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I just picked up a 54 half ton that has almost zero rust. It is in pieces. The frame has a newer rear end and a Camaro front end. The guy did a nice job. Just need an engine which is easy and a front grill which is not so easy so far. I can find all the grills I want for 53 and earlier, but nobody I have found yet sells the one I need. Does anybody know who might carry this model of grill?

Thanks, for the help.

The vertical bar is being reproduced but you'll have to find used horizontal pieces and surround.

I usually see 1 or 2 good used ones at the swap meets.....around $300. They would need paint or new chrome. Dixie Truck Works did have a couple of the grille pieces, they are in North Carolina. Web site is: www.dixietruckworks.com Hope this helps, Greg

Look on eBay. There is at least one of those in a current auction.

You can also try Bowtie Bits, several months ago when I was looking around they had some top bars available. I can't remember their asking price though.

There's one on ebay right now. Ends in a little over a day. Was at $292 when I looked at it tonight.

\'54 Chevy grill on Ebay

Some of the guys who regularly sell parts in the swap meet would also be likely to have one. It's one of those oddball short-production parts that tends to be quite expensive these days.

Thanks GMCpanel. That's what I am finding out. Leave it to me to pick something uncommon. Any thing in decent condition is going for upwards of $400 or more. Maybe I can just carve one out of wood and paint it. No one will know the difference unless I get termites.

Thanks all.

A '54 Chevy grille is uncommon, but not a total nightmare to find. Panels, Suburbans, CEs, GMCs - they can be REAL fun to work on. Try finding '54 GMC parts. The repop guys just don't like us GMC lovers very much.

If I had a light-duty '54 Chevy grille I'd be happy to help you out, but the only one I have is for a medium-duty truck. The whole thing is bigger.

Real trucks have (slightly) curved windshields!

Edit: I just found this on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...&item=2493926090&cate gory=34204 (not mine, no idea who is selling it, just saw it while searching)

Thanks, GMCpanel.

I think I'll take a shot at it and see what happens.

Just an aside, I am new to this old truck business (it's a father & son thing)and it sure is cool to see all the friendly folks who are willing to help out.

Thanks a lot.

If you are looking for a repro grill, Tuckers Classic Pickup Parts in Las Vegas shows a picture of a 54 grill on their ad on page 15 in the Feb 2005 issue of Classic Trucks magazine.
www.tuckersparts.com or 800-544-1955.

I need some '54 grill pieces too. I just need the two rectangular pieces that the parking lights attach to. Seems you can either get the whole grill or just the nose piece, otherwise you are out of luck. Fran made some fibreglass parts using the rusted out pieces as a form, but I am not satisfied with them.

Just make sure you buy a grill for a pickup and not a larger truck. The ones for the bigger trucks look the same until you you try to put them on. THEY ARE BIGGER.
From experience
Jim

My chrome grill is a bit dented (the vertical piece) and is rusted through on a couple of horizontals and I was toying with the idea of taking it to one of several metal fabricator shops nearby to see what they could do. Worst case I thought I could make a mold of the back side with plaster of parris, then make a reverse mold and make a piece for painting out of bondo. Any thoughts??

They aren't that hard to find. I would keep looking for repairable pieces. The whole thing can be disassembled and reassembled with sheetmetal screws in place of the rivits.

BTW, the nose cone is the same on both large trucks and small. Mine is off a big truck. They often sustained damage. They are reproing them but I hear the fit and quality isn't very good.

The repro nose pieces were not being made for a while, but once they were again I bought one of the first ones available. While the fit was not perfect all the holes lined up and the overall quality was very good. I suppose like anything else the quality would vary with a low production item such as this.

Unless you are restoring your 54 to original, why not go with a 53 grill. I have always liked the 53 grill more than the 54. I just happen to like the other features of the 54 more than the 53. Such as one piece wind shield, horizontal bed rails. I saw a 54 the other day with a 53 grill and I really liked the look. Got me to thinking.

Lonnie

You would need more than just the grille to swap to the earlier style grille. I would guess that you would need all of the front sheet metal, and maybe the radiator support. Personally, I like the '54 grille better than the '47-'53 style, anyway.