Projects '34 grill shell, bad original chrome, or paint?

I hear you on the bare steel "raw" finish look. I made the windshield frame on the cabrio and left it raw, slightly buffed along with the front bones axle and backing plates. With clear of co

urse.

 

I agree wholeheartedly. Nothing looks better than a chrome 33/34 grille, and a 33/34 deserves a chrome grille. Simply stated, it's part of the cost of admission to build a 33/34, which IMHO is the most attractive early Ford and much of the Model 40 attractiveness starts with the grille.
The 33/34 is the most expensive of the early Ford cars to build and a lot of that goes back to the cost of finding/replating an original grille or buying a repop. The cost investment makes T, A, Deuce, etc grille purchases look easy. Add up the cost of the grille, hood, fenders and repop running boards for a full fendered build and it's sobering.
In the end, finished Model 40's with painted grilles are like a great looking Chick that's flat chested whereas a beautiful chrome grille is a perky set up front. The cherry on top.

 

Unless you channel it

 

I can tell you that having a show quality chrome job done on an excellent original grille (by folks like Advanced or Jon Wright) will cost you MORE than the Drake grille. I think my plating bill was $2600 - like 10 years ago.

With that said, I positively hate painted 33/34 grilles . . . just looks terrible. Save your money, get a second job, sell your spare parts . . . do anything you can to run a chrome grille. Even an old chrome and a bit rusted one is FAR better than any painted one.

Boy - I'm an opinionated sucker now aint I! LOL

 

X 2

 

I just thought I would add.... You seem to like sanding and such, Take it to your local plater and see if they will work with you to save money, never know unless you ask. They strip it -- you repair, sand and polish -- they copper it -- you sand and polish it more -- they nickle and chrome it. Might not be a show stopper but it will be shiny, look way better than paint. I have done this with a few things and had good success.

 

Not to get all philosophical on ya here, but I have a BIG problem with your comment. Say it's the angel on the tree, say it's the icing on the cake, whatever, but as the husband of a breast cancer survivor, show some class buddy.

 

Why not save a few bucks and have it nickel plated? Near chrome powder coat might be an option too.

But, I would probably hang the original on the wall and buy the new repop grille with fresh chrome and run it on the car.

Fresh paint glass car, new chrome repop grille - done.

 

It wasn't meant to be taken literal. It was nothing more than a casual analogy. Maybe a bit crude, but I can assure you it wasn't aimed at breast cancer survivors as my Mom is in that group and my favorite Cousin lost her battle at a young age, even after a double mastectomy.

 

I was tossing it around on my 33 Vicky . I had a original grill with bars missing just the outer shell. This was a rechromed grill maybe 20 years ago and never installed when I bought my car. I thought about making the bars and installing them but , as mentioned I went the Nottingham reproduction route chromed and am not sorry. I will probably sell the original outer shell to a hot rod guy to make up a insert to use .
Vic

 

Decisions, decisions...

 

I'm not sure about other original 34 grilles but mine is all one stamping. Be tough to cut that out for a insert or outer shell. I've had a decent figure to chrome mine for under $1,000. "One of these days Alice"

 

Somebody buy my old truck camper and I'll buy a new grill... ;-)

 

There's nothing wrong with a painted grill. I wouldn't have mine any other way. And yes, it's steel.

 

Looks great. ^^^

 

I will give you 2,000$

 

$2375. ;-) You're killing me here...

 

I had to go with as nice as possible. The one I picked up is a rechromed original that had a couple small dents where the horns hit the edge. It was still up there in $

 

For reference, this what I have.

 

I'd sell that grill to someone who wants old chrome before I stripped it. Lots of grills out there with no chrome if you wanted to paint it.

 

I think I would move this to the bottom of my list, and come back to it after I put a few miles on the car.

 

Ya, it's not horrible. This me thinking out loud mostly. I'm not too far from being able to put miles on it.

 

In the pictures above, is it polished as good as you can get it? By polished I'm talking about cleaning it up with some mag wheel type polishing paste and a old soft rag. Or have you not attempted any sort of cleaning/ polishing on it?

 

That's as good as it'll get. The chrome is blistering and lifting. It's shiny, but rough to the touch, there's a big strip of chrome missing from the right side about 2" long anc 1/2" wide. It's a 20 footer.

 

If I had that one, I'd put some paint stripper on it and get all the old paint off, stick a piece of HVAC tape over the missing chrome piece, and run it until something better came along.

The couple of painted examples posted aren't bad actually, but I bet one with nice run-able chrome will come along, or a big sale on the Drake grille or something, and you'll get your chance at a cherry one for less than the cost of rechroming, if you wait it out. The one you got would probably still sell for pretty good money too, which would help recoup the cost.

I worked at a chrome shop for years and I'm also pretty cheap, I tend to hold out for good used stuff for as long as I can.

 

I actually have a guy super interested in the truck camper, so if he pops for that my piggy bank will be full again. . It's all gonna work. If I hadn't decided, and committed to making it shiny, I wouldn't have to think about it!

 

The "shopping" I've done tells me this one should fetch $1k minimum, so, that would make a decent one affordable. I just don't want to spend the money now budgeted for tires paint and gas tank, the only things I need to finish it on a grill.

 

The old chrome grille would put it on the road and it can be a part of the story of the car until it can be changed. The first post with the black & orange grille painted out with the chrome perimeter trim looks good. Meaning that the chrome accent between a painted shell and painted grille bars works as an accent. There is nothing to lose by removing the red lacquer to have the grille bars back to chrome and paint the shell. If a person Googles 1934 Ford and there are many examples of the shell painted with the grille bars in chrome. Drive it and enjoy it. It may grow on you. If the budget allows then some squirrel some money away over time until there is eventually enough to do the upgrade. Even then you may decide it is better to have the funds than spend them.

 

If you chrome yours pick the right shop. We just got gut punched at the cost to rechrome one of these:


21 pieces, not rusted or pitted, one of the nicest sets I've seen in years. These bars will warp from polishing if it's not done right, and they're heavy steel parts. Your 34 grille is even more prone to that and a good shop will polish the Ford bars by hand, little to no machine polishing. These Packard bars get attached to a fixture for polishing when I do em. I saw 1 company name in the replies that I won't use. They did another car complete that I was involved with. Nothing fit, too much copper, was no bargain either. Tough biz these days, a repro might be the answer. Or, there's nothing like a superb replating job of a gennie part. There's a place near Chicago that's been setting up promo booths lately. What he shows off looks good and his prices seemed fair. Still not cheap, but fair. Big decision. Important focal point, 1st in line for a fender bender...

 

I was quoted $5500 minimum to plate the grill for my Diamond T. I found a stainless one instead. . The plating shop I sent the original, irreplaceable non pitted, non broken hood ornament to ruined it. I'm reluctant to send stuff out for plating, I'll use mine, or buy one done or a repop.