The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop 1954 3100 PU Rear Fender welts????

Doing some work on the rear fenders on my 1954 3100. I have removed the rear fenders and there is no welt or beading of any type between the fender and the body. On the front fenders there is (even though it was painted over by the PO). Did the 1954 AD have rear fender welts between fender and body and who stocks them???? Also we broke every one of the clutch head machine bolts. Do they make SS clutch head or do I go with SS truss head machine bolts? As always thank you in advance, Steve

THANKS Denny.... I have seen trucks with and without welts at car shows. You are correct the fender and the bed lay flat. One guy at a car show told me to just loosen the fender and push the welt in.



I'll go with the truss heads in SS as thy are very close in head dia. and height McMaster -Carr carries them. NO plated stuff for me it all rust!

Thanks Again, Steve

Several years ago, I bought stainless-steel clutch-head rear fender bolts. The main vendors do not sell them now. Zinc-plated stainless clutch-head rear fender bolts are readily available.

Note what Denny posted about the fenders being bolted to the bed before the beds were painted. The zinc-plated clutch-head bolts would be sealed with paint and, with care, would last a long time.

Thanks for the information. I'll stick with SS as most plated screws will deteriorate under paint. I have replaced everything that we have changed with SS bolts and have not looked back. An old stovebolter here told me when you replace, replace it with SS as they are easy to connect and dis-connect... sage advice I'd say BUT if you are going for 100 pts. then you need to use original items and I understand that totally. Thanks steve

Hi Steve, Your local ACE Hardware carries a good selection stainless nuts and bolts.

Of course, you have GM documentation to backup your statements!!

I might dis-agree. I would bet money the welting that came off of my 1950 panel around the rear panels was original. It was of the same level of deterioration as the front welting.

Marty...I did not know that ACE was the place for SS bolts. Good catch i will give them a look-see.

Denny is correct the back fender on our truck was painted black primer that is what is under the top coat.

My 86 year old uncle also agrees with Denny as to NO welting on the back fenders as it was unnecessary due to the flat mating surfaces...another mystery solved!
Keep on wrenching, stay safe and thanks Steve

Panel body trucks had welting for the rear fenders.

Pickup bed trucks had no rear fender welting. It is hard to find documentation about something that did not exist.

8.305 Anti-Squeak (for front fenders to cowl)

OK, Denny's comment... The front fenders with all their compound curves at the seam were harder to match so they used fender welting to hide the minor mismatch or gaps at the seam.

Does Denny have documentation for this?

GM say's it was for anti-sweek.

OK, then why did they use the bead on the rear fenders of the panels and not the pickups... to hide or for anti-squeak?? Beings they are a flat surfaces (as you say) why didn't they just use anti-squeak paper? It would seem, if they used the bead on the panel's rear fenders to hide inperfections they would have also done it on the pickups.

Regarding the stainless steel clutch head bolts for the rear fenders I believe the Filling Station, Bob's and Grumpy's all sell them.
That is what I am opting for.

Thank you, Peter

Filling Station: 1947-1966 rear fender bolts - clutch head - stainless steel - TR-222 $39.50

Grumpy's (Bob most have lit out?): 1505-KIT 47-59 Clutch head rear fender bolts set stainless steel $36

AD-PICKUP...for what its worth dept.
While some panels may have had "welting" on the rear fenders my 52 panel did not have a "beaded" welting. The rears had a piece of material that highly resembles #15 or #30 lb roofing felt. I am positive mine were original and the strip of "paper" was laying on the lip of the fender that fits up and under the body and had no bead on it.
Don't know about the front as the PO had taken the fenders off but I seem to remember seeing front fenders with a "beaded" welt years ago but not sure it was original.
I'll lean to what Tim says. He's the man with books.

So, when everyone is talking welting does it mean just paper or welting with a bead?

Gosh, we've beat this to death at least a dozen times. It just want die!!

Alvin,

You have me thinking (thanks). While Jim Carter states that beaded rear-fender welting was used on 47-54 panel-body trucks (but, not on pickup rear fenders), I cannot find that welting listed in the Master Parts Book. I am going to check out some original photos/illustrations and post what I find.

Here is a rear fender in a GM photo of an A-D panel.

You be the judge - it is not as clear as I would like.

This is just my own speculation but do you think it is possible that the panels had welting because any squeak would be directly outside the passenger compartment vs. a pickup having the potential squeak limited to an outside and unattached assembly? Did I make any sense with that statement?

Greg, that's the way I have it figured.