Running board strips

[jeans_old_man]

I'm still seeking details of original running board strips and chrome ends for my '35 longtail. The best image I have is here:

I have found the original running boards from my car and with a little detective work have identified the fixing holes. The long strip lines up with the ridge in the front wing.

The holes for the end caps look like they are drilled on assembly. I am guessing that the rubber section is 3/4" wide and that the ends are located by tabs that protude through the holes and are bent over. Anybody got any info?

[telco.2]

Woolies trim do a running board strip. Could you adapt the rubber insert to suit?
WOOLIES (I & C Woolstenholmes Ltd)
Whitley Way
Northfields Industrial Estate
Market Deeping
Peterborough
England
PE6 8AR

Email: info@woolies-trim.co.uk
Tel:+44 (0) 1778 347347
Fax:+44 (0) 1778 341847
Their well illustrated catalogue is on line
Bill

[jeans_old_man]

Sorry Bill, I cannot find anything suitable in the Woolies catalogue. The rubber I am looking for is like this:

It has a metal bar running through it that holds it in place by means of screws from underneath. I am hoping that there is a standard section available or that someone has had some made. Otherwise I might have to investigate getting a tool made myself.

[mikeyr]

isn't that the same as the 4AD rubber strip ? the club should have that in stock.

[jeans_old_man]

That's handy. The photo is Arthur Michell's Le Mans and I have just emailed him. He happens to be the SOC roadster spares registrar!

[Phillip]

The running board rubber strips and end caps on the 35 / 36 / 37 Le Mans and Sports are of the same design and profile as the Roadster, albeit not the same lengths.

Mike is right that the NASOC commissioned Metro Rubber to make the rubber portion many years ago, along with floor mats with the pre-war logo on them. The club may have stock left, but, if not, I suspect that Metro may still have it. It is a nice quality product, however, the profile is not exactly the same as the original and, if anyone wants to see what the original looks like I can post photos tomorrow.

The rubber extrusion slides onto a flat metal strip with punched out flat tabs along its center. These line up with the holes in the running boards. The tabs are passed through the holes and then bent over to hold the rubber against the running board. Each end has the chromed cap which also has tabs which pass through holes in the running boards. On the Roadster, this step was dispensed with and the end cap tabs were merely bent around the rubber.

Various people have tried making the end caps, which seem to be like hen's teeth, but I don't know of anyone making them at the moment. Even the great Roadster expert Bill Haverly resorted to adapting one of the strips made by Woolies when he did a batch of running board rubber kits. It seems like and excellent project to consider again, though!

[jeans_old_man]

Yes please! Let's see photos of the original. It's over fifty years since I discarded the original rubber on my car and replaced it with aluminium extrusion from a kitchen supplier. I remember the metal strip but thought it was held down by screws. So much for my memory!

Looking forward to being reminded of what I threw away and considering making them as a project. There are several rubber companies in the UK that offer to make bespoke sections.

Anyone else interested? Brian

[darcy]

If no luck else where check these, not identical, but similar - see - https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/strip-set ... 1-248.html

[jeans_old_man]

Thanks for that Darcy. I will keep them in mind but I'm not sure I can bring myself to put MG parts on my Singer

[darcy]

Having restored both, you no doubt already have, they shared many aparts.

[jeans_old_man]

The only useful thing I have found is the dashlamps from Vintage MG Parts. Otherwise Singer seem to have had their own way of doing things. A simple, pragmatic aproach to design which I rather like.

[Phillip]

Sorry about the delay!

Here, as promised are some shots of the original rubber and end-caps...

1936 Original Running Board Rubber_WEB.jpg (199.04 KiB) Viewed 5577 times

ABOVE: This is the original 1936 running board rubber, preserved and petrified by many years in the Californian sun. The end caps are like new. This design looks slightly different from the B&W photo posted, which I believe is a close-up from the used car dealer period photo of a 1935 LM in Australia.

Original Rubber and End Cap_WEB.jpg (281.76 KiB) Viewed 5577 times

ABOVE:
This is a close-up to show the original rubber profile and end cap design. This is off a Roadster, but is pretty much a match for the pre-war version.

Original Running Board Strip and Tabs_WEB.jpg (316.95 KiB) Viewed 5577 times

ABOVE:
This is the underside of the strip showing the tabs and how the rubber wraps around the steel strip. Again, this is a Roadster strip, but the design is the same. The difference being that the tabs on the cap are wrapped around the rubber, but on the pre-war version, the tabs on the cap go though holes in the running board.

I have a roll of the NASOC-produced rubber and will post a photo next to the original to show the difference as soon as I can dig it out of my stock.

If someone is willing to take on this project, I am willing to dismantle one of these strips and send samples to help get the adventure started.

Hope that helps!

[jeans_old_man]

Thanks for that, it explains a lot but raises another question. The period B&W photo of the 1935 car has the strips in the same position as the holes in my 1935 running board and looks original but the strips look flatter than those in your photos.
I will be interested to see the different sections. Any chance of some measurements?

[mikeyr]

somewhere in my pile of parts, i have one brand new, never been installed, never had the pins bent around the rubber end cap. Its not for sale, but I would be willing to loan it to anyone wanting to take on a end cap project. I have to find it first, its been a few years since I saw it, but i know I have it.

[Phillip]

It would be awesome if you could find that Mike!

I found the NASOC rubber and took a few more shots...

Original_Repro Rubber_WEB.jpg (170.31 KiB) Viewed 5562 times

ABOVE: Here is the NASOC rubber extrusion (top) compared to the original (below).
As can be seen, the five ribs on the top face of the rubber strip are far more defined on the original.

Repro End Cap_Copper_WEB.jpg (174.17 KiB) Viewed 5562 times

ABOVE: As I mentioned, people have attempted the end cap project before. This sample came from Lori Seller when she was restoring her 4AD. It was made by a friend of her father's on a simple die using copper sheet rather than steel. The final result when chromed looked really good on her car. Only close examination shows the lack of definition on the edges and in the slightly 'scalloped' sides. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get any more made.

CU_Original Cap and Rubber_WEB.jpg (180.39 KiB) Viewed 5562 times

ABOVE: Just another closer shot of the original cap and rubber showing the ribbed top face and details of the cap.

I'll follow up with some measurements...