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View Full Version : These parts familiar..?

Attila Bethlenfalvy
04-07-2010, 11:14 PM
Found these in the trunk of a '54 Chevy today. After seeing the first, I thought it was a vintage bathroom wall accessory. After seeing 3 more, two sets total, and their directional nature...not so much. (Actually, the sweet casting mounts are symmetrically angled, assembled as mirrored pairs.) Naturally I assume they're procar related but have no idea. ;)

Solid; heavy; I'd guess mid-'50s given the design. Long bars are around 30". Don't think these are some sort of roof rack as none interconnect or allow for other pieces to. Ideas?

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/3782/dsc08935x.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/5706/dsc08936.jpg
Todd Merrifield
04-07-2010, 11:20 PM
Was the 54 a pro car? They look like handles off an old casket. If they are, it would make sense that they would be heavy and solid.
Attila Bethlenfalvy
04-07-2010, 11:36 PM
Nope. Standard old '54 BelAir.

Casket crossed my mind too - but (short) angled end pieces..? Perhaps they were reassembled at some point.
Paul Steinberg
04-08-2010, 12:12 AM
They look like the grab handles that we used to put on the fire trucks that we built. There was a foundry in Waterbury CT that we used to buy the ends from and the solid brass stock for the bars came from another local company that casted brass bars and tubing. We used to send the out for plating and then mount them on the custom bodies that we made. These were usually built on Ford F350 cab chassis or Chevy C30 cab and chassis for manufacturing plant use. They looked like downsized fire trucks..
Todd Merrifield
04-08-2010, 12:37 AM
If you swapped a couple ends around you would have two pairs of non-directional handles/bars, which would kind of make more sense.
Dwayne Brooks
04-08-2010, 01:29 AM
My 1959 Chevy Viking pumper truck (made by Sutphen) had handles just like that on the back & sides. 100% agree with Paul these were most likely grab bars for the firemen to hang onto while riding on the truck, the angled ends conformed to the sloped back of the fire truck... and just realized how old I am to remember when firefighters rode on the step plates & hung on for dear life!
Paul Steinberg
04-08-2010, 02:14 AM
.................and just realized how old I am to remember when firefighters rode on the step plates & hung on for dear life!

Your just a pup in the overall scheme of things... All but 1 of my collector cars are older than you... :angel:
Todd Merrifield
04-08-2010, 08:49 AM
http://www.youngstownfire.com/attachments/PortByronYFE.jpg