The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop grill splash bar color

What color were the grill splash bars (the bars behind the chrome bars) in 1953? I've seen black, grey and cream mentioned. I'd like to go with the body color...but just wondering what "stock" was in '53.

There has been some debate on this subject. Waldorf White was used for the inner bars from '49-'51. At some point, possibly in '52, and definitely by '53 according to the '53 Resto Pack, the color changed to Thistle Gray.

The chrome grille option was not available in '53 (Korean war restrictions). The outer bars would have been body color on all trucks.

My 53 had/has a chrome grill. A GMC to yet. Is it not original then?

According to Chevy literature, some time in mid-year '51, all deluxe options, the chrome grille, and RPO rear bumper were discontinued, and gray paint replaced chrome on front bumpers and hubcaps. So if a late '51-'53 has a chrome grille, bumper, and/or hubcaps, they aren't original. I'd assume GMC was under similar restrictions, but I can't say for sure. Chrome items returned in '54.

A '49-mid-'51 chrome grille would have had the Waldorf White inner bars, same as the body color grilles.