The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Doors

Does anyone know for sure if 1951 or 1953 doors will work on a 1949 truck? I like the vent windows and was wondering if I should start looking or not. I hope this post is in the right place. Thanks, Steven

Steven,

Any 47-55 door will work in any 47-55 non-COE cab, as long as you use the door catch that matches the latch for that year door.

Thank you sooo much. Now to find a pair, reasonable! Steven

Just a heads up, Tim is technically correct of course, however, I have found doors made in different factories, to be different sizes by as much as 1/4". I can't prove it's because of this, but do not be surprised if you have some adjustments to make.

For my project, I had to slice down the entire door seam and move the opening 1/4". It was a really big project, but I like the vent windows so much I didn't care.

The other issue is the door latch plate. The older ones have a wrap-around piece that conceals the bars that mount them, but the newer style ones do not. If you don't mind that, it's just a matter of getting the door latch plates with the doors. I opted to modify the old plates to match the profile needed for the new doors.

From the VIN plate on the drivers door post of your cab you can ascertain which manufacturing facility made your cab. If you can find two doors that were made there too, you will have better luck.

Red49truck, you may want to put a "swap ad" in the swap meet. There may be a bolter looking to trade wing vent doors for non-wing doors. I remember someone wanting to do this not long ago.

Deve,
While I do not doubt that you have had great difficulty installing doors on a truck, I don't buy all of the rest of your post.
Look at old film strips of new trucks. You will see hideous gaps on every one of them. These trucks were manufactured to do work, not win beauty contests. There are assembly line stories of trying several doors until they found one which is not too big for the opening. Eventually all of the doors found a truck with an opening to fit, since the cabs were not made perfectly either.
Carl

Carl, were they made so the door is 1/4" bigger than the opening? Nosir, I don't think so! THAT was the issue. Nevermind the rubber, with it out and nothing keeping the door from closing, there was 1/4" before it would slide into place! If it were looks I was caring about, I wouldn't be warning him of the vast differences. You can SAY they are all compatible, but you would be wrong.

Cab being too small, (both) doors being too big, doesn't matter.. the poster needs to know to check them before purchase.

1)"Were they made so the door is 1/4" bigger than the opening?"
Yes, they were. And they also made door openings outside of specs.
2) Who said anything about "compatible"?
I don't mind being wrong. I would just rather be accurately proven as such.
Carl

Carl it's not that you are wrong, its that all doors during those years are not going to fit in your cab. The idea is to simply warn the OP that if you order 2 doors for your cab, even if they were the same year, it is not a certainty that they will fit without doing MAJOR surgery on your cab. So, get a money back guarantee! Their standards were not very close at the time.

You have to have lived through slicing door openings, moving metal back, reshaping everything (inside and out). THEN you might have a bit more confidence in just purchasing doors from anywhere. Not many of us here willing to get out the metal cutting equipment and do major surgery just for vent windows.

This makes so much more sense now. I was having a hell of a time getting my driver door to line up perfectly. I thought my cab was twisted! My measurements showed that it was very close, but upon closer inspection I can see variations in distances where the factory spot welded panels together. The cab isn't perfect and neither are the doors.
I thought I was crazy! Thanks for clearing my mind guys!

Well fellows, my doors have never lined up right and they were supposed to be the ones that came on the truck. I ordered new hinges, striker plates. Nothing works. The doors will shut but there is a nasty gap around them. So if I have to do major work I'll opt for the kind of doors I want. Thanks so much for the info. If I don't find any close by I will put them in the "swap" file. Have a great day.

Red, does the belt line on the door match up with the beltline on the cab? The doors are tapered, so if the door sits too low, you will have excessive gaps. Raising the door in the opening will reduce this gap.
Carl

Well fellows, didn't mean to start an argument, just wanted to know if they were supposed to fit. I know now that they are supposed to fit and I should be careful and maybe get a money back option. The doors I have on my truck will shut but they are not right. The door seals on the cab and the door are new. I've changed the hinges also and no matter what I do they just won't line up right. I thank you all for your input and it will be taken seriously. I still want the doors with the vent windows. My father's truck had them. I had to date in that old 1953 5 window. What a truck, it never let me down. In the pictures in the Gallery you really can't tell it but I know they are not right. Thanks again for everyone's input. Steven

52 carl, the beltline on the doors DOES line up with the beltline on the cab. I can see where the PO has had a grinder on the doors. Thanks for the info. Steven

Just some follow-up on doors, I am reading a book (long out-of-print) on the union sit-down strikes of the late 30's. In it is discusses how Chevrolet in particular had almost all body stampings come out of two plants. These plants, Flint's Fisher One and Clevelend-Fisher (majority of Chevrolet) were the "Mother Plants" which shipped parts in "knock-down" form to the assembly plants. Typical stock on hand was one months production at the assembly plant. As with all high-volume stampings and the resulting wear rates for the dies it is easy to see how variability in all panel sizing was possible. The book is titled "The great GM sitdown of '37 The Many & the Few (published in 1947) by Henry Kraus. It is a very interesting look at life on the line and the production strategies of GM.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/advance-design_parts_co/25388436735/in/dateposted-public/

Put me on the loaner list, Brad.

Suburban and panel doors are different than pickups. Subs and panels have a
flatter shape on the upper trailing edge corner to fit the shape of the body.


Weeds

The Master Parts Catalog shows the side doors being the same for all cabs, except COE?