The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Cab color separater trim

Anyone know if there is a trim available to separate the upper cab color. Heres my problem . My 68 is all one color and I want to paint the cab top white and the body another color ,actually blue.
The factory trim is held on by studs that appear to be spot welded to the cab. Maybe I'm wrong but it looks that way.
I called Jim Carter this morning ,they don't have the trim.LMC is not sure, but they do sell the replacement trim.
Any ideas?
Thanks

the trim wasn't on all trucks, and installed after paint, so should be held by clips thru holes, not welded ... not sure what type for that series [other than hard to get off!] .... this might be what you need?

Bill

I worked for a Chevy dealership body shop for several years in the 70's & early 80"s. The trim on a lot of vehicles back then was held on by factory studs welded to the panel. If I was replacing a door skin or quarter panel,etc, the OEM replacement parts came without the studs and holes had to be drilled & the clips riveted to the panel. You can drill the holes & use rivets to hold the clips/mouldings on, if you can get the trim. Remember this: you can not use aluminum rivets through steel. The two dissimilar metals can not contact each other. Aluminum in contact with the steel will cause galvanic corrosion, and you will have rust all around the hole & paint will come off making a mess.
PS: Sorry, I misread your question. If you have the studs all there you just need the clips & mouldings, but I don't know who carries the mouldings. I have found lots of stuff for my truck on line just searching for stuff.

Sorry guys I was not clear. What I need is the studs , my truck did not have the two color scheme so to install a divider trim I need to attach the studs to the cab first.
Classic Industries show the studs that screw into cab, then mount the trim. That should do it. I Need to proof read my posts BEFORE I submit
Thanks red58 and Alan's 57

Alan - my 1947 bus has 100% aluminum rivets, all attaching both aluminum and steel skin to steel struts, and there's no evidence of corrosion because of the rivets .... been the standard since riveted panels started on busses ... OTOH, there's definite oxidation where aluminum panels lap steel with no paint protection between [replacement, not factory], affecting the aluminum, not the steel

Bill

When I worked in the body shop we replaced the studs with aluminum pop rivets. Every once in a while I would get a "come back" with a rust circle about the size of a 1/2 dollar around the rivet. It is caused by galvanic corrosion from the two metals touching.If the aluminum rivets are coated or some are made with an insert to insulate between the metals, then no corrosion will occur. I looked to see if I could find something on line to show you. This is an I-CAR page showing how Volvo uses inserts on bumper reinforcements to avoid the corrosion problem. I-CAR See Figure 3.
I would say on what you are describing the paint is enough of a barrier to keep the corrosion from occurring?

paint between metal sheets, but an aluminum rivet in a drilled/punched hole has no paint insulator except under the head, if a good primer was used, and even that can be 'cut' by the setting ... welding is a different situation [the bumpers], just can't weld the 2 metals together

I'd never use the "usual" pop rivets where the mandrel pulls out and leaves a center hole, need quality bulb end blind rivets, and most rivet types are available as aluminum, steel, or stainless rivet, all with steel mandrels, but the bus originals are solid aluminum, set from both sides, no paint inside, no corrosion either

Bill

What would be your recommendations for sealing the "stud screws"
Paint after drilling holes ? Then use RTV as a sealer?

I'd coat the studs before insertion, like with zinc chromate if they're aluminum - if they don't cinch perfectly tight use an automotive seam sealer [which could be an isolating coat in itself], RTV isn't good enough

I'm using DP40 epoxy primer on all aluminum, zinc cold galvinizing compound where steel lays on steel

Bill

I don't really have a good answer for you Bill. I am going to an I-CAR class this Thursday, if I can remember I will ask the I-CAR instructor what the deal is with the rivets.

Alan - I was doing final prep for paint today and ran across a place that got me thinking about this - where I'd drilled painted steel panels last summer but didn't rivet them, there was rust around the holes ... on the same panel where the top edge had been riveted immediately, no problem - I think maybe with the trim rivets, because there was no treatment after installation, and because pop rivets never really seal to the panel 100%, air and moisture [even just high humidity] can get at where the rivet jams against the unpainted steel, any place moisture can get at the metal it'll work out under the paint

my "forensic analysis" of the original construction of this bus indicates the panels were coated with zinc chromate primer [steel as well as aluminum] before assembly, and then after the panels were riveted on the whole thing was primered [red oxide] before paint ... pretty good seal against any moisture/oxygen getting to the metal ... I'm not doing quite as much, but new metal is being painted before assembly, and everything is getting a coat of DP40 epoxy now [steel and aluminum] before color

Bill

Bill,

I spoke to the I-CAR instructor at the class I went to on Thursday about the rivet/corrosion question. He said pretty much what you said in the prior post about the panels being coated or primed. The panels and or rivets had to be coated or bare aluminum touching bare steel will cause corrosion. I guess just make sure they are coated or painted good.