53 vs 54 front fenders

[Fred n' Ethel]

What are the differences between the 53 and the 54 front fenders ?
The pic is from the Classic catalog.
Only things I see is maybe a radius as opposed to a more square corner where the grill goes in and the signal light ? Hard to tell though.
And, what should I look at to tell the difference when looking at used parts at a swap meet ?
Lastly, can one be readily made to work in place of the other ?
Till now, I thought they were the same.
Thanks.

[mongocanfly]

where the grill fits is radius instead of square...the is also a recess for the grill stamped in below headlight in the sheetmetal

47-53 and 54-55 1st

when I get back on mine im converting my 55.1 fenders to take a 47-53 grill....it can be done...just takes work...

[mr48chev]

There are basically 4 AD type 3000 series fenders.
The 47/53 Chevy fender
the 47/53 GMC fender that has a hole in front for the park light.

The 54 Chevy fender that has a rounded opening for the grill and the
54 GMC that has the square cut opening like the 47/53 fenders but has and indent for the park light.

Yellow one is a 54 fender that I sent to a kid in Phoenix.

Copper one is a 54 GMC that I have hanging in the shed. It came with a galvanized patch pop riveted over the indent for the park light as someone had it on a 47/53 truck.
Those are the easy ones, you also have to watch for guys trying to pass off 4000 series fenders as 3000 series.

[mr48chev]

On 3000 series fenders VS 4000 series fenders. There are two quick and simple ways to spot the difference.

On the 3000 series the top and bottom holes that the sides of the grill bolt to are right at 11=1/4 apart. On the 4000 fenders those holes are 14-1/4 or so apart.

My flash didn't work but if you look at the inside of the back of the fender where it bolts to the cab the bolt holes on the 3000 fenders will follow the line of the edge of the fender being just about 3/4 of an inch inside while you will see a noticeably raised section with what appears to be a filler panel just about where the fender meets the back of the hood on the 4000 series fenders. Those are quick and positive no guessing on the difference items.

[Fred n' Ethel]

Excellent !
Just the info I was looking for ...... plus some !
Thanks gents.

[mr48chev]

For an earlier truck a 54 fender would have to be near perfect and dirt cheap to make it viable to want to do the work to make it work on a 47/53.

[Fred n' Ethel]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

For an earlier truck a 54 fender would have to be near perfect and dirt cheap to make it viable to want to do the work to make it work on a 47/53.

Would the opposite be true as well ? Even more so ?

Thanks Mr.48

[mr48chev]

Early fender would be a serious challenge to put on a 54 and use the 54 grill and park light for a lot of folks and you would have to have both sections off the old fender be good enough to weld them in the new fender. That all depends on how well one can weld and do finish body work.

I got out this morning and took photos of the inside of the 3000 and 4000 fenders to show the difference.

Top photo is the back corner of a 3000 series right hand fender where you can see that the bolt holes follow along closely to the edge all the way around.

Bottom photo is a 4000 series fender and you can see the raise area for the taller fender above the line where the bolt holes go.

[Fred n' Ethel]

Good to know the difference, thanks .
There's a little swap meet in Carlisle, PA this weekend. Might get up there for a look around.

Thanks again.

[MARTINSR]

Thank you all for the great info, very interesting. I have been around these trucks for almost 50 years and I learned a bunch here, very interesting.

Brian

[vintovka]

[QUOTE=mr48chev;8240786]Early fender would be a serious challenge to put on a 54 and use the 54 grill and park light for a lot of folks and you would have to have both sections off the old fender be good enough to weld them in the new fender. That all depends on how well one can weld and do finish body work.

If you want a real challenge try putting a Chinese repop fender on a 54. Never again.

[mr48chev]

I've heard from several sources that those off shore rebops are a real mess to deal with. Probably the reason I haven't let the 54 GMC fender get away. It can be made into a 47/53 fender with a couple of hours work.

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

I've heard from several sources that those off shore rebops are a real mess to deal with. Probably the reason I haven't let the 54 GMC fender get away. It can be made into a 47/53 fender with a couple of hours work.

Never toss any part of an original. Repops seem poorly copied from battered relics, NOT made like originals and often have seams in wrong places. The audacity to charge $400+ for junk is beyond me.

[mr48chev]

I don't toss usable pieces out. The yellow fender above I knocked the dings out of and sent to a 16 year old in Phoenix because he had an accident with his 54 the first time he drove it when the brakes failed. Just a quick drive around the block after it was unloaded off the trailer and before it went in the garage to be freshened up. The GMC fender came with a Chevy fender painted to match from some guys who had hauled them and some more pieces to a swap meet. I bought the lot of stuff outside the gate when I found the guys figuring out how to tie it down on their trailer. Asked if they had bought it or had it for sale and they said that they had it for sale and we made a deal on most of the stuff on the trailer and loaded it into my truck. I've got the bottom part of a big truck fender that can be a patch for it as it is smashed up in the headlight area and was torched off the cab at the back.