41 Chevy with no rocker panels
 

I posted a question yesterday about running board ideas for my 41 coupe and Centerline suggested just replacing the rockers. I thought about it but after some research looking at other 41 Chevys, it appears that replacing the bulge type rocker panels is out of the question.

Look at my doors......They are not 41 coupe doors, there is no bulge at the bottom

My door bottoms are factory straight down.....and they appear to be original, the doors, jambs and interior paint all match, it appears to be the original dark burgundy paint.

So whats going on here?.....1940 car with 41 vin tag?.....it looks untampered.

I'm ok with it cuz I like the pre-41 running boards, i'm just baffled.

41 Chev
 

It could be a early 41 where they were using up parts from the 40. Some guys have a 47 Ford, but have parts on it from 46, that will only fit the 46 and the first 47's. the 47 Ford did not get all the changes until march of 47. Chev might have done the same. You might be able to google it to find out.

Bob

Nothing on google Bob, but did find a correct name for the "bulge" rocker panels....Chevrolet's new "Concealed safety steps"

My vin tag date is 04, built at the Tarrytown plant, so I kinda doubt it was leftover parts, plus the old ads claim a whole new model for 41 with a Fisher body....mine has an oval brass Fisher tag on the door hinge post.

But then again what else COULD it be?

I found a Chevy style number chart for 1946, but couldn't find 1941.....but if the numbers are the same (1227B), this coupe means business!

She's a 1941 Special Deluxe Business coupe :mwink:

41
 

It could be that just that model had a flat door, does your car have a back seat. I'm not really up on Chev's.

Are you close to Cape Coral, I belong to a club there.

Bob

No they were the same as any 41-48 coupe.

I did find more info stating mine is an "A" car, built in january so I suspect your right......The other website stated "AH" meant the 4th month.

I'm in Port Charlotte....are you a snowbird?.....when do you fly down?...what do ya drive?

Scott

41 Chev
 

I drive down, I guess you could call me a snowbird. I have a 46 Ford I drive right now, 33 Ford 3w Almost ready for paint, and a 35 Terraplane that was on the road once as a street rod but I parked it, as I didn't like the way it was.

Bob

I saw pics of your 33 on another posting, man thats gonna be sweet!!

It would be interesting to see a pic of the underside of the doors. I've checked every info source I have and I can't find any 41 GM vehicles with running boards (other than trucks). They aren't 40 doors as the quarter window line is straight on the 40 and the 41 is slightly curved as yours is. I'm wondering if someone didn't shorten the doors when the body was installed on that chassis. If so then the easiest option would be to just make some custom running boards and then let everyone wonder what's different about it.

Centerline
HotRodsAndHemis.com

"Instructions are just the manufacturers opinion of how it should be put together". - Tim Allen

I'll upload one tomorrow after I inspect it very carefully but i'm 99% sure....I do appreciate your help Centerline, Thanks

Yeah i'm cool with having some boards made, luv em!

If you could take a pic of that area with the door open,it would help.
Back in the 80's we built a 40 studie that needed running boards ,we used some 3" thick wood ,staind and cleared and they looked great ,cheap too.

She's cut, mystery solved!

The doors were chopped and remade years ago, WOW!

So the original dark burgundy paint just aint.....and it seems pretty old so that tells me my 41 was once totally stripped of paint and rebuilt, then repainted near original......I can tell a resprayed car and this one must have been stripped.

My guess is the custom work and grey primer was done more recently, probably after the old restoration started aging.?

DBM here's a couple pics......yeah wood running boards wood be cheap and wood look decent with the Sunburst orange paint, but its just not the look I want. Thanks tho

I'm gonna have to fabricate some sort of rockers so the boards will be like 2" below the door.

Yep. No doubt about it, your doors have been chopped. Decent job too considering how long ago it was done.

What you can do is cut a piece of 3/4" plywood to the shape you want for running boards and then use it as a pattern to cut another piece. Then cut a piece of 14 ga. steel a couple inches larger than your pattern. Sandwich the steel between the two pieces of plywood and use a hammer to bend the edges down. If you do this carefully you can wind up with a custom set of running boards that look almost factory.

Centerline
HotRodsAndHemis.com

"Remember, if you didn't put it together with your own hands, its not really yours." - Tim Allen

So they must have chopped the cab too? or lifted the threshold?

Those boards sound right up my alley CL!

41
 

Cool, I admit I don't know that much on old cheby's but, on this board someone will jump in and help. Get running boards on it and all done you will have a head scatcher there. :cool: :thumbup:

Bob