See where Drake is advertising 40 std grilles for $1850 (the all chrome version) Wow!! guess there wont be any more for a long time if ever again. Guess if you need it to complete a project you gotta step up. I know of two NOS never installed ones with the center sections still in Ford boxes (I have one and my Friend Joe has one as well) but not ready to turn em loose. I had a line on another one but it got away.
I have a feeling that there are a lot of parts that will fall into the 'once they're gone, they're gone' category.
Parts for the 1940 seems to be drying up across the board. I'm trying to find a hood handle for a 1940 Pickup, which was commonly available for $25, and now is no longer produced. Kirk
Parts are for a limited marketplace and tooling costs are expensive so I always felt lucky someone was doing replacement parts...
Seeing the cost of chrome, body & paint, etc. it's clear why there are so many "patina" vehicles out there. Average families don't usually have that kind of disposable income.
I bought one in 2015 off eBay that wasn’t a Drake. But it was a nice repop of unknown origin with a drake center piece and drake chin. I think a guy in Kentucky was making them. I paid $600 at the time and really thought I was stepping up then. Looks like any 40 projects in my future might have to be a deluxe unless it’s comes with a nice grille.
After searching for a “spare” for a few years I stepped up and bought one from Drake when they did a run a few years back.
Heres one I picked up a while back.. Fresh chrome. Center section is a bit different crank hole not machined, Fits together well. If/when I use it I will probably blast and paint the side pieces. Here is an NOS one I found a few yrs ago
As I look back over the past 50 years and think of all the original but needs replacing or refurbishing 40 items that I sold at swap meets for nothing or simply gave away, I would like to kick myself in the butt. Of course I can no longer get close to doing that. I love a chrome 40 std grill and was lucky enough to buy a “ new from a fellow 40 guy “ two or three years ago for $800 for my 40 sedan project. Isn’t the current price about what guys have been paying for 33/34 grills for a good while? So glad I have most all of the parts I need on hand now.
I recently bit the bullet and bought a new Drake unpainted sides with chrome center standard grille for a spare. Excellent quality.
The Jalopy Journal
