How can I tell...

[b00sted]

My truck is a 49 but I do not know if it is late or early. I need to get a headliner for it and they make two different ones from what I can tell online.

[mr48chev]

Early 49 trucks have the windlace held in by a metal strip with screws while later 49 trucks have a metal channel around the door opening that the windlace is inserted in to.

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Early 49 trucks have the windlace held in by a metal strip with screws while later 49 trucks have a metal channel around the door opening that the windlace is inserted in to.

What knowledge! Where can we get a definitive list of the year-to-year differences?

[HUSSEY]

I had the same issue and called and talked to the guys at Classic Parts. They said there can be differences in the late and early 49s dependent on where it came of the line. I was told the early 49 has screws down the center that holds the center bow on. The late doesn't. If you look at the pics on their site you can see screws / no screw.

47-Early 49 here:
http://www.classicparts.com/1947-49-.../#.V3Z2wvkrJhE

Late 49-53 Here:
http://www.classicparts.com/late-194.../#.V3Z28PkrKM8

Mine has a metal channel for the windlace.

So...mine had early and early 49 headliner and a late 49 windlace. Makes it fun figuring out what fits.

[b00sted]

Thank you all that sure did and help. I like buying things from Classic Parts.. Maybe to much at time.

[mr48chev]

Here is a pretty good breakdown on year to year changes on AD trucks
http://www.adchevy.com/info/yeartoyearchanges

Here is another one that has some extra info
http://devestechnet.com/Home/History

[b00sted]

I took a picture of the the area above the door... Can you tell if it is an early or not? I look at the roof and it looks like it has a rail that goes across with screws in it. My truck may be a hodge podge as the person before me took 2" out of the roof.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by b00sted

I took a picture of the the area above the door... Can you tell if it is an early or not? I look at the roof and it looks like it has a rail that goes across with screws in it. My truck may be a hodge podge as the person before me took 2" out of the roof.

well, to be fair, they will all have screw holes in the roof support. what Hussey was talking about though was the center bow of the headliner. if its early 49, the exposed part of the bow will be smooth and the screws will actually be in the back part of the bow, that will be covered by the next piece of the headliner. if its late 49, the screws will be in the exposed part of the bow.

[mr48chev]

Is the top chopped and stretched on that one?

It is a late 49 as far as the channel on the right hand side of the photo goes but from where the roof is spliced back they have goobered the channel up pretty bad.

I won't get home from work until 7:30 Pacific time but I'll try to get some photos of that area of two cabs I have so you can see the difference.

[mr48chev]

This is the retainer strip in the early 49 cab I have you can see the strip and if you look close you can see the screws holding it and on the right you can see a bit of headliner behind it.


A little closer shot of the middle of it.

Here you can see how the molded rubber windlace fits in the channel in the late 49 and later trucks


here is the strip that runs though the middle of the roof and holds the headliner in the middle on the later trucks. Note that it is welded in rather than held by screws like the earlier version

[mr48chev]

Looking at yours again I think you have the early 49 and someone took the front half of the strip off when they worked on the roof.

[Softpatch]

great post
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[b00sted]

Here are a few more to look at. I hope this will let it be know if it is early or late 49.

[ADchevys]

It's a early 49.

[b00sted]

Thank you... What a great place to learn from.