What would be a good replacement fender welting on a 39 Master? The body and fenders are black. The one on the left is vinyl/rubber and has a satin finish whereas the one on the right looks to be vinyl cloth around a plastic piping.
The original 1939 fender welt was covered rope and was fairly shinney. It was of the narrower 3/16 size and always black. In 1939 the fenders were always the same color as the body.
Hopefully, you saved your old welting to use as a pattern to cut the new one. If not do a Yahoo search on "Fender Welting" for some excellent guidance. Here is a good visual explanation of the process: How to install fender welting. When I did mine I substituted the weatherstrip adhesive for double sided tape. I wanted to make adjusting to the welting a little more easier once the fender was installed. If alignment wasn't exactly right all I had to do was loosen the fender a little and pull the welting into the position I wanted.
Thanks Mike. Good to remember the most correct was the Steete product. Miss my work travel out your way so will have to come for a ride one of these summers and see the finished product.
1938 Canadian Pontiac Business Coupe (aka a 1938 Chevy Coupe with Pontiac shaped front sheet metal - almost all Chevy!) 1975 4-speed L82 Vette
The how to article on fender welting is the same way I did it on my '46 Coupe fenders. when it comes to trimming and notching, just remember " you can cut more off, but you can't put it back."
For the 1941 Steele makes rubber fender welting (anti squeak) to fit the front fenders. I tried, unsuccessfully, to install them and finally gave up and used the same welting I used for the back fenders. The problem with the rubber was that it sticks to the fenders and body when trying to make small adjustments with the fender in place. I tried using soapy water to lubricate the problem areas but even that did not work well. The rubber is at least 1/8" thick and as the bolts holding the fender are tightened the rubber can expand out of place. It also does not look like the back welting because of its dull surface, and is not molded consistently with a smooth looking fit.
Hopefully, my pictures illustrate the problem. I bought my welting several years ago and it was expensive (over $100). I see it is now available for around $15.00 a pair from Chevs of the 40's. Steele did refund me my money. I Superglued small felt pieces to the welting to further assist in alignment.
