Clipping the stainless cup holders into the stock grille of a 1947-1953 Chevrolet truck — no drilling, no cutting, and the factory speaker location stays where it is.
The 1947-53 cup holders clip straight into the dash grille, so the truck needs no holes and no brackets. These stainless clip-in holders for the 47-53 grille are made for the stock dash grille of an Advance Design truck. They hook over the grille bars and hold themselves in, so nothing gets drilled and nothing gets cut. If your truck has a speaker in the centre grille location, it stays exactly where it is.
Every set is test fitted into a stock truck grille before it is packed, so the fit is checked before it reaches you.
If your truck is factory untouched and never had a dealer stereo fitted, you may find a cardboard cover sitting directly behind the grille. It is uncommon — the paper usually deteriorated away years ago, or somebody pulled it out because it looked rough. If yours is still there, take the retaining nuts off the back of the dash grille, pull the front off, discard the cardboard and reassemble before fitting the holders.
Before you start
Check the grille and the packing list first. Then work out which unit goes where.
Which 1947-53 cup holders go on which side
The right (R) and left (L) units are marked in marker on the bottom of the cup support tabs. The long tabs always go to the centre grille section.
Installing the 1947-53 cup holders
- First, hook the long tab side in. The long tabs go toward the centre grille section.
- Squeeze gently. Squeeze just enough that the short tabs clear the side of the grille, then rotate the holder in.
- Release slowly. Let it expand back out on its own rather than letting it snap.
- Finally, check it visually. The holder should have fully expanded and be making full contact down both sides.
Removing the 1947-53 cup holders
- Squeeze with two hands while pivoting the unit so the short tabs come clear of the grille.
- Slide it out so the long tabs clear the centre section.
Mishandling and excessive force when squeezing these units can deform them. Installing with two hands as shown gives you far better control and stops you accidentally over-squeezing. Minor deformation from over-squeezing can usually be corrected by carefully flexing the holder back the other way. Folding a unit in half by over-squeezing is not a manufacturing discrepancy and not a flaw in the product.
The rubber edge trims are fitted to protect the front face of a painted grille assembly. Removing them changes the depth of the tabs, and the holder will then sit loose. Care should still be taken on install — White Wolf is not responsible for damage to adjacent items.
Care and cleaning
The units look their best with a stainless steel cleaner on them. If a face needs refinishing, a 3M 7447 cleaning pad or similar will do it — rub only in the direction of the metal grain, left to right.
If you would rather have a bolt-on holder under the dash, our classic truck cup holder fits the same cab, and the truck cup holder installation guide covers it. The cup holder is sized to the 47-53 dash. Billet speaker grilles, glove box inserts and AC vents for the same dash are in our 47-54 truck parts collection.
For any questions or concerns with your install, don’t hesitate to email us at info@lsfab.com
Printable instructions
The illustrated version of this guide, ready to print for the shop.
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