dust shields on A frames

[59K9]

I bought a set of dust shields for my 59 elky and just noticed that the factory never stapled them on this car...I've never seen inner fenders with no staple holes...I'm assuming I'm gonna have to drill my own holes unless one of you guys can share the trick with me...thanks in advance...

 

[DonSSDD]

They have a rectangular clip on the 59, you should see holes for them in the inner fender. They should be available where you got your dust shields.

 

[59K9]

I'm not familiar with a rectangular clip don, I'll have to look into that...I wonder why I got a staple pack with the shields...thanks for the help...rob

 

[Carmine]

I agree with Don. You should see some very tiny holes on the inner fender where these dust shields attach. Have to look closely. The holes are so small over time they get filled with dirt and maybe even painted over, making it difficult to see them. I don't recall which GM cars I had at the time, but I did buy new dust shields for them which came with staples. Found the holes on the inner fender but the staples were to big. I would have had to drill each hole larger and then figure out how to bend them. Yeah, right. Went on line and got some different idea's and opinions. What I did was very simple and worked well; at least for me. I fit them to make sure the positioning was good, then used 3M black adhesive glue following the instructions. Used some very small Vice Grips to apply a little extra pressure. They fastened perfectly and never gave a hint of coming off. To my knowledge, still on to this day. If you're looking for a stock look, seeing the shiniest of the staples, then this wouldn't be for you, Carmine.

 

[Austin Bubbletop]

I still need to attach the dust shields on my 61. I'm not looking forward to bending welding rod or using staples. I wonder if the adhesive method would work for me Carmine??? I think it would be a cleaner look and definitely easier.

 

[Carmine]

I still need to attach the dust shields on my 61. I'm not looking forward to bending welding rod or using staples. I wonder if the adhesive method would work for me Carmine??? I think it would be a cleaner look and definitely easier.

Randy, I can only share with you my personal experience. It worked for me and I have no regrets. Make sure everything is thoroughly cleaned and dry. I think I used a thinner or maybe rubbing alcohol, for cleaning. Position everything to make sure you're going to be happy with the fit. Go through a dry run using the necessary clamps for extra pressure. Not too tight. You don't want to squeeze the adhesive out. I used part of a paint stirring stick under the vice grip to transfer some pressure along the dust shield, making better contact. Use the 3M black adhesive following their instructions. Air temperature is very important. I like it around 72 degrees when I do this stuff in my garage. Warmer is also fine. Do not touch it and let it set for 24 hours and you should be good to go. Best wishes with it, Carmine.

 

[Austin Bubbletop]

Thanks Carmine.Is that the black version of what's typically called gorilla snot?

 

[La Hot Rods]

Is it possible that you painted over the hole's?

 

[Dick MacKenzie]

Rob,
On my 62 the rectangular clip looked like a big staple. I had the original engine rebuilt last year and while it was out I decided to detail under the hood. This is what my dust shields looked like. You can just barely make out the clips going across the top and you can see a couple of the holes on the left side where the dust shield has torn away.



The new dust shields came with heavy wire clips or staples (choose your term) but they are a pain in the the a** to to install. I went to the local big box hardware/lumber yard and got a small role of aluminum wire in the same size as the wire clips. Cut a bunch the same length as what came with the dust shields and used them. My point of view was they bend easily and won't rust. I used a small drill bit in a Dremel and re-drilled the holes and dust shield together.

Unfortunately, I don't have a good photo of the just the inner fender with the new dust shields installed but maybe the following will give you an idea about the out come.



Here are couple closer shots.

 

[fourzeronine]

Kind of a crummy photo, buy you can see the clips used on the '59 to retain the dust shields.

 

[Carmine]

Thanks Carmine.Is that the black version of what's typically called gorilla snot?

Not sure what it is called. It's 3M black adhesive for attaching weather stripping. I've used it for that purpose also and it works great. Clean and good contact is the ticket, Carmine.

 

[Carmine]

Rob,
On my 62 the rectangular clip looked like a big staple. I had the original engine rebuilt last year and while it was out I decided to detail under the hood. This is what my dust shields looked like. You can just barely make out the clips going across the top and you can see a couple of the holes on the left side where the dust shield has torn away.

View attachment 67565

The new dust shields came with heavy wire clips or staples (choose your term) but they are a pain in the the a** to to install. I went to the local big box hardware/lumber yard and got a small role of aluminum wire in the same size as the wire clips. Cut a bunch the same length as what came with the dust shields and used them. My point of view was they bend easily and won't rust. I used a small drill bit in a Dremel and re-drilled the holes and dust shield together.

Unfortunately, I don't have a good photo of the just the inner fender with the new dust shields installed but maybe the following will give you an idea about the out come.

View attachment 67566

Here are couple closer shots.

View attachment 67569

View attachment 67570

Nice job, Carmine.

 

[Jim Sullivan]

Mike and I have installed several sets of dust shields on 62-64 cars. We use the same method as Dick described above, but we use stainless safety wire for the staples. The last roll of the wire I picked up at Harbor Freight.

 

[Carmine]

Did you guys ever think about the power of the stapler that was used to attach these shields at the factory?? Through the rubber and metal on the inner fender. That had to be some strong tool, Carmine.

 

[59K9]

thanks for the replies fellas, I gotta go look carefully to see if the holes have been painted over...I would have thought I would have noticed them when painting but I dunno, don't recall seeing them...never seen the rectangular clips like fourzeronine posted, those are new to me...

 

[R63ss]

I was worried about painting over the holes,so I snapped a few photos.This is from a 63.

 

[oldskydog]

I always used Bostich or other staples. they are soft enough to bend yet strong enough to hold. I install them through the rubber and holes in the skirt then use needle nosed pliers to bend them over with a slight bend on the back.

 

[59K9]

I just went out to have a look at the inner fenders of my 59 elky, it has 5/16" square holes punched in the inner fenders so it appears that I have the same holes fouorzeronine has...I' m guessing those clips are not available so dick's method of gluing the dust flaps will do the job...i have to wonder why I got staples instead of clips...

 

[DonSSDD]

They are reproduced for the 59, I found them here and you'd likely find them elsewhere.
https://impala.musclecarsandclassic...rol-arm-dust-seal-retainer-clip-set-1958-1959

 

[59K9]

thank you don, I should have researched the clips before assuming they're not available...it's amazing how many parts are available for our old rides...30 years ago that wasn't the case...