The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs I ton panel sheet metal question...

I've searched this forum and others but can't find a definitive answer...

As far as 1 ton panels (and pickups for that matter) are concerned, is the front sheet metal (fenders, hood, rad support, etc.) the same as the smaller trucks (1/2 ton, 3/4 ton) or do they share the larger truck (1 1/2 & 2 ton) front sheet metal?

I understand all the doors are the same as the 1/2 tons and the running boards are longer, but I was just wondering about the front sheet metal. Thanks in advance...


Randy Wickham

1/2 to 1 ton front sheet metal all the same.
1.5 ton & up is larger & longer.

All doors are the same except for the COE cab doors.

Running boards get longer after 1/2ton....Joe

Thank you...

This is such a common question I'm surprised it isn't easier to search.
Those of us who answer questions like this one need to think about including key words in our answers to improve search results.

I agree Steve, but the problem seems to be with the search engine. When I searched, I used words like "1 ton sheet metal" and "AD front fenders", "1 ton", "1 ton similarities", "panel fenders"--as many obvious words that I thought made sense. Each time I would get back 1000 responses of which very few made sense--yes, I went through a thousand responses one time. None addressed my question. Maybe I'm just not a good "searcher"...

Thanks again to ZooKeeper for my answers...

Rockettruck

problem with the searching is folks usually don't use the quotes so the responses include any post with any of the individual words .... awful lot of posts that have AD in them

search exactly "AD front fenders" and you get 10 results, including this thread - search AD front fenders [no quotes] and you get 1000 results, 990 of them no doubt have only ONE of the 3 terms

Bill

Bill, I was not using the quotation marks and that would have found my answer.

Thank you very much for the hint.

Rockettruck

I believe using quotes means you'll only get the exact phrase you put in the quotes.

And I do think we all could do a better job of thinking what key words will someone use to find something, and how can we make sure those words are included in the appropriate posts.

I say that not to criticize anyone, but to suggest we could all (those of use who post a lot and certainly ME) be more proactive in making things easier to find.

I'll try to do it myself and you can all feel free to tell me how I'm doing.

I don't think there's a lot we can do Steve, except try to clearly state the answers, as Zookeeper did above, but imagine what search someone might do about the question that would find that particular post - quotes are very helpful, but a search for "front sheet metal" still returns 236 responses, with Joe's at the top, and likely only a few others relevent .... note a search for "I ton panel sheet metal" [the title of this thread, an I for a 1] only gets the 8 posts to this thread, returns for the exact phrase - a search for "1 ton sheet metal" gets 2 posts, Zookeepers and another with the same question pays to learn searching

Don's post on searching was for the previous incarnation of the board, but much on the techniques still apply

Bill

Back to the question at hand, I disagree with everyone who states off handedly that the front sheetmetal is the same from 1/2 to 1 ton. It is not. There are 2 wheel openings on the front. One appears to be a 1" radius larger than the other. I have 2 1 ton panels (a 49 and a 50) and they both have larger "cut outs" for the front tires. On the restoration pack, there is no mention of the panels having the 18" wheels, only the 17". I've had a 3/4 ton with the smaller 1/2 ton opening and a 1 ton with the smaller opening as well. I now take a tape measure with me when I look at sheet metal.

Well Dan I have a Chevy 1-ton panel with the front fenders, hood and grill from a 3-ton GMC but that doesn't change my assertion that the smaller trucks up to 1-ton all used the smaller stuff.

While it is not clearly stated in the question it appears to be about AD trucks because that is what the thread starter lists in his signature. There were no 3/4-ton AD panels and all listings I've seen in GM literature support the claim the fenders, hood and grill are the same 1/2-ton to 1-ton within the other relavent year/make differences.

Steve,

I agree with you that there are 2 basic sizes of AD parts, small (1/2-1 ton) and large (1 1/2 up). The structure of the front fenders on the small is dimensionally the same as if it all came from the same tooling regardless of pick up or panel, but what I'm saying is that the wheel openings on the 1 tons have a different radius on SOME that are not on others so before someone goes and buys the fenders off of a 1 ton truck to put on the 1/2 ton project at home, they need to know what they are buying! They'll fit with your small hood, grill, and inner fenders, but you'll not be happy when you have different wheel openings from one side to the other!!

My 1941/46 1 Ton Pick up has larger fenders than its 1/2 / 3/4 little brothers. Consequently new fender were very hard to find but I did.

I am using the original 17" split rims with 7.00/17 tires. I changed my rearend ratio to 3.73 so it could get out of it own way

I would suspect that the same can be said for your AD. It would be easier and more eye appealing to move up to a larger fender than try to cobble together 1/2 or 3/4 ton fenders.

Also with the larger size/capacity came a higher ratio rear end, probably 5.10 to 5.50.

Dave Murray

Hi Randy
There may be specific answers for certain years. I have a 1-ton 1946 panel truck and the sheet metal front fenders are the same as a 3/4 or 1/2 ton. The doors on the 1940-46 at the same on most all of them except the COE and panel truck/suburban which are quite different.
A great way to determine this is to use the reference parts books put out by GM for the era you are working on.
Brian

Dan what you say might be true BUT I bet it has more to do w/what size tire/rim combo they have. I looked at a 3800 a few months back that had a factory style flatbed on it along with dual 20" tires in the rear. So who knows what special orders that could have been placed back in the day or what dealer modifications took place...Joe

The front fenders of my '48 and '54 1 ton pick up and panel trucks measure out the same as my '49 and '53 1/2 tons. The 1 ton AD panel trucks used 17" wheels. The 3/4 ton AD pick up trucks used 15" (8 lug) or 17" wheels. The 1/2 ton used 16" wheels and the GMC 1/2 ton had optional 15" (6 lug) wheels.

In 1954, the 1-ton Platform & 1-ton Stake (3808 & 3809) had a factory option for dual rear wheels, RPO-295. This factory option provided 7.0-18" wheels and 8 ply rating tires (and a mandatory RPO for beefed up springs and auxiliary springs).

20" dual wheels on these models would have to have been a Silver Book conversion by another company, an aftermarket change, or a special order.

As wbrowne stated above, 17" wheels were stock/standard on 1954 3800 trucks.

From 47-55, 15" wheels/tires were an RPO for 1/2-ton Chevrolet trucks (not just the 47-55 1/2-ton GMC trucks).

Tim

It is true, I've got both openings. My point is that too many fenders aren't on the trucks they came on originally or they aren't with the original frames or the wheels so just because someone tells you they are the "small" fenders doesn't mean they have the "small" wheel wells. I'd be pretty ticked if I bought a fender from a 20" truck not knowing to look at this and got it home to see how different it is compared to the fender I had on the other side.

More of a point of warning than anything. You know, like all those people who post up that the 1 1/2-2 ton hoods fit on the 1/2 ton trucks!!

Dan I will have to say that other then the flatbed I talked about EVERY other 3800 pickup truck(not flatbed) I have seen all had the same fenders as the 1/2 & 3/4ton trucks....Joe

Yeah, same here UNTIL this summer. I have purchased 2 3800 panels and looked at a third (I'll own it, don't worry). Of them, they all have the same SIZE fenders as the 1/2 ton but the wheel opening on 2 of the 3 are 1" larger radius. My '53 1 ton dump had the smaller openings, too. All 3 of these panels are running 17" rims. 1 was a US Postal truck, the other 2 who knows where they've been! AZ and MO! I wanted to swap 1 fender and realized that I now have to swap them both so it will cost me twice as much. Hoods are all like the 1/2 ton, only the openings are bigger. I now measure all fender openings when I buy them.

If anyone has messed with Ferd trucks I understand the F1 was this way up to like F3 or so: The only change was the cut out on the fender. Hey, I was only looking...I didn't BUY one!