VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 FYI gravel shields

While giving my knees a break I thought I'd share. As some of you may recall, I returned the first pair of shields to COT40s because of quality issues. The chrome on one was as it had sand in it. The other the studs were crooked and one not welded well. Anyway, COT40's sent me a e-mail and agreed. Told me to expect a replacement pair. They came last night. Have to say, MUCH better. These are the ones they descried "as original" with the "hump". They are chrome plated heavy gage steel. Looks to be around .060 or so thick. Very ridged.

Tried the driver side first. Had to really work on the mounting holes to get it on. The passenger side holes were almost perfect. Only had to modify one.

Anyway, pic's tell the story. [img]http://[/img] I like. Only wish they were stainless, if that's what they were in '48. Note:they look exactly like the ones on page 129 in The Pictorial History of Chevrolet 1940-1954.

That looks great
.......and it's good to know that COT40s made it right.


......and I agree....stainless is the way to go.

...I don't believe the originals were stainless...The new stainless ones I've seen are nothing short of pitiful...The Chrome plated ones are the only ones to go with . But they still barely pass the muster with me ( whatever that means ) I'm a fan of the Rubber Shields myself...But don't buy the glue-on's ( from COT'40's ) . I've seen'em ...forget'em , ill fitting . Nice work Russell , but I was hoping to see your smiling face in the chrome ha ha Go easy on the knee's there buddy...Kevin

Ruscar

You are doing a great job with your Chevrolet it looks fantastic.
I was wandering if there is any rubber cushion coming between the gravel shields and the car paint or do they just touch the paint?

Jianis

I just put right on top of the paint. Have no idea if it's right or not.Never thought about it. I remember you said you were thinking about these.Good luck if you order and thanks.

So if you don't mind me asking...what's the deal with your lower trim there in the photo's...? Were they always that perdy...? Or did you or someone else buff'em out...? I've heard they can be sent somewhere and have the ding's , etc . removed...

If you are asking about the rocker panel stainless, yes I did buff it. Must confess. I started with a pair of NOS I got off e-bay a while back. I had a driver side one for years but the right side would never come up. Then, 6/7 months back this pair came up. I figured, bite the bullet and get it over with. All in all they were in good shape except for minor scuffs and scratches. Hence the buffing.
Yes their are folks who can repair stainless. But if you thank chroming is high, you ain't seen nothing'. I sent the 18 pieces of stainless out to be buffed. Just buffed. When I got the bill I was pissed. Bought me a 6" bench grinder and made it a buff unit with supplies from Eastwood. Also bought a book on how to restore trim. Must say I am getting pretty good. As a matter of fact. spent most of today buffing the stainless around the windshield. Have to say. I now know why it cost so much to have done. Very time consuming and nerve wrecking.

Ruins your whole day when a piece of trim catches in the buffing wheel and makes a bee-line for the door.

Must confess, learned that the hard way. It happens so FAST!!Just got the replacement piece last week. Definitely a learning curve! But you really feel good when take a piece, work out the dent and dings. Sand and buff to like new.

...Or through an un-open window lol I've found it help's if I stay awake during the process...i.e. don't daydream...

...My passenger-side rocker has to go "under the hammer"...

It's the dents and dings that I have never figured out how to remove. Guess it takes a lot of practice, patient and skill. With the Eastwood stuff, I can buff small items up so they look great, but larger items like the rocker mouldings, I've left to the professionals. I use Dell Metal Polishing here in Ohio (they have a web site). Marvelous work, but it takes forever and can get expensive, but some stuff is just downright reasonable. I ran one of my rocker mouldings into the side of my trailer. Had Bruce Dell buff out an NOS one. Only charged me $40.

That's what I have...a rocker molding that the previous owner rubbed up against something...But it's pretty "flat" for a couple of inches...probably should just replace , I keep looking for one...but no luck yet...maybe I'll practice on the old one...

Kevin I also sent my rocker mouldings out to be done,many years ago.As i remember the shipping was almost more then the work

Oh..yeah...And I worry about shipping long delicate pieces such as these...me thinks labeling "fragile" can sometimes invite the shoe prints I find on some packages...and how do those holes get there...?

Kevin,
The key is to not stretch the metal any more that has already been done. In most cases you push out the dents with a flat or blunt end wooden tool. Only as a last result do you use anything close to tapping or hammering on the stainless. Don't get in a hurry. If you take it easy and slowly you can push out some really bad dents.

Thanks...Wood tools came to mind...along with one of those "lead shot" or sand bags...?

I find that a stiff rubber pad is much better backer for most situations like most moldings. A sand or shot bag is okay for three dimensional or domed curved surfaces.

Ordered a set or rocker moldings for my 41 years ago and when they arrived (by US Mail)they were folded in the center. Guess they were just too long for them.

The driver side piece and the pair I got came to me in a 7 foot long section of 4 inch PVC. VERY sturdy. Best way to ship something like these I've seen.

I can't remember where I ordered mine but I did have to trim to get them to fit,my originals were made totaly diferent they were chrome and actually were made like they had the 3 indentations of the stainless trim through them,sold them on ebay might have been rare looked at alot of fleetlines and never saw those type.got enough out of them to buy new ones.

Just a comment about Gravel Shields, the part number books show 3 types, the rubber which are standard equipment, chromed lined (as seen now my cars, 1948chevy.com & Ruscar’s pic) and chrome plain. The chrome types are accessories because the numbers for both are an accessory number vs the rubber that use a standard part number. If you notice Ruscar’s installation picture there is plenty of space between the wheel opening and shield, the reason for this is clearance for the streamliners (skirts) to fit well to the fender. The stainless steel shields are flawed being that they have very little gap therefore leaving the streamliners to overlap onto the shield. I personally do not like the stainless because they are just plain wrong in design and material. I’ve been asked about the plain shields and after a little research just found they are originals as well. This explains seeing them in some old photos, I originally thought they were period aftermarket…I was wrong.

...Yes, definitely steer clear of "stainless" gravel shields you will not like the fit and look, unless you care to see the welds from the studs showing thru...I for one like the original rubber...In fact, I just found some OS sightly used on ebay for $6.50...nice no cracks...They must have been removed from the car back in the day and replaced with the chrome shields, then stored away...

FYI. For any of you that has not gone to Johnny's web site and looked at EVERY picture, do yourself a favor and do it. He has the most meticulous '48 on the planet. No disrespect to anyone (even Kevin, oh that's right, you have a '47).