For those who have bought one, has anyone had any problem with the fit of the reproduction 32` Ford grill shell and grill? I know I will have to remove some of the lower portion of the shell for my AV8 project. What do you think of the quality? Thank you Traditional Hot Rods
Welcome to spring... RR. Bought a brookie shell... it was good... chopped it 3"... made my own insert with 3/8" brakeline and 5/16" wide x 3/32" thick x 38" long steel strip scraps from work... I was a scrap steel junkie !
I bought the Brookville shell and insert. I had to adjust the shell with a hammer a little bit so the insert would fit in. It wasn't to bad though.
If your buying one off ebay its a crap shoot and never know what the quality going to be . I buy them to use with my grill inserts I make. I have got some that you have to laugh and not even close to the original and use them for art projects. Then I have got a few that looked like it wasn’t finished in the press and needed a few more hits in the draw die. I have got a few that wentnt too bad either. Nothing beats the real deal for fitment
Bought mine from Brookville with the insert pre-fit by them. Think it looks good and fits good. SPark
I bought a pre-fit combo from ebay for $275...terrible fit. Gaps at corners were over 1/4" Bought a used, never installed, Brookville shell off ebay. Tried 2 or 3 different offshore inserts from ebay with no luck. One of the offshore made inserts was closed in shape but too big to fit inside the shell. I bought a vintique insert and the fir was excellent. Insert fits like a glove.
Even the originals had variances, probably as they were made in different factories. So some inserts may not always fit other surrounds. I have always thought that this may be the reason why the after market ones vary, possibly copied from different originals.
Bought a Vintique shell and a Dale's insert. Had to do some surgery on the upper part of the shell to get the insert installed. Turned out OK but doesn't look as good as my original shell and insert.
I bought the Bville prefit combo, and had to pry It out when I received it! Ended up splitting the upper inside corners , and metal worked the the Rolled edges to make it fit. I left just enough gap To install insert without scraping paint off grill shell. Rich
I didn't know whether or not if I was going to shorten a grille shell. With that in mind I didn't really want to spend $275 on a good shell then hack it up.(my thinking has many flaws) I bought an import for $150 delivered. This shell was a piece of junk, very poor stamping. But I bought it and intended to use it. First thing my Dales insert wouldn't fit . I had to section the chin so the insert would fit height wise. Then I see that I have 1/8 to 1/4 " gaps on either side of the insert. I had to cut the shell in half vertically and narrow it. The metal in the shell was of very poor quality ,I couldn't get any clean welds that didn't have some degree of porosity, so I glassed the back side of all the welds. After a lot of massaging it is presentable. . I don't know how many hours I have in this thing, but the guy that bought a fitted Brookville probably only has a couple of hours in his. P.S. After all that I didn't shorten the grille anyhow Bill
Why not buy a original if your spending 600 bucks or more on a repo pair just curious. I see grills at the swaps for 700 bucks and more for a original. I have also seen a few guys on the hamb selling in the parts section very reasonable. We all know the ChinaFord grill will need love as will the original being 86 years old..
When I was building my '32, I had a Dan Fink insert. When I tried to install the insert in a Brookville shell it wouldn't fit. I sent the shell back and they sent another, same issue. I finally bit the bullet and purchased an original shell and the Fink insert fit like Henry made it. Reproduction body parts are a crapshoot, some OK, some not so good. If you are purchasing a shell and insert, have them fit the insert for you.
The first insert I bought was an offshore made unit, it would not go into my Vintiques shell without force, that insert was $175, returned it and for $100 more got the Dales mfg insert. Perfect fit.
Don't forget, United Pacific is now making a really nice insert. It's the equivalent to the Dales insert which set the standard for inserts. I also did have good luck fitting the Dales insert in the Vintique stock style shell.
I saw his the other day while looking for something else https://www.classicautopartsonlinecatalog.com/Ford®-V8/98/#
I think it’s worth the extra money. Looks right. Fit nice with good crown on the panels. Can see through the louvres from side to side and see the engine when it’s closed. Very happy with it. Rootlieb done good! SPark
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