Gap between fender and running boards

[Sal]

I have a question, I'm starting to put my truck back together and after I put the running boards on I noticed I have about a 4 inch gap between the passengers side fender and running board, and on the drivers side I have about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. To be honest I don't remember if it was like that when I first took it apart....is this the way it should be ?


Pass side



Dri. side

[M37UK]

Heres some pics of mine for comparison:

[rixm37]

My pass. side is 2inches and the drivers side about 3/4 inch.

[MSeriesRebuild]

The rear mounting brackets for both front fenders are adjustable enabling you to get these clearances to match up on right and left sides. Check it out and you will see the holes are elongated for adjustment purposes. Other issues can also cause the mismatch, bent brackets are common.

[Carter]

Saw an MWO on this several years ago that showed how to modify the right side mounting bracket to provide clearance when installing a fuel burning hot water engine and battery box heater by cutting and welding the mounting bracket which resulted in the gap you have pictured. If you compare both brackets you should see that they have slightly different angle bends. Both my trucks have the same gap but no heater has ever been mounted like yours as the knock-outs in the body have never been removed. maybe it was something done at the unit level shops in case a heater was ever needed. Anyone have a copy of the engine heater MWO that can verify this?

[MSeriesRebuild]

This particular situation has nothing to do with the passenger side adjustment for the heater. The mounting bracket is not modified for the heater installation. The right side running board has 2 separate sets of square mounting holes. I can see in this gentlemans photo that the right board is not bolted in the holes that would move the board back to make room for the heater. There is the possibility that the fender mod could have been done. The fender flange must be slotted at 1" increments at about 10 places, the fender arc is then bent into a deeper curve to pull the bottom end further forward away from the running board in addition to the board moving rearward for the heater installation. After the new fender arc has been formed, the slots are welded closed locking the new shape into place. The way the fender appears in the photo, I don't believe this mod has been done to the fender. I would concentrate on either a bent bracket or the bracket adjustment, this issue is easy to fix, just investigate and adjust.

[Carter]

Thanks for correcting my wrong info.

[Sal]

Today I went back and took a good look at the brackets, They don't seam to be bent or welded anywhere so I loosened up all the bolts and with some persuasion, I was able to readjust both sides and get a good space between the running boards and fenders. Thanks guys for all the input

[T. Highway]

Today I went back and took a good look at the brackets, They don't seam to be bent or welded anywhere so I loosened up all the bolts and with some persuasion, I was able to readjust both sides and get a good space between the running boards and fenders. Thanks guys for all the input

Teamwork.......Thats what I like about this site.

I notice the different sized gaps when I took my truck apart and now I know how to assemble it properly.

[rixm37]

Charles I never new that you could adjust the rear fender brackets.
HMM Guess I will go have another look at mine

[hbb]

At least you won’t have to worry about build up of moisture and rusting with the extra clearance.