VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 Help with 36 Highcab interior

Hi All, I am member #47794.
I have a very early 1936 highcab (nov.1935 engine )I got the truck in boxes. I have no idea how the original interior was.
1.The dash was sand blasted. Would this truck have a Black or Brown color dash?
2.Does someone have pictures of the head liner? How is it attached?( have 2 pc of brown cared board from Jim carter)
3. What does the fabric look like behind the seat?
4.Are there kick panels? If so are they card board or fabric? What do they look like ?
5.Lastly ,how does the fabric tie into the headliner?
Thank you. Your help will be appreciated.

Tom
My 38 had very little interior when I got 37 years ago and had been brush painted inside and out though is likely to be different than your 36 any way. By what has been posted previously on here the 2 cardboard pieces you have are the head lining pieces but how they get through the door openings I dont know.

I dont think there was any fabric behind the seat and I would think the kick panels are similar cardboard material as the headliner.

Tony

The 1936 ngineering Manual shows the instrument panel as being brown.

Tom,
I don't believe there was any fabric in your truck's interior except for the seat cover and some windlace around the doors.
If there were kick panels they would be card board like the headliner you got from Jim Carter. I think they were just nailed to the door post.
'34-'35 trucks had metal strips to hold the headliner in place, I'm guessing yours is the same.
If brown is the correct interior color, as Gene mentioned above, (he has a reputation for knowing what he is talking about) it is likely the same brown wrinkle finish used on '36 Low Roof through '38 truck interiors. Correct color powder is available from Jim Carter. It was formulated using an interior piece from my Son's '38 truck and is an excellent match. A local powder coater can apply it for you.
There are a couple of '36 high roof owners who hang out here so I am sure you will get all the info you need and also corrections to what I have said .

MIke

Thank you for the responses. In the archives, there is a person who had drawings of the headliners, but apparently those drawings are no longer available, or at least not retrievable. Does anyone have that information, or know how to retrieve the drawings?
Thanks,
Tom

The person that had the drawings and much, much more passed away a few years back.I had the material saved on my P.C. but it got deleted by accident.

Hi, I have a 35' with the original headliner still in it. I think it is the same as the early 36'. Like Mike said, it has the metal strips. I would like to help if possible cuz many people have helped me over the years. My interior is all black btw. I guess I could text you pics maybe? I've never done this. I'll be gone a couple days but back on Monday. Mark in AZ

Mark , That would be great to have pictures . Right know I have no clue what it looked like. Tom

Tom,

If you're a grease-under-the-nails gearhead who's resurecting that '36 high cab with your own ambition, skills and tools there are a couple of information items you may find interersting and helpful. One is something I wrote about my own experiences with my '36 HC that showed up in the May 2009 G & D after I quit VCCA. If you don't have access to that issue the text is still on my wife's computer. I would need your email address to send it to you.

The other is this: https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/topics/334876/1936_Chevy_3.55_rear_gear_conv

I wrote it at the request of the 1936 Chevy Owners Forum about converting that stock, over-revving 4.11 rear gear to a more highway friendly 3.55. It was posted on this forum by someone else who is a VCCA member. 4.11 gears may have been OK for the roads of 80 years ago but are a real hinderance today, especially with these antique engines that are cammed to run out of breath at about 2000 RPM.

RW

Brino, my email is sailingneedle@msn.com. Thanks for forwarding the article.

Do you have any pictures of the headliner, in lace? Front and rear?

Yes, I do all of my own work - I have been at this for 4 years.
Thanks,
Tom

Tom,

I emailed you the article. Please let me know if you got it OK. My email is raywaldbaum@gmail.com.

I got my '36 in 1965 and it still had all the original interior components (in tatters) so I had samples of the original materials and colors to work with. Like you, I did all my own interior work. You don't need any special stuff from any high dollar antique car specialty supliers. For example the kick panels and headliner are simple textured upholstery cardboard that I colored with a blend of black and brown shoe polish to match the dash and door panels. That coloring still looks perfect 40+ years after it was applied. The dash and door panels are colored with simple brown rattle can wrinkle finish.

I can send pictures of whatever you like. It's nice to meet another do-it-yourselfer. To me the restoration of my '36 high cab was a motiovation to learn a bunch of new skills. You can outdo the "Professionals" with your home efforts. My '36 won class T-2 at the 1976 VCCA National Meet in Colorado Springs after being driven there, 1300 miles across the deserts of California, Arizona, Utah and Colorado and crossing 12,000 foot passes in the Rocky Mountains, camping all the way and fishing in the Rockys. It's really sweet whipping the deep pocket trailer queens with a self restored driver. You'll see what I mean.

RW.