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How do '40 chevy coupe running boards bolt on?

7K views 19 replies 5 participants last post by  CHASINGJR 
#1 ·
I am in the process of building a car that someone started....I am thinking that the frame had some kind of threaded bung so that you could attatch the running board....is that right? My frame is smooth (and painted), and I can't find where the running boards bolt on.
 
#2 ·
Rodfather,

I also have a 40 business coupe I am building and the runningboards don't attach to the frame. Along the sides of your body, there should be three brackets that are attached to the inside rocker panels with a captive nut in them. They also attach to the bottom of the front fender. I bought an original car and the floors and rockers were so badly cancered that the attach brackets were gone. I had a devil of a time figuring out where, and how they attached. If you have a Chev's of the 40's catalog, they have an illustration that shows how they attach.
 
#4 ·
The new rockers won't have the brackets on them. They are purchased separately and have to be welded in place. If you bought new rockers, you probably bought outer and inner rockers. The brackets will attach to the inner rocker panel. They're a bit of fun to put in..........may be not so bad for you if you've done it before, but when I did mine, I hadn't.
 
#6 ·
Sounds like a plan. I just finished wiring my car, and installing the heat/ac, and fired her for the first time last weekend. Great feeling when things work like they're supposed to. She'll even pull herself.

I had my boards blasted a while back and POR-15'ed them and, oddly enough, just this last week, I was trying them on to see if they fit. I was a bit apprehensive but the brackets were where they were supposed to be. How that happened, I'll never know. Good luck.
 
#8 ·
I have done all the work on my car, except for the exhaust. I've never liked messing with that, and there are people who are masters at that, and I'll leave it to them. I think the most time consuming project I've had is putting in the electric windows. I eliminated the door vent windows and am putting in one piece windows. Have had problems getting it all to work, mostly getting the tracks square to the channels. Once I get them finished, and the door controls mounted, it's ready to final prime and block, getting it ready for paint. Maybe someday. I've been about 3 years working on it.
 
#11 ·
Dant,
I read your post and had to go back out and look at my car. It doesn't have any mounts to the frame. My boards have the three brackets that bolt to the bottom of the boards. These three brackets bolt to captive nut brackets that weld to the inner rocker panels. The boards, as you said, also attach to the front fenders. In addition, there are about a dozen or so screws that attach thru the runningboard into the bottom of the rocker panel all down the side of the car. I don't know about all of the various bodies, but mine doesn't have any place for the rockers to bolt to the frame. It all bolts up okay, but personally, I don't think I'd want for a 200 lb. man to stand on them.

I have found that there was quite a few differences in the different bodies. According to Chev's of the 40's, one rocker panel fits all, but a fella I was going to sell my boards to (he had a convertible) told me that boards from a Master 85 coupe will only fit that car. He said he got his info from a 1940 parts manual he had, and there was another board for the other cars. A buddy of mine has a 1940 panel truck, and it's boards mount like mine do. The body is mounted on rubber, and the boards would have to move with the body, which they wouldn't if they mounted to the frame. I do know a lot of the old Fords' runningboards mounted to brackets that attach to the frame.
 
#12 · (Edited)
That's a nice old pic Rodfather. I'm also working on a 40 chevy coupe and have all the same ideas as you have described yours. Anyway you can post some new pics? What type of air ride and rear link system did you use? I am also going to try the 1 pc glass without the vent. I talked to a guy this past weekend at the goodguys show in Charlotte about his power window unit with 1 pc of glass and he told me he had a rough time trying to get it to work because the front of the door curves in at the front. He told me a friend of his mounted the power unit to a piece of metal and then moved the metal around until the glass fit the channel and worked properly and then screwed the metal off to the door panel. Any pics of any or all would be great. Thanks.
 
#13 ·
#14 ·
ChasingJR,

I've removed the vent wings on my 40 coupe also, and ran into the problem of the doors being "bent" right where the vent and the main window meet. The 37's thru 40's did that. What I did was cut both the outside and the inside panels of the door and straightened them as best I could, then welded them back together. The outside panel is the toughie, since you don't want to force it to the point you wrinkle the skin of the door. You won't be able to get it totally straight, but when you put the window "whiskers" in, they will cover the small amount of bend that is left in the sheetmetal. I didn't have too much trouble with my power units, but did have to screw the top of the vertical shaft to the inside of the door to pull it inward a bit. Mine work fine. Of course, you have to weld new channels in the front and rear of the door. You'll have to cut the old window frame to allow the new vertical channels to be at the extremes of the window opening. My kits said I wouldn't need side (vertical) channels, but that was BS. Windows would wobble, and you need a guide in to the window opening. My problem was getting the window lift channel perpendicular with the side channels. You'll have to weld bolts on the inside of the side channels and slot the door inner panel so you have adjustment of the side pieces in and out and fore and aft. Hope I haven't confused you.
Marc Bitler
 
#16 ·
You're welcome on the info, glad I could offer some help. My 40 coupe is my first frame-off street rod, and I'm determined to do the entire car myself. Although I had built several race cars years ago, I "broke a lot of new ground" with this car and learned a bunch in the process. I go to car shows and talk to the guys who actually build their cars (and didn't just sign the checks). I also joined a club, a great place to pick up knowledge, and I pick anybody's brain I can to get info from people who have already found out what works and what doesn't. Good luck.
 
#17 ·
I'll try to get new pictures up. I have the running boards on, and I'm just now cutting the pattern for the side glass. I'm sure there will be some modifying done to the "bend" in the door for the glass. Looks like you all gave me alot of good information above to help.

I am not using a 4 link in the '40. I have a '48 truck, and I may use a 4 link in it. No decision has been made yet.

On the '40 I have a chassis engineering leaf spring setup. I am installing the rear air ride now. What I am doing pulling all the leaves but 2. I also have a 1" lowering block under the back. Once I get it to it's lowest point I'll mount the bags. I am using some really nice brackets from Gravity Werkz that weld onto the axle.
 
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