The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Does anybody else have this part on their truck?

It would appear to be an asbestos heat shield to protect the steering gear box from exhaust pipe heat. I saw this on my 47 GMC pickup, which is amazingly original. It sort of looked like maybe a previous owners idea and self installed but it sure looked old. I did not give it much thought at first. Tonight I was cleaning out the back room of the garage and came across the tail pipe that came off my 47 GMC panel truck which is also very original. The same part is in the same place on the pipe. I also have a 48 GMC pickup and this part was not there. I did some searching tonight and found pics of another original 47 GMC truck and the part is there. Was this a 47 only part? or was it on other years as well? Is it on any Chevys or GMC only? Looking for any info and experience you have with this.

I just wandered through the 1939-53 GMC Master Parts Book (revised July 1953) Muffler and Exhaust Pipe section and found no mention of this part.

I agree on the heatshield to protect the steering box.

Could be aftermarket maybe ?

Ive made a few over the years on various vehicles to protect against damage. Starter vs header being #1.

A gallant effort on someone's part but is brings the heat closer. I see asbestos was added. Possibly did more harm than good. I think there are lots of trucks without that that are surviving OK.
The bracket could have been an attempt at a heat sink. Anyway "not cool" if you know what I mean.

It could be aftermarket, but the odds of two very original trucks that I have acquired having the same aftermarket part are long enough. Finding it on another barn find, low mileage truck make the odds even longer. Has anybody ever seen one of these on any truck ?, might be a better question. I am asking because there have been several things about the 1947 that were particular to the year and some particular to GMC. Things like the front bumper had 4 extra "dummy" bolts in it. The hood hinges had a spring connecting the two arms. The door hinges have a different fully open angle and the top hinge has 2 differently shaped hold open springs. The driveshaft is a single year item and the oakie bushing will not work. Etc...the list keeps growing. Aftermarket? Possible, but all three of these are identical and clearly manufactured, not home made. I would bet that most of them got thrown away when engines got pulled or exhaust pipes were replaced. Asbestos would have been removed ASAP.

It does look sort of non home made. Necessity is the mother of invention. So what was the necessity that no one else had? Could it be one of those gadgets that were sold in the Sears or Whitney catalogs? The snake oil variety. Search old Whitney catalogs.

The pipe is pretty far from the box. With air flow in between. Were folks convinced the heat would dry out the grease in the box? The same grease as in the wheel bearings. Grease can take some fairly high temps. Still a nice little novelty piece.

I agree with bartamos that it's an aftermarket item. Maybe those two trucks that have them belonged to the same person and they got a twofer deal.

As far as effectiveness, a sheet metal shield fastened to the steering box would work just as well, as heat would only be transferred via radiation with the airflow going by both the exhaust pipe and the steering box. The asbestos sheet was someone's not-so-good idea.

Aftermarket is a possibility. With that being said, why wouldn't these make appearances on other vehicles? Yes, my mind is pointed toward a factory part for 1947. The front bumper for a 47-48 GMC is different than 49 and up. Common knowledge. But not so common is that the 47 bumper has 4 extra bolts in it. The parts books make no mention of this but there are enough examples out there to make the case. The hood hinges are another area where they are known to be different but no part number difference. Maybe because the part number was superseded and both parts are interchangeable so only the new number is used? Not sure why. I just found 3 examples of this part, all 3 are on 47 GMC trucks. I just want to see 1 or 2 on a different vehicle to convince me. Meantime, I will be looking at some old JC Whitney catalogs.

Are the three parts EXACTLY the same? Exactly. As Kevin said, I also want to know if you got the trucks from the same source.

Of the two I have in my possession, yes. One has deteriorated a bit but it is the same. The third is in a picture. When I zoom in, it looks identical. Pics were posted in my initial post. See what you think.
The trucks were purchased from different folks from different states and 20 years apart from each other. No, not from the same owner but both were very complete.
The oldest JC Whitney I could find was 1957. I have not bought it yet as I was hoping for something older, like 1950 or before.
Here is a pic of my unmolested 47 in the foreground.

Bumper...........
I see one 47 with 8 holes on the net. It is a 3/4T......Maybe some folks used a 3/4 ton on a 1/2. Half tons have 3 or 5.... chevys and GMCs. GMC used to be known for heavier duty than Chevy. The extra holes are it the corners. The 1T had extra bolts. There is some mention of a heavy duty splash apron using extra bolts on the bigger models but I don't know if the splash apron attached to the bumper. If it does, that is the answer.

I wondered about the support issue also so I crawled under and took a picture. Dummy bolts. There are 3 bolts at each outside end of the bumper. The middle of the three mounts to the bracket, the other two just go through the bumper and get a lock washer/nut combo. Just decoration. I have the pic somewhere but I have to make a run to the local landfill. I will try to find it and post tonight.

I added info........re-read above. Either you have a donor bumper or they used the same one in that year for all trucks.

I have found this part in a GMC parts book I just acquired. Part #2229571 listed as SHIELD - steering gear exhaust pipe.