Replacing the grill

[Rodney_Hamon]

I need to remove the radiator as there is a new leak and take it to a shop for fixing. As the front cowl is removed it’s time to think grill. The original grill was removed way back when. It’s in rough shape. I have another that my dad found back in ‘75.  I don’t know if it’s from a truck or a car. The new center piece fits but the wings seem just a little longer. Maybe the older bent wings slightly shorten the length.  Question I have are those tabs inside the cowl that allow the grill tabs to slip into. Do you think the cowl tabs are at a right angle off the metal ?  I figure I get one shot at straightening and folding over ever so carefully the tabs after the grill is inserted. Everything is bent one way or the other.  Now my phone camera won’t work unless I use the selfie mode and that’s a pain and loss of quality. Sorry if the pix is lame. And the last pita is the previous owner slipped stove head screws into the piece of molding that goes around the grill. I guess there are clips designed for this as the screws are too long and don’t allow the grill to set inside. Such a pain

[Rodney_Hamon]

Super tedious work it is with grill and everything. I have citric acid washed several times the 4 pieces and 8 clips that were found. I stopped the acid before harm to the chrome. After I lightly steel wooled with a lanolin cleaner to further clean the chrome. I have a pint can of old black rustoleum enamel I’ve been saving. I’ll dilute it with spirits a little for better flow.  Taking the radiator to the first shop this week for an estimate. 

[Rodney_Hamon]

A project that got more involved against my will. Radiator out and goes to the shop tomorrow for estimate...then I saw the almost broken ground wire out of the one can and something rattling in the other light can. Taken apart.  Now I see the rust here/there. Must be addressed. I have more than a solid week on the grill. 

[Rodney_Hamon]

Lot of hours invested. I gave up trying to figure out how the clips held the side trim on tight. A maddening effort. Everything is a little bent here and there. Ended up using the stove top screws that were in a bag with the clips. After tightening I took a dremel cutting blade and cut the excess screw length off. The burr from the cut will prevent the nuts from loosening. If ever the trim pieces need to be removed then they will be cut off. The grill just fits with the height of the nut protruding. The headlight mounting pads were also mysterious. I looked at a lot of pictures to see how others mounted theirs and everyone is different. Either on the can or the mount.   I guess the more you pay for the rubber the better the fit. I went with Roberts as the price was better.  There is a thin metal ring that looks like it had rubber on it once but no more. I cinched it up against the rubber and the mount. I found a spring pretty close to size from Ace that was missing in the can to press against the sealed beam.  I had to fabricate a clip to hold the bolt in when mounting.  I will zip tie the bottom grill piece in so I won’t lose it someday.  This grill was cracked and welded/fixed so the chrome is compromised. Oh well. Thinking I will play around with the shiniest chrome spray paint with chrome dust-pigment-flakes added to increase the shine. After web searches I am curious about some of this outrageous chrome fingernail polish I see. Ha  Maybe it’ll work on this. Just waiting for the radiator now. 

[Rodney_Hamon]

Just finished assembling this thing. I chipped the paint on the black beauty rings and the buckets installing the headlights. Oh well. Touching up will heal my bruised ego. There should be a mini club devoted to just cowl and grills alone. Ha. Not for the weak of heart. So glad this part is done. Don’t think I could have pulled this off w/o the help of my late uncle’s handy dandy revolving fasteners collection !

[Rodney_Hamon]

Got the rebuilt radiator back and had a nice discussion about radiator 101. Brass and copper alloy and what makes it go bad.  I mentioned I was ready to find a ‘65 mustang radiator and just make it fit ( I have a ‘64 1/2 mustang) but the frame fabrication still would have been work. He said he really liked the classic style of this one and when you lift the hood up it looks real good at the front of the engine. It compliments the grill. He was glad I rebuilt it. Cost $800 though and that gave me a nose bleed. Anyway, I’m happy to have it and now I can install it. A friend asked me how much the grill and cowl weigh so the bathroom scale says 52 lb. When I bolt the radiator into the cowl it should push...75 ish lbs.  Think I’ll need 3 cups of coffee before I lift that onto the two front bolts. Ha

[Rodney_Hamon]

Man, I could barely lift this thing onto the chassis and then the washers fell off that align with the rubber mount strip underneath and jeez...anyway afterwards rolling around on the floor with a jack and using thin wire to hold the washers in place I got it set dn in place.  Bolted in.  Then, I needed a new radiator cap as the old one is on its last legs. Called up DCM and they referred me to Then and Now and Chris found me a R-2. Bought it.  Suddenly I realized I have about one grand into the cooling system and grill.  Amazing how it adds up. 

[Rodney_Hamon]

And its on and everything is hooked up. There was only 1.5 ft between the workbench and the chassis. Tuff lifting that into place as stated before. I started the engine as a celebration after filling with distilled water and a touch of antifreeze for lubrication of the water pump. Funny how all this got done just because of bad gas.  

[DJ194950]

Bad gas and radiators?  ?

 

DJ

[Rodney_Hamon]

Well it started one day when the engine started rough. Had to pull the choke out to keep it running which was uncharacteristic. Then I noticed the leak in the radiator. Steamrolled. Drain the tank, clean the carb, damn...ok pull the radiator, damn I guess it’s time to put the grill in...and all the rest misc stuff.  Now where was I...oh... I was starting to install the running bds and was going to.....ha

[36DodgeRam]

That grill looks great!  They are hard to find,  and quite expensive.   That's going to be a real nice truck when finished. 

[Rodney_Hamon]

Got the new radiator cap and it fits better than the old one which I don’t know whatever it went on.  How many ‘36 dodges are there on this forum btw ?  Does everyone have a complete grill ?   I feel fortunate to have mine for sure !