Looking to sell, and buy a few items...

[mustang6984]

I appear to have 4 grills for '57's. Not sure how that happened, perhaps they have been cuddling too close whilst up in the rafters...and making whoopee like mice do! 
So, I would like to part with a couple of them. (I have two '57 Sedan Deliveries, so I need a couple.)
Not sure what the going rate is for them, so if anyone has an idea what I should ask, let me know. Trade for parts is also an option.
I also have a rear station wagon seat that was in my car. (Sedan Deliveries did not have back seats.) I think it is a 57 rear seat out of a station-wagon, but I'm not positive. If someone is truly interested in the seat, I can take a bunch of photos and send them via e-mail.

I am also in need of the hood ornament for the '57, I know a lot of guys take them off, so maybe someone has one laying around?
And would like a pair of station wagon tailgate window supports. (I plan on splitting my one-piece tailgate into two, keeping the 3-window for the top.)
I need a windshield, although I realize that is probably going to have to be acquired new.
Also looking for 4 original hubcaps.
And I need interior windshield trim, as long as it is reasonable in condition I can take care of small dents and repaint.

I'm sure there is much more, but those things are the ones that popped out at me today while I was tearing out the carpet and pads and examining the floors.

[RICH MUISE]

You might get better results if you post this in the parts wanted classifieds/for sale. This board is for links to suppliers.
I sold a good driver quality grille to a member here a few years ago for 100. I just saw a similar condition one at a swap meet a few weeks ago. He was asking a hundred as well. Seems to be a fair price to me. I paid 400 for my rechromed one at a swap meet.

[mustang6984]

I thought about the location of the message after I posted it. I will have to do that. Thanks. I'd move it if I knew how, guess I'll just re-post it in the other section.

Sounds like a good price. I'll pull them down and clean them off and shoot some pics before I post it again. And $400 for a re-chromed one? YIKES! What does it cost to have one done nowadays? I haven't had anything chromed since the last time I had this car painted back in '74. My entire chrome bill then for a grill and front bumper and 4 hubcaps was only $250 or so.

You might get better results if you post this in the parts wanted classifieds/for sale. This board is for links to suppliers.
I sold a good driver quality grille to a member here a few years ago for 100. I just saw a similar condition one at a swap meet a few weeks ago. He was asking a hundred as well. Seems to be a fair price to me. I paid 400 for my rechromed one at a swap meet.

[RICH MUISE]

Well, unfortunately you're in for sticker shock when it comes th chrome plating. The EPA has driven most out of business, and restriction compliance costs a heap for the platers. An estimate of 1k for a bumper is not unusual by any means. A friend just inquired about having all the chrome on his '54 Pontiac wagon redone at a shop who had just done a friend of his' 54 Pontiac. He was told upwards of 20,000.
The 400 I paid for the grille was a very good price, and was at a large swap meet. Lot's of chrome shops on the west coast to be very wary of, so before you dive in, and especially before you hand cash and/or your parts over, do alot of research. It would not be uncommon for you to never see either again. There are good shops out there, and a friend/forum member from Colorado just had a good experience with one of them...I'd just have to look back to see their name. The name was initials...D&B maybe, not sure.
The good news is a bunch of the shiney stuff on our '57's is not chrome plated at all, but stainless steel. That means with a bunch of tedious work you can restore it yourself and save a bunch. Your side trim on that Courier is probably ss, as well as the windshield. The back window trim on a Courier I'm not familiar with, so it could be either, as well as the vent window frames. The Custom vent window frames are ss, so I would hazard a guess the Courier's is as well since the Courier is built on the shorter Custom platform. The grilles btw, oddly enough, are not ss, but chrome plated.
An example, I've had good luck with a swap meet vendor in the southwest states that goes by the name "Bumper Shop", although you really need to look at the particular piece. There is another shop that does swap meets in California and a little east from there that goes by the name "Bumper Boys". Well, the guys on the Hamb have talked about forming a vigilante lynching party. He has ripped off so many guys, many are wondering how the guy physically continues to survive.
BTW, James is the only one who can move a thread. You can modify or copy and paste what you posted to save alot of typing, but you can't move other member's replies on that thread.

The chrome is expensive, but sure has a lot of impact.....

[RICH MUISE]

You had asked about nos parking light lenses....mine in the above pic are repops from Classic Auto Parts in OKC. the parking light housings are from them as well.
Speaking of parts sources...Make sure you have found our list of vendors that carry '57 Ford specific parts and supplies. It's a sticky above where you posted this thread.
Back to the D&B(??) chrome shop I mentioned above. Les had gotten a quote to repair a small dent in his back bumper and replate it and the two bumper guards. The quote was in the neighborhood of 1100. if I remember. Well, I was in Colorado to go to a swap meet in Denver on Saturday,and saw a back bumper there that chrome shop had, so I called Les (lives in Colorado Springs) and told him about it. Les pulled both his bumpers off that night and drove up to Denver Sunday. He picked up the one they had, and chanced leaving  his front bumper and all the guards there to be chromed and shipped to him. The plating on everything and shipping was less than the quote he got for just the back with no shipping. And Les was very happy with the job they did. I think that chrome shop is out of Calif. It pays to shop around.

[mustang6984]

YIKES!!! Chrome has REALLY gone through the roof in cost!
You are correct, the window trim, side body trim and the tailgate trim are all stainless...so I will re-work all of those...which luckily for me are in pretty good shape.
Not sure about the grills as far as their need for re-chrome, they have been put away for years...so if not marred by rust...I will be trying to work some magic on those as well.
I think I know where Classic is in OKC...I lived there for a period of time and seem to remember seeing them. Still go back there now and then, as I met my wife while living there, and her sister and her husband along with their aunt still live there. I will look them up and bookmark them for reference! Thanks a bunch for that tip.
I have a card in my camera bag from a chrome shop out of CA too. Saw them at the Good Guys Show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds this summer. Might be the same place you're talking about from Colorado. They told me they travel to a lot of shows. I will check them out as well...since when I go to AZ for my house flipping stuff, I pass right down I-5. Sounds like bumpers will be about all I have re-chromed...definitely need an entire front bumper. The one I had was destroyed when a woman ran a stop light and wrecked the brown Delivery (Henrietta) back in '76.

As for the guys who would like to "deal" with the Bumper Boys guy...I live on the very top of the peninsula in WA state...12 miles of DEEP water between me and Vancouver Island British Columbia, Canada...and I have a boat...crabs need to eat too! LOL!!!

Thanks a bunch for the ideas so far...I will be sure and post pics as I move along. And heck, given that we'll be neighbors in a couple of years...I'll be sure to buy ya pizza and your favorite brew once I get there and you can see my baby! LOL!!!

[RICH MUISE]

Not sure if we'll qualify as neighbors.....The drive to Branson is about 10 hours from Amarillo. lol.....BUT, lots of shows, etc in the OKC area which is 1/2 way. Classic Auto Parts use to be Ford Obsolete, maybe that was their name when you lived there. They are right on the I35 surface road about 5 miles south of the !40, I35 intersection.
The chrome shop I talked about I also saw a month or two later at the Goodguys show in Scottsdale, so just may be the same one you saw at Puyallup Goodguys show.
We have several members from Washington, but the closest to you may be Lorne who lives in Victoria (across from Vancouver bc if I remember correctly). I can't remember Lorne's tag on the forum. He's got a beautiful tilt-nose Custom he bought in Phoenix. I've never met Lorne, but I saw his car before he bought it.

[mustang6984]

Compared to where I live now...well...yea...we'd be neighbors! LOL!!! Ten hours...would barely get me out of the state heading your way.

Yea...I think that is the place on I-35...they have a place there that specializes in Mustang parts as well as Chevy and other restoration and hot rod stuff. Several shops in one building. I have bought some parts from the Mustang place. I drop in every time I am in town to see the guys. They actually remember me when I walk in the door. And I'm 2000 miles away! Amazing!

I bet that is the same chrome shop...can't believe that Good Guys would let a crooked company into their shows...so I'm guessing they are reputable...especially since your friend had a good experience with them. I'll dig out that cars.

And Victoria is 12 miles away...if I go up the hill a way...I can see the lights of the city at night. But.,.,it is an expensive 12 miles...ferry rides are not cheap anymore...especially not if you take the car over.
Tilt nose eh? I NEED to see him and his car. I want to do one on my car.

[KidKourier]

     Dennis Carpenter has the rubber gaskets for the lift gate glass but be carefull removing the glass! I found one of the curved windows from a glass shop for $385.00and I've called all over the U.S. looking for replacements and haven't found any yet.On the liftgate I removed the support bracket and installed 2 gas supports like on the new SUVs tailgates,works great with plenty of support.  Kid Kourier

[mustang6984]

On a Sedan Delivery the back gate has three pieces...one big one in the middle, and then two smaller ones on either side. The one on the left side just dropped out one day when we were sanding on the car. So...I need to get that one back in The rubber looks okay...but is kind of dry, and stiff. I think it came out more because of the metal fatigue than anything else. Looks like I might have to fabricate a lip for part of the frame.
Just out of curiosity...how did you get the glass out? The glass seems to be pretty thick back there on my car...is it like that on all of the wagons...or just on the one piece tailgates?
And from your handle...might I assume that you have a Courier as well?
I like the idea of the gas struts. Excellent idea! With my one-piece gate split into two that should indeed work just grand! Thanks!

     Dennis Carpenter has the rubber gaskets for the lift gate glass but be carefull removing the glass! I found one of the curved windows from a glass shop for $385.00and I've called all over the U.S. looking for replacements and haven't found any yet.On the liftgate I removed the support bracket and installed 2 gas supports like on the new SUVs tailgates,works great with plenty of support.  Kid Kourier

[gasman826]

sacrifice (cut) the gasket.  The gasket is much cheaper than the glass.  Glass can be polished just like paint or stainless.  There is a glass specific polishing compound.

[KidKourier]

   Yes--If you scroll up to the top and click on Gallery,then on car shows,then scroll to bottem and click on page 2,I'm in the second row,second from left(Now on Map Quest--LOL!).I've had over a dozen starting in high school with a '58,best drive-in car they ever made except a 2dr wagon with the split tailgate so you could open the top.On the window rubber,I cut mine from the inside cuz it was softer(outside always exposed to the elements}.As far as thickness of the glass,only on the Couriers to help add rigidity to the lift gate(opening/closing}.The gas shocks hold my liftgate with no problem(1 on each side)with no stock supports used!!  Kid

[mustang6984]

Do they still make the rubber for the deliveries? Or is all that rubber that thick for station wagon glass?

sacrifice (cut) the gasket.  The gasket is much cheaper than the glass.  Glass can be polished just like paint or stainless.  There is a glass specific polishing compound.

[mustang6984]

So...is the rubber still made then for the small windows? Or do you buy a roll of it and then cut to needed length? And where would I find that rubber?

And SWEET ride!!! I be jealous!!!

   Yes--If you scroll up to the top and click on Gallery,then on car shows,then scroll to bottem and click on page 2,I'm in the second row,second from left(Now on Map Quest--LOL!).I've had over a dozen starting in high school with a '58,best drive-in car they ever made except a 2dr wagon with the split tailgate so you could open the top.On the window rubber,I cut mine from the inside cuz it was softer(outside always exposed to the elements}.As far as thickness of the glass,only on the Couriers to help add rigidity to the lift gate(opening/closing}.The gas shocks hold my liftgate with no problem(1 on each side)with no stock supports used!!  Kid

[KidKourier]

   Dennis Carpenter sells both small windows/big window either separate or in a 3 piece kit.I believe his web address is in the suppliers list here on the site. some times he's out of stock so you might have to try some of the other Ford outlets but they all get them from him. KID