Hot Rods 1928 Model A radiator shell insert.

I'm looking for ideas for my '28 Model A painted radiator shell for a possible insert.
It's currently open and exposing it's aluminum ( nontraditional, I know) radiator. It's ugly.
Mesh?
Louvered polished or brushed aluminum?
Die punched larger diameter holes?
Tinted Plexiglas w/ some small openings?
It's a street driven car & runs cool presently.

 

can you just paint it?

 

I had that issue on my '29 last year. I was thinking about making an insert, but considered the weight and mounting issues (and difficulty of making an attractive looking insert), and I ultimately just bit the bullet and bought a Walker radiator that fit right and did not have the exposed sides showing where fins belonged. Anyone want to buy am aluminum radiator?

 

I use satin or flat black on the rad surfaces.

 

even with flat black to minimize it, the the flat metal surface inside the shell opening just does not look right. imho

 

We painted the aluminum radiator flat black and it just went away visually. Paint from above at an angle so the paint will not really hit the bottom of the fins all that much. Unless you lay on the ground and look up you never see the aluminum side.

 

cut a stone guard to fit.

 

I've got one of those, good idea.

 

sheetstock I got ,cut to fit,and painted black.It had tons of small 3/16 holes so it didn't restrict air, but hid the radiator pretty well. I tried a chrome stone guard, but it looked really ugly ( to me anyway)

 

My '28 Ford grille insert started life as an office building'’s ventilation duct screen. I plucked it from a dumpster during a coffee break, took it home and trimmed it to fit.



I welded four machine screws to the back of the grill shell to attach the screen.




... …and washers to the screen to reinforce it. Locknuts hold it in place and a coat of black rustoleum makes it look good.

 

I know this isn't a model A shell but here's what I did for a insert

 

I've also tried the "lightening holes in a sheet aluminum insert" approach, but it won't hide the radiator so well. I think the holes were 2 1/4" diameter.

 

I made one from #4 stainless steel mesh for my 26 RPU.
It hides the aluminum rad nicely and I think the stainless mesh will look nice in contrast to the blue paint I'm going to use.
Plus it will protect the rad from damage.

 

Here are some more ideas I've plucked from the HAMB. Hope they help.

 

Super nice job on this one! Gary

 

Get some radiator paint (yes, it's different than regular paint) first, regardless. Then do your insert. Gary