The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Door stainless window molding - '54 3100

Looking for your recommendations for after market suppliers ...

I need replacement stainless window molding for the doors on my '54 3100. Mine are chrome plated and pealing / flaking / rusting. Anyone bought the part? Will you tell me your experiences and recommendations?

I found the parts at these suppliers - ranked by price for a pair:
Classic Truck Parts ($149.95)
BowTie Bits
The Filling Station
American Classic
Golden State
Jim Carter
LMC
Brothers
Chevs of the 40's
Bill's Truck Shop ($210.00)

I thought about grinding and painting the existing trim, but the truck is pretty plain outside. The bright trim spiffs it up a little. It has chrome interior widow trim. Grill is painted, not chrome.

I searched StoveBolt and found some good info about how to install the trim. Any more suggestions?

Thanks as always,

I like your truck and vote for you to buy the stainless trim. If I were you I would also look into getting stainless for the windshield trim, also.

You have a nice truck and give the appearance of wanting it to look nice.

My .02

Buy the originals from someone on eBay the stuff is 60 years old and shines up like it was new and it fits.

Dennis -

I would really like to have stainless windshield trim, but I've never seen it for '54-'55-1st. Do you know a source? I'll start looking for windshield and window trim on Ebay like Brad suggests.

Anyone have experience with after market window trim? (good or bad)

Thanks,

Lonnie,

No one makes reproduction 54/55 stainless-steel windshield trim. It shows up in the Swap Meet and on eBay every so often. Make sure all the joint-clips are in the set.

Tim - Thanks for the tip about the windshield trim clips.

If I don't find original door window trim, I will buy after market and hope that it kinda fits.

Hi Lonnie. Sorry about the windshield stainless comment. I thought it was available. I do like your truck and as Tim suggested - keep an eye out at swap meets.

Hey guys -

Can you give me some pointers and info re: rechroming the window trim on my '54 3100? Can a good shop rechrome the small/flexible window trim? What do you think the cost would be for the four pieces ... L&R inside + L&R outside? And the $64 question - any recommendations for a good shop?

I took Brad's advice and bought OE stainless inside and outside door window trim from a 1947-50 truck on Ebay. However, the windows will now have both chrome and stainless trim together. The original trim on my '54 was chrome plated. The '47-'50 stainless inside trim is not as wide as the trim on my '54 and does not have the cutouts for the vent window, so I will have to use my chrome inside trim. The rain deflector at the top front outside corner of the window is chrome. I'm starting to wonder if chrome outside trim will look better against the chrome deflector and chrome inside trim than polished stainless.

Here is the rusty outside trim. The inside trim is starting to pit at the top and some of the chrome is pealing off at the bottom. I hope the pitting at the top is not coming from the underside.

I paid a fat price for the stainless trim, but I can probably sell it for the same price. If chrome plating is anywhere near the same cost, I'll be OK.

Geeze - while I'm at it I might have them replate the defroster deflector under the windshield. Somebody stop me.

Thanks for your help and knowledge.

Lonnie,

I am sure others will chime in but I am not aware of any factory chrome plated window trim on 47-55 1st Series trucks. The correct application for your truck is the SS trim. Somwhere in the past I think a PO has chromed the pieces. The wind deflector as far as I can tell was always body color not chrome, not SS. I guess it depends on what you want but the chrome I believe is not OEM. The beauty of the SS is you can rest your arm there for many a cruise and all you do is polish it more!

PM sent

I think that Brad is correct. There was no factory chromed window trim on 47-55 trucks' door windows.

In some years there was stainless steel interior trim (maybe the 47-50 mentioned above). This stainless interior window trim (garnish molding?) can be adapted to work with later vent-window doors.

In most years there was exterior window garnish molding trim (except for 52-53, I think).

In 1954/55, I do not think that there was stainless inside window garnish molding but there was stainless exterior window garnish molding that came with one or more of the deluxe options.

Tim and Brad -

Thanks for the info. I read in the 1954 "factoids" on Tim's site "NEW Chrome deluxe options are again available, including grill, hubcaps, vent window frame, inside and outside window trim, and bumpers." So I thought that maybe my chrome trim was OE.

The truck has chrome bumpers, chrome window trim in and out, but no chrome grill, windshield trim, or chrome vent window frame. I believe that the hub caps are chrome instead of stainless because the one on the spare has some rust inside where the water collected. Seems a lot of trouble for the PO to have chromed the interior and exterior window trim and the rain deflector.

The truck is not too cobbled up. Most of the parts are appropriate for 1954.

Note on the interior window trim: Although they look similar, the stainless trim I bought from a 47-50 (no vent windows) is completely different from my '54 trim. See photo. Non-vent interior trim on left is a little "thinner" than 3/4" at the bottom and a little "thicker" than 3/4" at the top. Interior trim for vent window doors is a little thinner than 1" at the bottom and a little thicker than 1" at the top. Of course there is a cut out for the vent on the bottom of the '54 trim and a screw hole on the bottom of the '54 trim vs no hole on the non-vent trim. There is also a weld visible on the inside of the bottom of the '54 trim near the vent.

>>> EDIT: Can someone confirm that all interior window trim for vent window doors is 1" thick as noted above?

Another StoveBolter has stainless interior trim that will fit my '54. It may be ~7/8" thick.

I don't know if there are any differences in the exterior trim. I haven't pulled mine off yet.

I'll be out of town until the first of Aug., so I won't be able to proceed until then. Not looking forward to removing the window guts to replace the trim, cat's whiskers, wipes, and window felt. Also need to replace a broken lower rear door edge glass guide on the drivers side.

These guys can chrome a rubber chicken
...click...

Maybe you can find a local shop that can plate your trim.

Thanks Gus -

Unless someone confirms that Chevy used chrome window trim in '54, I'll use the stainless trim that I have and that I can get from another 'Bolter. Otherwise, I'll search for a local chrome shop.

I've been following the StoveBolt discussion about "spray on chrome", like the shop in your link. Not sure that it would be tough enough for this use. Trying to find a use for a chrome rubber chicken, though.

BTW- I'm glad that you answered another post about the model trucks in your photos. I was gonna ask the same. They really look good.

Still looking for measurements of interior window trim for AD trucks with vent windows. Z71Chevy sent me a PM that his interior trim for a vent window door is about 7/8" thick. My '54 is about an inch thick. Were they different for different years? I don't believe that thin trim will press the cat's whiskers against the door glass on my truck.

With the trim laying flat on a bench, I'm looking for the vertical distance from the bench to the top side of the trim - as in my pic above. Or, of course, the horizontal distance from inside to outside of the trim mounted in the door. Not counting the thickness of the cat's whiskers.

Whew. That's a lot of words for a simple measurement!

Thanks for your help,

Lonnie.

I'll try to get measurements in about two weeks when I am again near my trucks.

The term "chrome" in GM documentation and in advertisements to describe all the brightwork in various deluxe options can be confusing.

In 1954, in certain deluxe options, the vent window and frame were chromed. And, in those options, the exterior door-window garnish molding was stainless. And, in no option was the door-window interior garnish molding stainless or chromed. The deluxe trim around the windshield was stainless. The trim around the panel rear door windows was stainless. The front hood emblem was stainless

In 1954, a chromed grill and chromed bumpers were available, as were chromed hub caps. Stainless steel full-size wheel-covers were also available as an accessory.

I have seen stainless trim that was chrome plated and it is altogether possible that it was just done poorly, but the chrome was flaking off of it.

i have a 54 deluxe and it has the SS windshield trim how much could i get if i were to sell it

$50 at the swap meet and as much as $100 on eBay it is fairly scarce for the 54/55's.

You should know that the chrome or stainless windshield trip has to have the rubber that matches up with the trim.
Chrome windshield trim
If you don't have chrome or stainless trim you will need to swap the rubber.

Thanks, Jim

Yes, I know that the windshield rubber must be replaced with rubber for stainless insert. I haven't searched for the stainless insert lately. I'll look again today. Maybe today's my lucky day.

Lonnie, I speak from experience. I bought the stainless molding and standard rubber. Someday I'll replace the rubber and use what I bought. lol

omegaone1954 and BIG CHEVY 3600:

Do you want to sell your '54 stainless windshield trim? I would be interested in buying.

BIG CHEVY - is your trim for a '54-'55 1st?

Thanks,

No it's for 47-53.