The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Upper Dash Trim For '54 3100

I am nearing completion of the restoration of my 1954 3100, but cannot locate the piece of trim that fits beneath the windshield at the top of the dash, in the slot where the defrost vents are located. Anyone have any ideas as to where I could find that piece?

I would also like to find a white Chevrolet decal to fit the logo indented in the center of the dash. They are readily available for earlier models, but not for the 54. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks!

I pulled that piece of trim from a truck in salvage. You can have it for shipping and a couple of bucks if you want it. The harder part to find is the little clips that actually make it stand off of windshield base. This one is missing those clips. I actually picked up this piece for someone else that wanted those clips and removed and shipped them off.

3100 - you can probably find the clips at the "filling station". they offer a pretty good supply.

Greg H was kind enough to set me up with the trim strip, but I checked The Filling Station for the clips and could not find them. It sounds as if they are all but impossible to find. I am wondering if I could use some short pieces of steel or copper tubing as spacers to keep the strip at the proper distance from the dash to facilitate proper air flow from the defrost vents to the windshield. (The screws would go down through the holes drilled in the trim strip, continue through the tubing spacers, and into the dash holes.) I could bevel the edges of the tubing to reach the right angle. Whad'ya think? Worth a try? Anybody have any other ideas?

Can anyone post pictures of the clips? Maybe they wouldn't be so hard to fabricate.

Did someone actually buy these clips from the Filling Station or any other vendor? The only place I have seen this clips are the original/used clips on trucks that are in mostly original condition. They are often missing or rotted/broken on the 54/55 trucks.

Here are a few examples.

Thanks tc!

I think I can fabricate something based on your photos. As a rookie to the restoration hobby, I sure appreciate all of the help.

Wish I would have found this site earlier as it would have saved me a lot of headaches.

Hey, 3100, if you come up with a viable solution, can you make a few more and sell them to me? I need 3. Thanks.

Based on tc's photos, it looks like another way to replace the clips would be to take a piece of metal 1" x 2" and just bend it in half at a 45-degree angle. Drill a hole down the middle through both sections on the bent metal, and that should take care of it.

Not having the luxury of having one to look at, I assume that the back side of the trim piece should be set snug against the dash, and the front side (toward the windshield) is raised up a bit to allow the air to escape and defrost the glass. What is the gap on the front? About 1"?

Does this help? http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1078179128047579877jTXktS?vhost=rides

3100,

I would be pleased to mail you a clip if you make me a set or two (and send back the original).

Tim

lederman@siena.edu

Tim, did you notice on my picture that the original base color under the two tone blue interior was black? I guess they wanted a darker base to bring out lighter colors. It follows the same way I think under door hinges in area of access cover.

Greg,

Very interesting. Do you think the primer color under the exterior white was also black (on the two-color cabs)?

Tim

Truthfully, the only place I have noticed the black is under interior paint. The dash was always a not super gloss laquer. In my youth, I was determined that any paint could be waxed and polished to a high gloss hence the rubbing through to black. You can also see on the inner side window trim rings where driving with an elbow on the open window rubbed through to show the same black. If you look under the lower hinge access panels, you see the base black with the blue sprayed around edges. I am trying to remember if I had ever scratched through the transport blue on firewall to see original primer color but don't know that I ever paid much attention.

I ran into the same problem. If you go to an old junk yard, like I do, sometimes the car stuff fits the truck and gives you a wider donor pool. I replaced a couple of missing clips with car clips, but the car clips are slightly smaller. That will work until I find the proper ones. - Scott

I'm also looking for the dash trim and clips for my 1954 Chevy 3100. Anyone happen to have one?
Thanks in advance