Thread: 37 Ford reproduction grille?

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Who makes a decent 37 Ford grille that doesn't cost an arm & a leg? Is there any difference between the Dick Spardaro one at $279 and the Speedway Motors one at $344.95? Are either of these suitable for chrome plating? It'd be nice to get one of those cool stainless or billet ones but at $1200-$2000, that's a little out of my price range! Would appreciate any thoughts you guys have.....

Thanks.
Randy

Originally Posted by randyr

Who makes a decent 37 Ford grille that doesn't cost an arm & a leg? Is there any difference between the Dick Spardaro one at $279 and the Speedway Motors one at $344.95? Are either of these suitable for chrome plating? It'd be nice to get one of those cool stainless or billet ones but at $1200-$2000, that's a little out of my price range! Would appreciate any thoughts you guys have.....

Thanks.
Randy

Randy,
It's probably the exact same grille. Dick sources a lot of his parts thru Speedy Bill at Speedway. Heck, you must have lots of cash left - why not spring for one of the big buck grilles - would you believe I sold a perfect one about 20 years ago complete with a V8 60 emblem for $60 - no one around here was doing anything with '37s except stock cars.

Originally Posted by IC2

Randy,
It's probably the exact same grille. Dick sources a lot of his parts thru Speedy Bill at Speedway. Heck, you must have lots of cash left - why not spring for one of the big buck grilles - would you believe I sold a perfect one about 20 years ago complete with a V8 60 emblem for $60 - no one around here was doing anything with '37s except stock cars.

Hey Dave,

What cash????? I do have lots of plastic though! LOL! I've discovered my old grille (which is an old reproduction, not original) has a couple of cracks, a few tweaked bars and a little pitting. Just trying to figure out if it's more cost effective to repair it or start over. I love some of those "big buck" grilles but man, I just can't swing it....even with plastic! LOL! Thanks for the heads up about the Spadaro grilles. The Speedway tech guy said they get theirs from Ford Specialty Parts or something like that. I haven't spoken to anyone at Spadaro yet.

Looks like your car is coming along nicely. Many of us are anxious to see it on the road.....by August, right??

Later,
Randy

Having messed with a '40 Standard for a few years and looked at several Mercs of the same '39-'40 era, I know that the looks of the original cast grill is great in chrome or stainless. I recall a '40 merc with a chrome replacement grill that looked fantastic with a red-orange paint job, but still the point of this message is that a painted grill can look pretty good too as an inexpensive option and I note the '40 Ford Standard grill was painted black (what else?). You can even putty up the cracks if you paint it and then maybe a few chrome trim items can dress it up. Here is a picture of a painted '39 grill I saw at the Richmond Nats last year; although I am partial to red/orange/metallic paint this painted grill fits in well with the rest of the paint scheme. Another factor is that the '37 model sort of suffered from the looks of the Chrysler Airflow era of styling and so one could say a good paint job will bring out the best of a '37 but it is not going to make it "swoopy" anyway. I was born in 1937 but that was a funny year for styling! Actually I do like "Art Decco" styling because it is what I first remember, but it is definitely a unique style. If I had this '39 I would not be able to suppress a modification to replace the headlights with '40 chrome eyebrows but you know how it is, everyone has their own idea of what looks best. Note also that this '39 saved a bundle of $ by painting the bumpers too!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

I spoke to Dick Spadaro on the phone today and he said he doesn't sell the reproduction 37 Ford grilles anymore. They only come from one manufacturer in Argentina and he was getting so many complaints about how badly they fit so he stopped selling them. Apparently the Argentina grilles are also sold by Speedway and various others. He recommended finding an original grille or step up to the more expensive reproductions if I really wanted one that fits.

Just thought I'd let you guys know........