The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors 1954 Door Panel Fastners

1954/55 had the push-in style.

There were no threaded "holes" in 54/55 doors.

maybe sheet metal screws [not machine screws] used to replace push-ins that no longer held?

Bill

47-53 used screws (Chevrolet truck and GMC)

...and I found out the hard way. I ended up with two doors I thought were the same until I put the lower access panel on and discovered the difference....one was a '54 and had no way to use a machine screw to hold the panel on. So they both would be alike I used a rivetnut/nutsert on the 54 door.
Live and learn! .... and thanks to ret.wrenchbender for helping me sort that out. Caught me by surprise.

My truck was an unmolested early '54 when I started restoring it and it had a few '53 parts on it. The door panels had the trim screws holding them on instead of the push pins, the heater is dated '53 and has the cloth covered wiring, the rear bumper was a '53 style and the radiator is dated '53 without the pressure button on the back that GMC used in '54. I guess my point is that it looks to me like the factories and dealers used the left over parts they could from previous years until they ran out.

tony6461,

Yes, they supposedly did use "left over" parts.

Are you referring to a GMC or Chevrolet truck?

What is the code on your vehicle ID plate?

Mine is a GMC from Oakland. Last set of numbers on the ID tag are Z2343.

A Z series is a 54/55.

You most likely have a single piece windshield and a 54/55 GMC dash?

Yes it does, it is a '54 no doubt. But like I said there are definatly some '53 parts on it, I plan going back together with it that way too. I had the radiator rodded and sealed back up, refinished the heater and will rechrome the '53 back bumper that I took off of it.

I have tracked the history of this truck back to 1956. I purchased it in September 2011 from a friend who had purchased it in 2005 from a fleet mechanic for the company I used to work for. After my friend purchased it he took the hood and the grill off he started doing some rust removal work on the hood latch panel. He also swapped the rear end for a '55 first, after that he lost intrest in the projest and it sat like that for about 6 years. When I bought it all of the original parts he had pulled where in a storage shed that we cleaned out and loaded in my truck to haul home with the rest of the project.

The fleet mechanic who purchased this truck bought it in Fernley Nevada In 1995 from the man who had purchased the truck from a rancher in Yearington Nevada in 1956. When this gentleman purchased the truck it had been sitting in a driveway in Fernley since 1980 when the master cylinder went out. He pulled and rebuilt the motor, he is a retired Army truck mechanic and had a ton of experience in the service with the Jimmy 6s, sent the carb and distributor out for rebuild and purchased an SM420 open driveshaft trans for it and that was as far as he went with it before his wifes dad died and left them a 1956 Chevy that was already finished so Old Blue (as we call him) went on the back burner. He oiled and wrapped the motor on a stand, stuck the carb and distributor in the attic and in 2005 sold the truck to the guy I bought it from.

When I bought the truck the title for it was still the title from 1956 and it had been signed in the wrong spot so when I went to title it in my name the DMV wouldn't until I sent a registered return recipt letter to the address on the title stating what was wrong with the title and an earsure form to be notorized. What was supposed to happen was the envolpe was supposed to come back as undeliverable, no longer at this address something along those lines instead my phone rang one day. The man who had signed the title wrong was in fact still alive and at that address. He told me he had bought it from a ranch in 1956 and drove it until the master cylinder failed in 1980. At that point he parked it with the intention of fixing it one day. After it had sat for 15 years the fleet mechanic knocked on his door, offered cash for the old truck and hauled it out of there.

I know two of the people in this story very well having worked for that company for 15 years and have spoken to the gentleman in Fernley a couple of times since and sent him photos as his old truck comes back to life. He always thanks me and offers to buy it back for what he sold it for!

Tim, do you have a link to a picture of those Push-in style buttons?... did I miss them back when I was looking?? Hmmmm

Thank you

Alvin,

54/55 door panel fasteners

Jim Carter might have them painted different panel colors. We paint them to match the panel color.

Thank you Tim.... How in the world did I miss them? I had also checked JimCarter.

Thanks, you made my day!!!

Jim Carter - 54/55 door panel clips

Tim, I have eye surgery coming up late January I rest my case and promise to do better before crying wolf!!

No problem, Alvin

Jim Carter has a web-store programmer that delights in making a hard to use web-store. The programmer is especially talented at making an almost useless search engine. Not a very good way to run a business. I hope the web-programmer is a relative - that might explain why this situation has not been fixed.