1954 gmc bed options? "tailgate/front board"

[Bone$]

Im missing my tailgate on my 54gmc and front board.

I was just out at a local classic parts yard and was told that from 1954 to 1987 stepside gmc/chevy have the same front board and tailgate? The side panels and fenders are different .

Can anybody confirm this.. I did a search but found nothing.


thanks

[brikar]

stamps on the gates change threw the years,you can check them out at classic chevrolet parts of america or other venders

[mr48chev]

Check a few of the truck trinket sites and see what they show for part numbers. As brikar mentioned while they may physically fit the space there may be a difference in the stamping of the letters or the design around them. If you aren't worried about nitpickers pointing that out if they spot it mixing and matching parts might just work.

[oldman3]

Originally Posted by Bone$

Im missing my tailgate on my 54gmc and front board.

I was just out at a local classic parts yard and was told that from 1954 to 1987 stepside gmc/chevy have the same front board and tailgate? The side panels and fenders are different .

Can anybody confirm this.. I did a search but found nothing.


thanks

Don't know how much I can confirm, but I have a 54 bed and used a 1980 front panel and tailgate. The tailgate has no lettering which is what I wanted and they fit fine. Picked them up at a body shop, where they had been laying around for a couple years, real cheap..Jim

[gale]

I think they are the same from '54 thru '87. I've probably owned at least one of each and I never noticed any difference in the stamping.

The front panel probably had a different part number occasionally but the only difference was the wood spacing for the bed floor. The front panel is pre-punched for the wood.

Be careful buying re-pop tailgates; the cheaper ones are very thin and they will buckle if used as a step. The original gate was strong enough to support a big man with a 100 lb. sack of feed.

The key to finding out what it's made of is the weight. I have an original from about '57 I can weigh for comparison. I also have a couple of more expensive re-pops and I remember they were about 3 lbs. less. A cheap re-pop will be a LOT less.

[whitedog76]

The OEM front panel would've been bare. The rear sould have the GMC stamping.

GALE is correct in stating that the beds were essentially the same from 54-87. The beds with the flat rails should be the same. The earlier beds with andled rails would be different.

If you're going aftermarket, there may be some fitment issues. But that's pretty normal.

The good part about the aftermarket, is they let you customize to what you want.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/ca/full.aspx?Page=31

[gale]

I haven't looked at a re-pop front panel and I wonder if the bottom is pre-punched for the wood.

Also, I think LMC offers several choices on the tailgate and not just stamped or plain. They did offer something close to OEM spec for $400+ where the standard re-pop was about $250.

For several decades I've used a ramp off the tailgate to load a motorcycle without any bending issues. The cheap re-pop gate will drop the bike.

[tlorber]

The 54 GMC was a one year tailgate with the GMC logo similar to that on the front grill. That's why the reproduction makers haven't made it (at least to my knowledge). Just not enough demand to justify the stamping dies. I'm still trying to figure out what to use on my 54, but that decision is is WAY down the line.

[solidaxel]

Look for Mar-K, you will be glad you did!

[tlorber]

By the way, here is what I am currently running on my '54 tailgate. I found a piece of a stakebed laying in the street (stainless steel) and made some horizontals out of oak.





The tailgate closes with some seat belt buckles that are welded to the bedsides. I may just go with some modified version of this when I get to that point.

[Bone$]

Well found the tailgate I wanted.. Needs some love but love the stamp.

[tlorber]

Cool tailgate. I believe that is off of a 55/2-59.
I had wanted to match the front grill on the '54 so I had the logo water jet cut, and then I tweaked it a bit. Never got around to installing it though.