Stovebolt.com Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Rubber mats for COE Steps

vwlfan, it looks like a dimmer switch on the passenger side under the heater. Just what it that for?

Thanks for the photos. Nice.

That is a dimmer switch which was mounted in the passenger side floor which allows the passenger in the fire truck to operate the siren. - Bob

The choke cable on my COE does not have the original knob. None of the available choke cables (with correct knob) on the market were long enough in length to be used for a COE application. I did buy the correct choke knob but I have not yet attempted to remove the third party knob and update it with the correct knob.


The gauge panels in my COE are the original panels and are unrestored. So at least the non-deluxe trucks had black gauge panels. I bought an extra set of 54/55 gauge panels for a spare and they are black also:
1954/1955 GMC Spare Gauge Panels


You might enjoy some of these photos which are from my 53 GMC Fire Truck. The interior is one of the cleanest original and unrestored interiors I have seen.
1953 GMC Unrestored Interior

This is a photo of the area under the gas tank at the time I removed the tank. I know this area looks repainted but this is the original non-faded paint.

1953 GMC Paint Under Gas Tank

Bob [/quote]

Interesting. Your headlight knobs looks like the correct style, but it's black instead of ivory. My panel had the ivory knob, but UV radiation completely destroyed it. The wiper knob is also different from Chevy, but it also rarely survives in the sun. IMHO, the Chevy headlight and wiper knobs look better, just paint them to match. Same with the throttle and choke knobs. The parking brake, window crank, turn signal, radio and heater knobs are all the same as Chevy, but in ivory instead of black.

With the two-tone seats, I'm pretty sure your truck has the DeLuxe interior. Does it have the driver-side armrest and passenger-side interior visor?

I've just looked up some pics of my COE, it has the black gauge panels, too. My 1-ton panel, which also has the two-tone brown interior, has dark brown gauge panels. WTF? That makes absolutely no sense.

There is no driver side armrest or passenger side visor on my COE.

Now I'm really scratching my head.

Im reviving this thread because my urethane adhered step pads are un-adhering. The adhesive sticks to the metal underneath just fine but doesnt stick well to the pad itself.

Does anyone have a better adhesive product recommendation?
Thank you
John Drabik
1949 2 ton GMC COE

John,
Like you I could not find an adhesive that worked well with the repro pads I got from JC. The pads are just too "oily", almost like they have a light silicone covering.

Since I only use my truck for shows and limited pleasure driving I used industrial hook and loop to attach the pads. I take the pads off when I am intransit and then simply attach them to the hook and loop on the steps when I get where I am going. - Bob

many modern rubber products are silicone, holds up better than older carbon rubber formulations .... to glue it you might try Goop or E6000, which is used in arts and crafts work for glass and other hard to glue things

Bill

Ayup, they have that silicony, slimy feel to them. Maybe try some black RTV silicon (bluegoo) and see if it adheres.
Failing that, I will try a plastic adhesion assister that comes in a spray bomb made by SEM. And than try to find something else.
Too bad the adhesive issue keeps these pads from being a good product.

John & Bob,

Thanks for posting this information.

I did a lot of searching yesterday for an adhesive that will work between silicone rubber and various other materials (such as unpainted or primed metal/steel). There are some medical adhesives but they are expensive and they are quite specific regarding the type of silicone "rubber" and the type of other surface.

It would be nice to hear from someone who has successfully attached these "rubber" pads to the metal base plates, rather than relying on speculation on what might work. However, speculation and trial-and-error might be the only way of finding a solution (and hoping that the rubber pads do not get destroyed during the experimentation).

This morning, I sent a query to Jim Carter. I'll post his response.