55.2-59 Front Fender Brace

[dsraven]

also, while talking about body alignment, make sure the rad support and cab mounts are in good shape. the whole set up kinda pivots like a see saw on the front cab mounts. they sit metal on metal on the frame (basically) and the rad support mount and rear cab mount are rubber. the fenders and inner fenders bolt up to the cab at the top and bottom, so not a whole lot of connection there and a bit of stress for the old steel. the fender braces also play into that scenario as well as the inner fender mounts at the lower inner section of the firewall. now add in that most guys remove the old cross member under the rear of the engine to allow for a newer drivetrain. that allows the frame to flex where it was pretty solid before. if it isn't thought of as a whole "big picture", with how all the parts interact to keep things lined up, then you may end up with things not lining up well and, worst case, a few cracks start to show up. speed bumps and driveway ramps that make you go across them at an angle will cause the frame and body to flex and this action will usually start to show up any issues, like doors that don't close as well as they used to, body gaps that are tighter, wider or wider at one end than the other, small cracks showing up at stress points or spots where a patch panel was welded in.
short version-install all the bracing you can. don't leave out the factory stuff, ensure the frame is well supported.