My 1st 544. 1965 b18. Does the front cowl and fenders rest solely on that double bolt mount under the radiator? See the pic that shows mine bent upward, which is what it would do just from weight. I'm thinking even a length of angle iron under the whole width would be better.

--
MPergiel, Walker, MI

Have you looked at other 544s to see if they are the same?

If you add some support, monitor the situation as sometimes adding strength in one area can cause stress in another - and cause cracks there.

I got this response on the otherwise unhelpful FB site.

"yes, the nose section bolts to the flange on the frame spreader bar. Stability comes from the fact that the nose is bolted to the inner fenders on its vertical edges then the fenders bolt to the body, the top of the inner fenders and the nose. So, the structural integrity comes from the union of all five parts (nose, two inner fenders, two fenders)."

and from me:

"Thank you. I though I might be missing a connector piece somewhere. I still think this would put mechanical stress on the radiator, but it lasted 50 years so who am I to argue? Then again, old metal can weaken and it' won't hurt to apply a little support."
--
MPergiel, Walker, MI