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Old 03-05-2018, 10:22 AM   #1
MidLifer
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Small piece of metal on firewall

Hey guys - haven't posted in this forum for a while as my 50 has been asleep for a few years while other things (including the LQ4 I dropped in my 71) got in the way. Getting back to it, have the body at a shop getting final work done to get ready for paint.

My guy has a question - the attached photo (borrowed from another build thread) shows a piece of sheet metal that screws into the firewall on each side. My suspicion is this is a mud guard that the General added in as an afterthought. My body guy wants to know if he can fab up new ones and weld them to the (new) firewall, or else just leave them out.

Your sage guidance will be most appreciated as always.
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Old 03-05-2018, 10:54 AM   #2
jweb
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

You can buy them here:
https://www.classicparts.com/1947-54...ctinfo/37-791/

I have driven without them for 10 years. I didn't know they existed until recently and since my truck is getting painted I will be adding them.
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Old 03-05-2018, 10:58 AM   #3
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

Thanks for the quick reply, but that wasn't really my question. My question is - are they necessary, considering that this truck will never see rain, much less dirt and mud?
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Old 03-05-2018, 11:21 AM   #4
whitedog76
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

I don't really see the point in them myself. It may have more of a cosmetic thing a GM engineer came up with in the 40's. My best guess is that they keep you from seeing all the body seems when the hood is open.

Weld some sheet metal over it and paint it.
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Old 03-05-2018, 11:29 AM   #5
jweb
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

I don't think they're necessary, for the 10 years I drove around without them I never noticed any issues. I got stuck in a few rain storms and drove down a few muddy/gravel roads and never saw anything that looked like it came through the opening.

Since I have never seen these installed I filled in the screw holes but I had the parts painted. That way I can go with or without depending on the way they look.
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Old 03-05-2018, 12:00 PM   #6
mr48chev
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

I think they are more cosmetic than functional. That said it is probably less expensive to buy them than to have the body dude fab them

I take it that you are building a trailer queen that will ride to shows in and enclosed trailer if you figure it will never get driven in the rain or on wet or muddy streets. Or you will never drive it more than a hour away from the house. I've been caught in more than one gully washer rain storm while on the road to an event when there wasn't a cloud in the sky when I left the house and it was bright and sunny at the event. I've left the house here to go to Henry's Haulers Picnic on the other side of the pass and got caught in a snow storm on April 28 one year. Stuff happens if you actually drive them.
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Old 03-05-2018, 04:58 PM   #7
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

To me, it's a small example of the engineering in 1949 vs. 2017.

"All looks good, but what about that little hole there?"

"Here..." (get's out tin-snips) "Fixed!"
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Old 03-05-2018, 11:20 PM   #8
NorCalGal
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

Seen a couple guys on here weld in a filler and smooth in with the firewall.
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Old 03-06-2018, 07:36 AM   #9
b-mac
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

Seems like that would make it impossible (or very difficult) to get the inner and outer fenders on.
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Old 03-06-2018, 10:59 AM   #10
MARTINSR
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

There is NOTHING that would be easier than that to fab out of sheetmetal. A small piece of sheetmetal from the hardware store, a pair of tin snips and in two and a half minutes you have it!

Brian
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Old 03-06-2018, 04:02 PM   #11
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

Is it the flap that let's you rod out all the stuff that comes in the cowl vent? Original has a screw on the bottom.
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Old 03-07-2018, 09:53 AM   #12
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Re: Small piece of metal on firewall

Thanks all. We'll probably leave them out based on what I've read here. I'm not going for concours points on this build.
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