phillips screws.
4. Two adjuster screws and...
4. Two adjuster screws and a spring hold both headlight assemblies in. Unplug the wiring and then use a set of pliers to grab the spring and pop it free from the headlight.
5. Now the headlight will...
5. Now the headlight will move around pretty easily so you can free it from the adjusters. Set them in a safe place, because glass and the garage floor don't really get along.
6. The lower valance is held...
6. The lower valance is held in by a bunch of 10mm bolts. All of them are in plain view except for the two that come up from the bottom at the end of the valance. A 10-inch long extension will be your best bet for getting them out. Now you will have easy access to the bumper bolts that all need to be approached from the top.
7. The hood release cable...
7. The hood release cable feeds into this lever on the hood latch. It's pretty tight but you can twist it out with a set of pliers, just be careful not to pop off the knob at the end of the cable. Once you have that off you can remove the three 10mm bolts that hold on the center support/hood latch.
8. Since we are removing the...
8. Since we are removing the core support the light harness needs to be fed back into the engine compartment.
9. On the backside of the...
9. On the backside of the core support you will need to remove the upper fan shroud, battery, and battery tray. That will give you enough room to move the radiator around just enough to get the core support out.
10. With all the crud out...
10. With all the crud out of the way you should be able to see all the bolts you need to remove to free the core support from the truck. There are a few on the face of each fender and the two main core support bolts.
11. Since the core support...
11. Since the core support feeds into the fenders one will need to be loosened so you can open it up. The driver side has less in the way so we picked that one. You'll need to take out all the inner fender bolts and the one hiding under the wiper cowl. You can leave all the doorjamb bolts in so you shouldn't need to readjust the fender once the new core support is in.
12. We took the core support...
12. We took the core support out and transferred all the nut clips to the new one.
13. Next, the core support...
13. Next, the core support was fed back in the truck and all the hardware was loosely installed. Once you have all the bolts in you can then tighten them up. Doing it this way will let you move stuff around to get all the bolts started. You can also install the headlights and restring the wire harness.
14. There are a few new holes...
14. There are a few new holes punched in the core support that were not in the old unit. These are the new mounting points for the grille and require these Anchor nuts.
15. After installing the bumper...
15. After installing the bumper we moved onto readying the grille for installation. If you are using power tools now is the time to put them down and do this step by hand. 10mm speed nuts hold on the emblems and the side marker lights and are easily stripped.
16. Make sure to slip on the...
16. Make sure to slip on the two nut clips on the end of the grille before installing it on the truck. These two nut clip/mounting points will be the ones we mentioned earlier during the valance removal and will necessitate a 10-inch-long extension.
17. The grille will screw...
17. The grille will screw into all the new Anchor nuts that popped in two steps ago except for the center two. We didn't find this out until we got to this point that the hood latch/center supports are different as well. Luckily the grille mounting points sit up against it so we just drilled two small holes in the support and installed the screws.
18. Wiz bang, there it is....
18. Wiz bang, there it is. The GMC grille has a cleaner look thanks to the all-in-one unit and we think it makes a pretty big difference for the 310 bucks we spent on the parts.