The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Radio Grille Screen? - 1954

Have any of you seen or know about the "Radio Grille Screen" behind the radio grill in a '54-'55 first dash? Most have long since disappeared. Perhaps you have seen some remnants.

> What material was it made from?
> What color was it?
> Most importantly - how did it attach? Especially at the bottom.

> This is the radio grill in Tim's '54.

The Radio Grille Screen should hide the speaker and hide the wires behind the dash if there is no radio.
> Tim's does not have a screen.

Looks like the screen was installed in all trucks.
> It can be seen in this diagram in '54 FAM Sect 12, Sheet 4.03 Curved flat against the grill opening.

> Instructions for installation: '54 FAM Sect 1, Sheet 14.00 "BEND RETAINER TO SECURE RADIO GRILLE SCREEN"

My '54 has the retainer tabs at the top, but there is nothing on the bottom to attach a screen or baffle.

I'm gonna engineer something, but it will help if I know what I am trying to replicate.

Thanks for your help,

Lonnie,

Let's hope someone has some material from 1954.

And, it would be interesting to know if it was used when a radio was installed.

Thanks,

try some aluminum or ss screen door screening, and you can paint it flat/satin black if you like....

Lonnie, I looked at my radio and I have the Speaker Screen... Looks like I have the same set up as Tim's... Was you referring to a separate screen that mounts to the back side of the dash in front of the speaker ?

healingbear,

That is the speaker mounting plate that is also on my radio. I think that Lonnie is referring to a piece of material placed behind the dash in the speaker opening of 54/55 trucks. As I recall, there are attachment clips behind the dash? Is that right Lonnie? I'll look tomorrow - I have a stripped-down cab that is just about ready for paint.

Do you also have an additional piece of material between the speaker plate and the dash?

Tim, there are Tabs that are attached to the back side of the speaker grill...

The radio has been out of the truck dash for more than 20 years... I do not recall seeing any other screen... If there was a screen there I would have saved it...

Still looking for "sightings" of an original Radio Grille Screen.

> healingbear -
Thanks for the picture. I didn't know that I also had the center tab near the bottom of the grill ... it was bent out of sight. The bottom tab should make it easier to hold the screen to the shape of the grill.

Your radio speaker has a drilled sheet metal protector in front of it like Tim's. I am pretty sure that there was a screen between the dash grill and the radio speaker. The Factory Assembly Manual shows instructions for attaching it and shows a representation of it. It also shows the radio block out plate in the same illustrations. The radio was a dealer-installed item. I doubt that the screen would have been removed when the radio was installed, but I don't know because I don't have a radio.

> Tim
Yes, the grill has tabs as shown in the FAM. Mine has two at the top and one in the center near the bottom - see healingbear's pic of the bottom one and one of the top tabs.

Lonnie,

I have posted about this before but here is what I know. The covering was a heavy black paper/cloth like material. Very much like paper money. I have seen remanants and had a couple trucks where most of it was still in place. In those trucks it was held in place with adhesive on the bottom and on the top with the grill itself {47-53 versions} as I recall. On the 54 I owned it was remanants I believe adhesive top/bottom. I have never owned a truck with the original radio in place so I don't know about that. I saved a really nice one for a pattern once and may still have it, I will look around. Back when I was selling parts in 2009-2010 I owned 27 trucks and I found traces/pieces of it in several of them. On some of these trucks it was on the top where it was pinched by the grill itself that it remained, this was always on a truck that you could tell had never been apart in that area.

Lonnie,

I apologize - I did not look at both of your links to FAM illustrations. I completely agree with you about a screen being shown as being used. I have never had a 54 Chevy truck with an original radio.

Maybe we will hear from someone who has?

Maybe Greg Hill will read this (did Walter's truck have an original radio, Greg)?

Thanks Brad,

I thought that I remembered a post by you about the screen. I searched but couldn't find it. If you find the pattern, please send me a PM. I would like to see it.

The FAM does not mention adhesive - only the tabs that are bent to hold the screen in place.

If no adhesive was used, the screen would probably need to be onto a cardboard backing (like the heavy black paper/cloth like material that you described, although thicker than paper money) or be constructed from metal mesh to be able to conform to the bend at the bottom of the dash opening.

It was installed at the factory before a radio would have been installed by the dealer, so I don't think that a radio would have made any difference, unless the screen had to be removed by the radio installer (again, because it was the heavy black paper/cloth like material that you described).

I'll keep searching for a while. If no further info surfaces, I'll try to fabricate a paper/cloth screen.

> Anyone else seen remnants of a screen? <

Tim -

The FAM shows the Radio Grill Screen installed without a radio. See the radio block out plate in both illustrations. My truck does not have a radio.

Brad stated that he has seen a paper/cloth screen attached to the dash. Perhaps that paper/cloth screen had to be removed by the radio installer at the dealer to allow the sound to come out.

Still searching for more info.

Mine was original, no radio. Was black cloth, tight weave. I could not tell how it was held in place and it fell apart as I removed it.

Mike

it would be a standard material as used for any radio speaker cover, take your pick >
http://www.grillecloth.com/index.html
http://picclick.com/Antique-Radio-GRILL-CLOTH-Vintage-251047664124.html
http://vibroworld.com/parts/tech10.html
http://www.hailware.com/speaker-grill-cloth-617438-3_c.html

Bill

Tim, the radio has been out of my truck long enough that I would be hard pressed to comment on originality. Besides that, I think my dad may have installed it in the truck so I don't even know if it was originally equipped and he replaced a bad one or if it was a delete and he added it.

I believe that Walter installed an NOS radio kit in his truck. Somewhere, I have pictures saved of an NOS radio kit and all of it's contents. I will see if I can find those pictures and look for hints of a cover's existence.

Tim, I found some info and e-mailed to you. See what you can determine from it and post what will help if anything.

Tomorrow, I'll post the photos that Greg sent of all the parts in the NOS radio kit. It has no screen and no apparent mention of it. However, the screen seems to have been a part of the dash, and must-have/might-have been used with or without the radio.

This is an interesting uestion.

Since radios were not as common in trucks as in passenger cars, I still wonder if the "heavy black paper/cloth like material" behind the non-radio '54 truck dash grill that Brad and Mikeybakken described was meant to be removed if a radio was installed. My truck does not have a radio, so that material would be appropriate. I'll check into speaker grill cloth that Bill suggested. It may be stiff enough to stay in position.

Anybody have any ideas for something that may approximate the look that Brad and Bill described?

A VCCA forum member posted a picture of the screen that is behind the dash speaker grill in his '48 Chev Fleetline. The car has never had a radio. He describes the screen as similar to window screen, but stiffer. It is made from unpainted / unplated steel and prone to rust. Held to the chrome plated removable speaker grill by push nuts onto studs on the chrome grill.
< '48 Fleetline Screen >

Still looking for info. I hope to install something "acceptable" by the middle of next week. Finishing up details for two concours shows in mid-Oct and early-Nov.

Thanks for your help,

- Lonnie

The screen is supposed to be removed when the radio is installed.

Here is a web directory of the 54/55 radio parts in a NOS set.

Here is the instruction sheet.

I tried to enhance the detail in this part of the sheet. Check out step 3:

3. Radio Receiver: Remove the radio grill screen and discard. Tabs should be taken to leave tabs in the forward position as shown in figure 1.

This information caused me to look again at the reprint 1954 ACCESSORIES INSTALLATION MANUAL - page 92, step 7. and illustration 213.

Mystery solved - the screen is standard equipment that is supposed to be removed when a GM original accessory radio is installed.

(Thanks, Greg)

Greg and Tim ...

YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!

And DUH! - I should have read my '54 Accessories Installation Manual. I would have found my answer, just as you described.

I'll search this week to find a material like Brad described.

Thanks again, guys.

- Lonnie

Lonnie,

The FAM does not show an installed radio - the use of the screen with a radio was not a bad guess; but, it is nice to now have documentation otherwise.

Thanks for bringing this up.

Tim/Greg,

Thanks for sharing and posting the NOS pictures and details that is much appreciated.

Hey guys -

I recreated a Radio Grille Screen for my '54 based on your information. I summarized it in a new thread about '54 dash details.

> '54 Dash Letters, Stripes, Grille, Bowtie

Thanks for your help.

As usual, very nice, Lonnie

Thank you vey much.