Thread: '37 Oze build

Tweet

I'm adding a line to see if this post comes up in a google search. 1937 OZE grille.

I moved on to working on the belt lines of the body, behind the doors. Both sides had plenty of ripples, but the driver's side was the worst. The whole area lacked definition, so I built it up a little. The intricate shape over a long line makes this slow work. In the photo below, I just applied some glazing putty to bring up a couple of low spots.



I also did some work on the hood, to match it to the cowl area and the passenger side of the hood side. The other side didn't require any filler to match the hood side, just some heavy sanding on the hood.



I sent a scathing review of the last grille that I received, to the OZE Rod Shop, in May. I never got any response, so I inquired again, to see if there was any plan to improve upon the poor quality chrome plated steel grille. I was told that I wouldn't get a grille that was any better than what I have, and to quit asking about it. I also got a lecture for posting the truth about the poor quality products that you now get from OZE.

Since I'm stuck with the crappy grille, I decided to do a little alteration to it, to improve the fit. In the photo below, you can see the end of the top fin protrudes well beyond the mounting flange, so there's a big gap between the mounting flange and several of the lower fins.



After some filing, I reduced the gap between the mounting flange and body, on both sides. Of course, the chrome plating is now compromised, so I applied some clear epoxy to the ends of the top fin, to reduce the chances of rusting. Notice that I still have a gap problem between the hood and the top of the grille. The grille is mounted as high up as it can go (tight against the lower part of the "nose" section of the body), but there's a gap of over 3/16" between the hood and grille. The gap tapers to zero at the very front of the hood. Also notice that the gap between the top fin and the fin just below it is larger than it should be. The gap between the second and third fins is much too small. I could cut the mounting flange between the two fins, and weld it back together, so that both issues are improved, but that would destroy a lot of chrome. This grill is looking like it may become a paint-quality grille.