1957 GRILL

[CobraJoe]

Looking for a good complete grill for my '57; going to 86 the tube grill.

[jdcurtice]

I might be interested in the tube grill...
Jim

[CobraJoe]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if I can find a descent original.
Mine looks good but closer looks shows some pitting. I usually clean it with chrome polish, but in these photos from today, you can see some pitting. I haven't touched it since March simply because I haven't bought anymore polish.

[RICH MUISE]

Just a suggestion, Joe.......you may not want to commit to someone for that tube grille until you know the oem '57 grille is gonna fit. Not sure what mods were done, if any, under the headlights or the headlight area itself that may cause the oem grille to not fit or look right.

[jdcurtice]

thanks.  Let me know what you decide!
Jim

[CobraJoe]

Thanks Rich, I defiantly won't be getting rid of it until I get a complete setup. As far as under the headlights, it's all the original Sheet metal. The interior was reworked to accommodate the 58 lights, the round headlight part was cut out and they filled the gap in between with sheet metal, keeping the lower body line original:





That said, I'm sure I'll have some work to do finding everything I need to make it look correct.

[RICH MUISE]

A little late, but while I was cleaning bugs off my car this weekend, I remembered to look at something on the grille under the headlights to see if I was remembering correctly (I was) before I posted.
The grille outer framework has a very large dimple to clear the single headlight. That is what I was referring to when I said it may not look correct. That sheetmetal headlight surround on yours, if it is oem, has been heavily modified and no longer has the round shape under the single headlight that the grille is dimpled/relieved for.
Of course, all of this talk is assuming your putting the grille on the car with the dual headlights.

[CobraJoe]

Thanks Rich. I noticed it on Jay's car as it really not visible on the face of the grill but you can definitely see it has been dimpled for the light if you look close. This is for when I convert back to stock look.

[djfordmanjack]

You might also want to check your turn signal assemblies resessed behind tube grill. they look stockish but who knows how they removed the housings/surround from the og grill. usually it is easy to find the lenses and seals, but it might be difficult to find decent housings.

as a side note, the squarish turn signals/running lights at first glance always seemed a little out of place to me, but after 20 years of 57 Ford interest I seem to like them evermore. they go really well with the eggcrate design of the grill insert.

[hiball3985]

Hope you can find all three grill pieces. I bought the two grill half's but the center piece was missing and that took me another couple of months to find one..

[gasman826]

At one time, I collected every grill whole or individual pieces.  Back then, I had a plating vendor deal.  After losing the plating deal and down sizing, all the grills are gone except for the little center bars.  I still have several of those somewhere.

[hiball3985]

At one time, I collected every grill whole or individual pieces.  Back then, I had a plating vendor deal.  After losing the plating deal and down sizing, all the grills are gone except for the little center bars.  I still have several of those somewhere.

You are sitting on a small gold mine 

[RICH MUISE]

Classic auto in OKC has all the parking light components, including the housing.
http://www.classicautopartsonlinecatalog.com/app.php?BookCode=fsz17flx

pages 155-156

[djfordmanjack]

interesting, Rich, I had never before seen that part as a reproduction and very reasonably priced at $27. It appears that one would still have to rivet, glue or somehow mount a dual filament bulbholder though. I think the original is one piece with the housing?!?

[RICH MUISE]

It's been quite a few years since I assembled mine with all new components from them, but I'm sure there was nothing that had to be done to retain the bulb socket.........except, I do recall the socket fitting way too loose. If I recall, there are springy fingers on the socket that are to allow the socket to be pushed in, but the diameter on the socket was too much smaller than the hole in the housing. I had no way of knowing if the new sockets were the problem, or the housing, but not being seen, I just ran a wire from a screw.
on one side of the housing, looping around the socket, then over to the other side. I think I used electrical wire with eye terminals for the hold down wire.
Yeah, I know............M----I-----C-----K-----E-----Y    M----O----U---S---E, but it worked without welding something on and screwing up the plating.