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Fender Welting on a 1948 Dodge


Moparfan283348
Go to solution Solved by greg g,

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Hello All, I am trying to figure out if a 1948 Dodge Custom Sedan I'm looking at has original fender welt or not. I read on another post that the original welt was cotton or a material similar to this. Would this type of welting have stuck up like the modern vinyl type or would it look more like a "gasket" between, for example, the rear fenders and body?

 

Thanks in advance.

Moparfan283348

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The old style cloth welting has the raised bead and sticks up between the fender and the body.

The problem with the cloth style is that is will suck up moisture and then you get rust-out along the edge where the fender meets the body panel.

 

When I did my 39 Desoto I used the vinyl or plastic fender welting in black, 1 it will not absorb water. 2 when the polish gets on the plastic it can be wiped off, the cloth will leave a stain. 3 the plastic acts as an anti-squeak between the fender and the body of the car.

 

Note that the fender welting is not painted the color of the car.  The only official painting or dying the color of the car was done as a factory option on the Airflows.

When I was judging at the 2015 National Desoto convention on of the 1936 Desoto Coupe Airflows was a Grand National AACA winner and Airflow national winner. I noticed that the welting was the same color as the car.  I asked the owner about this coloring and he informed me of the information that I posted above.  It was a factory option that the welting would be dyed the color of the car.

 

Also some cars have the option of having the chrome metal welting so you would have to look in your parts book t determine if that was a factory option for your car.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

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The old style cloth welting has the raised bead and sticks up between the fender and the body.

The problem with the cloth style is that is will suck up moisture and then you get rust-out along the edge where the fender meets the body panel.

 

When I did my 39 Desoto I used the vinyl or plastic fender welting in black, 1 it will not absorb water. 2 when the polish gets on the plastic it can be wiped off, the cloth will leave a stain. 3 the plastic acts as an anti-squeak between the fender and the body of the car.

 

Note that the fender welting is not painted the color of the car.  The only official painting or dying the color of the car was done as a factory option on the Airflows.

When I was judging at the 2015 National Desoto convention on of the 1936 Desoto Coupe Airflows was a Grand National AACA winner and Airflow national winner. I noticed that the welting was the same color as the car.  I asked the owner about this coloring and he informed me of the information that I posted above.  It was a factory option that the welting would be dyed the color of the car.

 

Also some cars have the option of having the chrome metal welting so you would have to look in your parts book t determine if that was a factory option for your car.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

Rich, thank you very much for your response. On the Dodge I am looking into it appears that there is some sort of material between the fender and the body but no bead. Could this be an aftermarket welting?

Thanks again.

Moparfan283348

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Another question I have is about carburetors. I have learned the Dodge cars with the three-speed with fluid coupling has a carburetor with a dashpot to slowly bring the engine back to idle. What do these carburetors look like and what would their number be? Thanks in advance.

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sounds as if you have the chrome metal welting already on the car. The metal would have been chrome plated or now can be stainless steel with fiber material that is sandwiched between the fender and the body.  You have to cut notches in the proper location to put the fender bolts through and to also aid in bending the  metal to conform to the shape of the fender. 

 

Rich Hartung

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sounds as if you have the chrome metal welting already on the car. The metal would have been chrome plated or now can be stainless steel with fiber material that is sandwiched between the fender and the body.  You have to cut notches in the proper location to put the fender bolts through and to also aid in bending the  metal to conform to the shape of the fender. 

 

Rich Hartung

Rich, thank you for the replies. There is no chrome or vinyl welting. What I have seen on the car almost seems as though there is some sort of material (possibly rubber) sandwiched between the rear fenders and body. Thanks again. Gerald. 

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Most pictures of D 24's show them with chrome or stainless bead on the rear fender welting.  Front fenders had anti squeek pads in several places where they were bolted toteh body and supporting sheet metal.  When I purchased my 46 Plymouth the metal bead had seperated from the suorting material and theprevious owner had "secured it to the vehicle using a number of cotter pins slipped over the bead and into the gap between fender and body.  So with aging the shiny stuff seperated from its support.  When I repainted the car the bead was removed, and the material between the metal ieces removed.  It appeared to be a woven material made in a similar weave to burlap.  It also appeared to have been treated with some sort of water proofing stuff. as most of it inbetween the two metal surfaces was intact and there was very little rust (actually the only rust was whre the cptter pins were shoved in and had riped or displaced the material) within the assembly.  A few people on this forum had reported having a very difficult time bending new chrome bead welting (which comes in straight pieces) to match the compound curve where the fender meets the curve of the door bottom at the front of the fender.  One person mentioned ruining three sets before getting it right.  So when I did mine I bought black beaded vinyl stuff from one of the online hot rod suply houses. Some of them offer a "chrome" look vinyl welt, but several folks have reported that its surface crinkles when pulled into the compound curve shape needed for good fitment.

 

If you look around you may notice that early MG A's and Triumph TR3/4 and Austin Healy 3000's use a similar chrome/stainless welting which is slightly thinner than the original stuff and may be easier to source and to bend to the shape needed for your Dodge.  Seems like if your car had gone through a repaint, someon may have switched to a rubber anti squeek product rather than trying to replace the original look welting.  If you look at the stuff the Steele rubber sells it looks pre crinkled in their catalog pictures.

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Most pictures of D 24's show them with chrome or stainless bead on the rear fender welting.  Front fenders had anti squeek pads in several places where they were bolted toteh body and supporting sheet metal.  When I purchased my 46 Plymouth the metal bead had seperated from the suorting material and theprevious owner had "secured it to the vehicle using a number of cotter pins slipped over the bead and into the gap between fender and body.  So with aging the shiny stuff seperated from its support.  When I repainted the car the bead was removed, and the material between the metal ieces removed.  It appeared to be a woven material made in a similar weave to burlap.  It also appeared to have been treated with some sort of water proofing stuff. as most of it inbetween the two metal surfaces was intact and there was very little rust (actually the only rust was whre the cptter pins were shoved in and had riped or displaced the material) within the assembly.  A few people on this forum had reported having a very difficult time bending new chrome bead welting (which comes in straight pieces) to match the compound curve where the fender meets the curve of the door bottom at the front of the fender.  One person mentioned ruining three sets before getting it right.  So when I did mine I bought black beaded vinyl stuff from one of the online hot rod suply houses. Some of them offer a "chrome" look vinyl welt, but several folks have reported that its surface crinkles when pulled into the compound curve shape needed for good fitment.

 

If you look around you may notice that early MG A's and Triumph TR3/4 and Austin Healy 3000's use a similar chrome/stainless welting which is slightly thinner than the original stuff and may be easier to source and to bend to the shape needed for your Dodge.  Seems like if your car had gone through a repaint, someon may have switched to a rubber anti squeek product rather than trying to replace the original look welting.  If you look at the stuff the Steele rubber sells it looks pre crinkled in their catalog pictures.

greg g, Thank you for the information. Could the Dodges have been ordered with a squeak pad at each fender or did they all come with the beaded welt? I only ask because the car appears to be very original, but I could be wrong.

Thank you again.

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I just looked on my '47 Desoto, which I have the rear fenders off, and I have been able to piece together a whole welt, with the exception of the curved portion that goes into the sill molding.  At least I know where the welt begins and how long it needs to be.  I can stretch it out to get the length, and cut the knew piece, holes and all.  It should not be a problem leaving extra at the sill molding and cutting the excess off.  The original was obviously die cut as one piece.

 

I figure as the car came to this part of the assembly line, the bolts were put through the fender holes and the welting placed over the bolts. Then the guy pushed the fender into the holes on the car body, and as the bolts were tightened he he fit the round bead around the fender.  There may have even been another guy that handed him the fender complete with bolts and welt.  I definitely see a bead on the old welt with the impression of the fender into into it.

 

At any rate, I can see the spaces cut into the welt allowing it to be curved. By laying this old one over the new one, these can be marked and cut.  I don't see any other way.

 

The welt material is a type of card stock with a weaving inside it.  As it tears you can see the fine weaving material.  Where you'd get this same stuff I have no idea.

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I believe they all came with the bright work on welting.  Which is why I think yours may have had some body and or paint work at some point in its life.  or like mine the bead became seperated and it was pulled off rather than trying to reattach it.

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