The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 54 Grille on 53 or Older?

How much cutting/trimming or beating/banging would be required to put a 54-55.1 grille on a 53 or older A-D? With 53 or older fenders and hood?

How good are you with body work (metal work)?

1947-53 front fender - smooth metal in front, under lamp

1954/55st front fender - indented area under lamp

The 54/55 fenders are curved in the upper grille opening like the GMC’s, whereas the 47-53 are squared. Not to mention the parking light notch.

You could always leave the parking light out of the mix. It’s removable on the OE grilles. As far as the curve in the upper corner, I can’t say how metal would be needed to fill in.

Thanks Tim and Whitedog for the responses. The pictures of the fenders really tell the story. And I should have remembered that: my first A-D Chevy was a 55-1st, and I had the grille out of it for awhile. The parking lights I think I can deal with. The round vs. square corners are another matter... Since I don't have a truck now, my inquiry is mostly a what-if.

I saw a cool 54 with its original grille without the center bar/nose, and the cross bar cut out. In the grille opening there were 3 narrowed 53-prior bars. Nice affect.

I put a '54 grill in a '49 front end without using the '54 parking lights. It fit fine other than the fore mentioned corners. The '49 grill cavity was only exposed enough that I could have stuck one finger in the hole, but only in theory. I didn't actually stand there sticking my finger in the hole, so get that image out of your head

The truck was basically a "parts/possible project" truck, so I never finished it, but I think it would have been simple enough.

Frank, is this the one you are talking about? It is in the March issue of Street Rodder.

55Chevy

I can't post the picture, it's copyrighted.

Here's a couple other cool ones that I've seen.

Thanks twotone for the encouragement and Whitedog for the pics. I like the silver truck without the center nose piece. I've seen a few like that. The white truck with the Corvette teeth doesn't do it for me. I saw one online that had most of a 53 Buick grille in the opening. I liked that.
I'm just thinking about what one might do with different parts and pieces.

We have put many 53 front clips on 54-55.1 but NEVER a 54 front clip on a 53 or older. Most don't want to swap beautiful for ugly.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

I like them both. I guess I like 54 because that's my birth year. Yes, I really am that old.

Thanks all.

Frank, I think we're on the same wave length. I pulled an engine out of a 52 Buick a few years ago. The whole time I was thinking the front end would look cool on an AD truck. The over all shape of the fenders, hood, windshield, etc... are already very close. Those two round horns or whatever they are would have to go.

I like the 54 characteristics - I like/go with the one that brought me (it has grown on me over the past 38 dependable years).
Also the price was right - $200 in 1981. That made it easy to learn to like.

Go home happily with the one that brought/brings you.

I like whatever year truck that my friends have - fix them, drive them, enjoy them.

Seems to me I once saw pictures of an AD truck with Oldsmobile headlights/turn signals grafted into it. As I recall, it didn't look that bad either.

If you are talking about the bumps above the grill - they are a designer's aberration on a dagmar bumper (another "designer's perversion).

1947-1953 or 1954/55st - do what you like - or, go with the grill that brung you there.

Thanks Tim for that little bit of info, I learned a new word, Dagmar.” LOL

Dagmar
On these forums we keep the discussions family friendly, and that's a good thing. Not so much on other auto-related forums. Still, history is history...