The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop *Rear Fender Braces*

Bought some goodies for my 49 from Classic Parts and the stainless steel rear fender braces looked pretty cheaply made. If cheaply is a word. I was able to bend the ends to fit the angle I needed which was nice but the length was way off. The drivers side was a little short which was ok cause all I had to do was turn the hole into a slot. On the passengers side the brace was about 1 1/4" to short. I had to fab up an extension to make fit it to the truck. I'll paint it black so it wont be as noticeable when you look under the truck. Don't you just love it when aftermarket parts don't fit. That's just the way these ole trucks are. I love tinkering with them.

Can someone tell me what type and size bolts hold the rear fender braces on? Philips head to hex head bolts?

If you mean the rod style braces, they are bolted on with 1/4-20 hex head bolts. Also a couple of flat washers under the head and nut.

Thanks for the info.

On my 50 I found clutch head bolt on the fender side of rod, it may be year or assembly plant specific.

I don't remember the frame side but I used a hex head on the frame

Thanks for the info. Stopping by the local Rural King store after work to pick up some stainless steel nuts and bolts.

Stainless steel braces are installed.

You may be right about the clutch head bolt at the fender. I vaguely recall that as well, and the FAM shows a round head bolt there. If a concours restoration, a clutch head would be correct, but for the average guy, who's gonna know?
Stainless brace looks good, but probably overkill as far as the need for corrosion resistance.

The stainless fasteners these days are prone to gall

Anti seize rated for stainless is highly recommended.

Ive moved away from the stainless fasteners because of this. But I don't live in an area where I have to worry about rust.

Yeah...I kinda like the stainless steel because it looks better and will hold up longer. I guess it's a personal thing.

I agree

I have old pieces of stainless tubing lying around the shop from old rig builds. I cut them to length, bent them, pinched the ends in a vise, and drilled them out. They were cheap, quick, easy to make, stainless, and were free. I did both the front and rear of my truck with them.

Interesting. I had to make an extension for the passengers side because it was a little short. Where might one look for stainless steel tubing that is the correct diameter?

If you have a Parker store nearby, they'll likely have a stock of stainless steel instrument tubing. You'll probably need to buy a 10' stick.
Another alternative is an online outfit called Small Parts. They now sell thru Amazon. I think they sell in various lengths.I bought a 6' length of 1/2" OD from them a number of years ago to lengthen a towel bar. That was before they went to Amazon.
FYI, the originals were solid plain steel round bar. You'd probably have to apply some heat to flatten the ends of that. The tubing is a good idea, and probably stiff enough to do the trick.

I used 1/2”. It has lasted for a 1000 miles so far.

That tubing is handy to have lying around. You will find other uses for it. Guaranteed.