Customs 1956 Ford Fairlane Club Coupe grille ideas...

A few weeks ago I purchased a mildly customized '56 Ford Fairlane Club Coupe with the original grille and tail lights...


At that time, I had planned on going with the traditional chrome tube grille and a pair of '55/'56 Mercury Station Wagon tail lights...


Well, after pricing the custom tube grille ($600.00 plus) and the Merc tail lights ($1500.00 & up), I have decided to change my thinking! Instead I opted for a pair of 1960 Dodge tail lights ($125.00 shipped).

But I have no idea what to do for a custom grille! This is where you guy's come in... give me some ideas... what have you used or seen that you think would look good? Post me some pictures, please.

 

Just me, but I love the original grille.

 

Not just you, me too!

 

If you weld, buy some small chrome tubing and weld strips on back to mount.. I would leave the parking lights and form the grille around them.. Very cool 56 by the way....

 

What lothiandon1940 said. Fomoco grilles from the 30s on are unusually attractive items and are rarely improved on (from an esthetic point of view) by changing them for something else. Your '56 has a '55 hood (to eliminate the hood ornament). It also has the rear bumper (with through the bumper exhaust) replaced with a station wagon version. Do what you want with the grille but it won't improve on the original. (Just our opinion and we know what that's about.)

 

Like lothiandon1940 says, you'll have to go a long way to do better than what the stylists at Ford Motor did when it comes to a grill that fits and doesn't make it look like a fish out of water, as does the tube grill (pictured). As to the '60 Dodge tail lights, they don't anything for me, except make me wonder why they don't look right. Save your money for a pair of the Merc wagon shiners. They are the classic solution to what Ford should have done. I know it's hard to do a mild Kustom and get it just right because there are only a few tasteful choices. The other element is paint. Tastes in the old days demanded darker colors, so that when you looked at them, when they were done, it looked like if you tripped you'd keep falling into them. Candies look good. I was never a fan of scallops because they compete with the lines of the car, but that's just me. For that super-duper double-throw-down 'beat this' paint job we're talking big $$$$$. Nice ride you have so far, though.

 

Thank you.

 

It already has the best looking grille in it now! Don’t change it!






Bones

 

Thank you.

 

Do not change the grill. Original is very good looking.

 

I retained a fair bit of the original grille on my old 56, but added some Corvette teeth. Guess you could do similar with drawer pulls or something, but others have said, the original takes some beating.
I actually had a spare original grille that I put back on the car when I sold it and used the Corvette teeth in my Merc.

 

Even though mines stock I agree with keeping the surround and working inside it. I had a 55 Convertible in the early 60’s with a full bar grille and never really liked it. With the egg crate cut out it’s going to get flimsy and hard to handle without some 1/2 moon braces welded in before you start cutting away. They can be left when you find the right fill for you by painting them flat black.

I’d try painting the verticals with flat black and step back and see what a thin bar grille would look like in the stock surround first.

The best thing after it’s done any your not happy Carpenter will sell a new grill...

 

I've ALWAYS been a large fan of 50's Fords. (especially 55-56). I liked the stock rear tail lights too.
I'd leave the grille as-is....maybe a little bit fatter tires....(shoot, I even like the stock hood onrament, or maybe a 58 Ford hood ornament?!)....concentrate on a killer paint. JMO
6sally6

 

I'm a fan of the stock grille. However, you could try making your own tube grill by soldering copper tubes in your own design and then chroming.

Another option is the '56 Meteor grille.

 

From the kustomrama site

 

I'm liking the Corvette teeth bolted to the original grill like japchris posted above. However, I am also a fan of the original.

 

50+ years ago my brother wrapped the vertical portions of his grille in his '56 Club Sedan with black electrical tape to create a low $$$ custom grille. I know time has probably affected my memory but at the time I thought it looked good. But what did I know as a snot nosed baby brother.

 

I planned on doing this but I'm just going to use some black tape to get a general idea. If I decide that I like it, I can paint the verticals later.

 

If it was mine I would run a 1955 Plymouth grill

 

What I did to my '55 Chevy was cut the vertical bars off the original grill. Kool, cheap and easy. Below is a quick photoshopped example

 

IF you an find some '58 Buick squares, you could fill the grille with them...here's a shot of my brother's '54 Caddy with Buick squares (with pin-up)...those would change the appearance of your Ford...

R-

 

This Ford is now a mild custom, I very much like it as is. Tastefully modifying the grille would be a positive addition.

We need to have a discussion of the era you want to be in. Pre-Angel-Hair era and Angel-Hair era are both pre-1965 HAMB friendly. In my mind, '58 Buick squares (a.k.a kitchen drawer pull knobs) are Angel-Hair era, right when louvered roofs and random non-functional vents became "Kool".

I'm having trouble explaining this... Best I can come up with is subtle (gotta look twice to really appreciate the modification) vs direct eyeball assult.

p.s. It was the angel hair, '58 Buick squares, random placement of louvers, that caused me to stop buying to quarter custom magazines in the late 1950's.

 

Dang it...all of the cool stuff we used to use for these sort of cars has somehow disappeared and returned made out of unobtainium. It's a bummer getting old ain't it?

 

I like that.

That right there looks good! It's cheap and easy, like me. lol But instead of cutting the verticals off, I think that I would prefer using black tape or paint them flat black. Thanks Mick...

 

I guess you'd have trouble with the "random non-functional vents" on my '55 Cadillac then, right...???

R-

 

Charlie, you are exactly right and if you do find something, they want a arm and a leg for it plus your testicles! That's the point that I was making in my original post, I love the look of the Mercury tail lights but $1500.00 plus is ridiculous!

 

Tail light idea.. 1960 Dodge, would look kool.

 

Thanks Mick! I've got a pair of them coming, supposed to be here by Friday!

 

Tastefully done, just not my "cup-of-tea". Look familiar, can't place the source - custom made? They are not 1958 Chevy Impala.

Russ

 

Recently saw a 56 Ford coupe not unlike your neat new ride. It was sporting a 57 Buick grill ( does take two of them butted together) and it looked clean neat fabulous and very different. Good luck with her and post what you decided.


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