I thought that '53s didn't have chrome grilles either. Maybe someone changed it out, like they added the amber lights below the headlights.
That top grille bar looks pretty funky. Its not that hard to remove the top grille bar, but you may have to remove the lock panel behind it to get to the fasteners.
I suppose it's possible that it was repainted Forester Green before you got it. 20 years isn't that much of it's lifetime. Someone obviously painted that top grille bar.
Valve covers were painted with the rest of the engine, but a lot of them I've seen have had the paint peeling.
