VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Fender welt on a 1939 1/2 ton Chevrolet JC pickup

My 1939 chevrolet 1/2 ton pickup has no welt for the rear and front fenders and no welt between the body and the grill. In contrast I have a 1940 ford pickup which has welt for all front and rear fenders. In particular the welt goes between the bed and running boards for the rear fenders and with the exception of the hood it goes between the front fenders, running boards and body. Also a welt goes between the grill and the body. Am I correct in assuming that the chevrolet pickup has no welting? Thanks for your help.

There should be welt on at least the fenders.

Grill I suspect no, but you never know. If you check with the parts suppliers, there is also a beaded rubber strip that is usually used around running boards to finish the gaps. I'm not a truck guy but have seen enough of the trucks to at least know this much...

I posed my question regarding welts on my jc1939 chevrolet to Barry Weeks, the G&D advisor for 1939 trucks, and others and they confirmed that the PU did not have any welts on it when it left the factory.

There are many parts offered by vendors that are mis-labeled, as to application, or that never existed when the vehicle was built.
Sometimes these are a practical addition, other times not so much. If authenticity is your goal, don't rely on the vendor listing as your only source of info. The vendors can't know EVERYTHING about every model they represent. They often rely on their suppliers for application info.
I make 2 cab mounting kits for Chevy trucks. I tell my retailers what they fit. If I am wrong, they are wrong. Unfortunately for them, they are the ones who take the heat if a customer is unhappy.

Mike

I agree with Mike. I have seen numerous examples of parts that the supplier says will fit a certain model and year but were not necessarily original to that application.

Something else to consider - the General was really really good at designing and making vehicles that performed exactly as they were expected to do under normal operating conditions. But he wasn't perfect, and once in a rare while a vehicle came out and was in the hands of the motoring public for some time when a "flaw" was discovered. If it was serious, or safety related, a recall would be announced. If it was a minor cosmetic problem, that the addition of an extra screw, a piece of welting, or a minor redesign of a part would correct, this would be done and announced to the mechanical staffs through the Fisher Body News published monthly. If the part was going on to a vehicle whose style was about to be redesigned the part may not even be given a part number. This might account for the doubts about welting being present on your pickup. Just a thought!!

Thanks for the valuable input from Mike, Rusty and Kaygee. The question regarding the welting on my pickup has troubled me for several years. My discussions with Peter Pitcher (Punta Gorda, Florida). Barry Weeks (G&D advisor for 1939 trucks) and Chuck Shad (Oregon) has led me to trust the opinions of experts and not rely totally on what is offered by suppliers. For those of you such as me, who are interested in restoring vehicles to manufacturer's specifications, input from recognized experts is extremely important.

I have learned that lesson many times! Being a VCCA member has paid for itself more than I ever expected.