The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop trans access cover

I am trying to figure out if the floor cover for transmission access I have is original or homemade. Could some one measure a known orginal covers width for me and reply? Mine seems narrow and thinner gage than I think it should be. 1951 1/2 ton pick up..Thanks in advance. Lou.

Lou, it should be pretty obvious if the cover is 'factory'.
The original is ribbed for strength,and has a slightly rolled edge.
It should also have some type of tarboard sound proofing on the underside,mind you that may have fell off during the last 60 years!
Mine was toast,one of the few panels on my truck I couldn't save.
Sorry I don't have a picture.

Loou, the cover with the original formed sound-dampening sheet is in the top two photos, this also served as the gasket. My replacement sheet is on the low left and the vendor’s version is on the low right: http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2109254650098611668lLxhmQ
This is my new sheet during the vacuum forming process and after it was finished: http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2821129010098611668qQdDit
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Good Morning Denny! Two questions. Is that just regular roofing paper you formed for the seal? And, is the vacuum bag you used the type I see selling on tv for compact storage?

Thanks for the pics and help, mine is a 3 on the tree so I don't have the shifter hole and do have 3 ribs. The under side has no evidence of glue or tar, still would like width dimension if possable. Thanks! Lou

Lou & Denny,

Lou raises a good question regarding that tar substance being under the 3-speed cover (and the Hydra-Matic cover in 54/55). It's been too long since I have seen an original 3-speed cover but I have a couple original Hydra-Matic covers (my 4-speed covers have that tar substance and my COE cover has insulation "sandwiched" between two pieces of sheet metal. Has anyone checked the Factory Assembly Manual (I will tonight)?

Drew, thanks for asking Denny about the vacuum apparatus - I am also interested in that answer.

Yes Drew, that’s 30# roofing paper. The original material was thicker but 30# is the heaviest felt paper that I’ve been able to find and I looked for months.
No that is material that is made specifically for vacuum bagging. I learned about those materials at the last job that I had before retiring. We made a lot of very high tech carbon fiber structures used as supports for the detectors at a particle accelerator. The materials are available anywhere they sell supplies for fiber lamination. I bought a vacuum pump from a HIVAC service guy that was retiring a couple of decades ago and it comes in handy. The vacuum sheet is a very heavy plastic, yes, very much like that used for bagging cloths for storage. The sealing compound is like a strip of bubble gum and in this particular application it seal the opening of what is actually a bag that I formed.

Although the bottom of the transmission covers look like they are just tarred over I believe it is really very heavy felt paper filled heavily with tar. This felt paper material was used in different weights for all of the anti-squeak gaskets also. I just pitched out the original one that was on mine, I’d kept it for four years and no one ever asked about it.

Not real sure what your fishing for Lou, you should be able to measure the opening to get your dimensions. But the cover will be 15” x 21”.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Thanks Denny. That(the vacuum bag) certainly is a novel way to partially add to the restoration of your truck(s).