The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Grill contour question???

The grill for the '51-3100 is not in the best condition. For the past few days I have been taking out the dents, twists and so forth. With a shot bag, some shaped tooling, I'm doing OK. What i've done so far will need very little fill. Out of the 5 bars I only have 1 that is good. I had planed to cut a plywood pattern that I can check my repair work. I don't know if I have gained or lost contour because of my work or damage. Here is what I don't know. Do the 5 grill bars ll the same contour shape????

Woodildo

Others might know for sure, but it would be my guess each bar is the very same except for length.

I am working on a modification to the top grille bar where I take a top bar from a 1954 with the indented CHEVROLET lettering, and carefully weld that into the top bar of a 1950 grille. Fun stuff! If I succeed, it will look like the 1950 grille had the indented lettering.

I would assume they are the same unless someone chimes in.

My 51 3600 Grille has all the same contour, top to bottom, in fact it is easy to accidently mix up the outer bars and inner bars.

Mike

Today I answered my own question. I have a 2nd. grill, but it's in worse condition then the one I am repairing. It had 1 good grill bar from which I made plywood pattern and they are all the same shape, more or less.

Woodildo

The thing to remember about these vintage 47-53 trucks is 'more or less'. I decided to change the doors in my 1950 to 1953 push button handled doors (with vent windows). I got the correct doors only to find they are 1/4" longer than the original ones. No chance of them going in the hole without major modification.

5 months and major modification later, the doors fit like they are supposed to. Had to cut a seam in the cab and set the opening in the cab 1/4 inch larger. This was NO easy task. There are two doors! It was amazing the work that needed to be done, but it was still worth it.

There is no reason for the doors to be different sizes. In researching this, turns out that different plants had different dies and equipment that could make things this way. If you purchased the doors and they were made at the same plant as the cab 3 years earlier, they would probably fit.

Long story short, they weren't super exact at the time so be very careful how you proceed. I may have tried a little harder when I bought the doors to ensure I got the doors from the Kansas City Plant rather than the St Louis one. Jim Carter has enough of a selection to easily get doors that fit. So, I always assume ALL parts for our trucks could be this way. Grille parts would be suspect because if the opening for them is a little off, guess who pays? YOU DO. LOL!

Sounds like you are doing it right! I would love to see the plywood forms you used.

The plywood pattern I made was 1/4" x 12" x 44" and I traced the lowest portion of the grill bar and if you flip it left to right, it's not the same. My 2nd grill, it's end pieces are too far gone, I'll make new pieces and put it on the market.

As a side note, I have 2 door frames in good condition, from a '52-'53, the door latch is deeper then in my '51. I'm thinking that too may have added to your issues.

Woodildo