1998 GC Laredo w/ 4.0 and AT. About 125K showing. Lives in west Florida

The headlights and the grille are supposed to be bolted to a plastic thing. The front of the engine compartment is sheet metal. Then there is a plastic unit which sort of holds the grille and the headlight in the right place.

What is that plastic part called? I'd like to order one as I discovered today that mine is shattered and substantially missing. <g>

 

Try this:
Headlight Mounting Panel
Header Mounting Panel

 

Or just "header panel." Rock Auto has it for $31.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/partsearc...tnum=CH1220114

 

Thanks!

While I am picking your brain -

With the new header panel in place - will the head lights just bolt right to that? Or is there some kind of separate sub-assembly required to hold the headlights?

All of mine is pretty fragile, screwed and glued to little blocks of wood, and in general; just barely whored into place. So when I was changing the pump and radiator yesterday I was afraid to disturb it too much.

The radiator/condenser is behind some sheetmetal. OK; but I'd like to order all the parts forward of that - except the grille. The header panel, and whatever else is required to bolt in some new (clear <g>) headlights. I just don't know the names of anything. <g>

PHM
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I'm not a GC guy so I'm not sure what's in there. If you can find a GC in your year at a DIY junk yard with the front end still on it, go take it apart and see what's there. You might even find everything you need without having to order it.

 

That was one of my first thoughts but the places I called all wanted to sell me the entire front end - from the windshield forward. They said that selling me just the plastic ruined the "whole front end sale" for them.

And I get that - but with one of them I laughed and said: Dude; it's a 20 year old car - when exactly do you think you might sell this 'whole front end' you're sitting on? <g>

Rock Auto had that header piece for less than $50. I just to make I'm getting All the stuff before I break the old stuff getting it all apart. <g>

PHM
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I meant go to a "u-pull" type yard, like Pull-A-Part or Pick 'n Pull. I'm not sure what's in your area, but pretty much all major cities and many smaller ones have some kind of u-pull DIY yard. They're great places to learn, since you can pay your $2 or $3 to get in and then go take things apart to see how they're put together.

Some of them don't have very good inventory systems, so you just have to go and see what they have. Others have really good inventory systems you can access on line so that you know before you go. Many of them also use Row52.com to list their vehicles, but how reliable it is depends on the yard. Some of them update the list regularly, while others aren't as good about that.

 

Well; I spent all yesterday afternoon doing this: wandering around looking for vehicle parts that the owners swore were there - but they weren't. Looking made me wonder if Jeeps don't all have really bad brakes because every one I saw had the front smashed in. I was also reminded of why I avoid junkyards. <g>

After all That fun I just went back to the house and ordered a new header panel and headlight assemblies. <g>

I wanted to see one all together first but I'll just hope that the head lights attach right to the header panel and I don't need some part that I didn't know to order. <g>

PHM
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