Drake vs Carpenter vs Speedway Grille

WarbirdPhotog

WarbirdPhotog

Senior Member
Looking to purchase a replacement 1940 Deluxe Grille for my Fordor, as the grille I have now is too pitted and the chrome worn down that it'd cost way, way more to get it rechromed (which is no guarantee it'll even clean up). So, going for a repro grille.

There are three grilles that I see for sale... at dramatically different prices. Bob Drake is the most expensive at around $1,330. Next, there is Dennis Carpenter's grille, which is around the $800 range. Finally, there's the Speedway Motors grille that is around $625 range. I'm not even bothering with the Vintique ones.

Searching through posts on here, most people would say 'go Drake' for the best fit, although apparently his grilles are now made overseas as well, unless you can find one of the ones sold in the older brown boxes (I haven't seen any). I've seen some posts say that the Speedway grilles have been great fits. At about half the price of Drake's grille, is there really that much of a better quality with Drake, especially if also now made overseas, to differentiate that?

And I know it's been a few months since the last 1940 Ford battery 3D print update, I've had to put it on hold for a long while due to life, but it's still on the back burner and about 75% finished! I hope to jump back in in a few weeks.
 
Speedway has their place in the market, but Im gonna guess repro grills is not one of the best offers.
 
IMHO, Speedway is a company that you have to KNOW each individual part you intend to purchase from them. Some junk at high price, some junk at cheap, some great stuff at high price and even some great stuff at cheap. Also a commitment to customer service and a liberal return policy.
 
Just because a part is made overseas does not necessarily mean that it is inferior to one that was made on-shore. It all comes down to what the vendor requires as far as quality and cost. If Drake wants the same quality as he had before (on shore), then he can surely obtain it overseas - if he is willing to pay for it.

I have no clue on these grills, but I'd surely want to be able to return one if a poor quality one arrives at my door.
 
I'm a Drake fan. His 40 grilles both Standard & Deluxe are the closest to Henry grilles on the market. I've found them to fit better and the chrome plating is a higher quality. Living where we do I keep a spare complete Drake standard grille on the shelf in case?
 
Warbird, Go with DRAKE. I have the same thoughts as Krylon. When it comes to 40 grilles cheaper is not always better. I have bought 3 DRAKE grilles over the last 50 years and DRAKES fit the best. Not cheap but, the quality is there.
 

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19Fordy said:
Warbird, Go with DRAKE. I have the same thoughts as Krylon. When it comes to 40 grilles cheaper is not always better. I have bought 3 DRAKE grilles over the last 50 years and DRAKES fit the best. Not cheap but, the quality is there.
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Thanks everyone, I figured the answer was Drake, but I just wasn't sure in this day and age if there's a better one or if they all stack up fit wise. That's a pretty hefty difference between the different prices, so I wanted to be sure I wasn't wasting my money!

In the ww2 Jeep community, I've seen some repro things that were touted as the best come down in quality but the price stayed the same when you can now get something that is often better quality from a vendor that might have usually been considered inferior.
 
Look at the openings between each horizontal bar out near the panel with louvers and small stainless steel trim. If the end of the openings look like stair steps going up from the bottom the grill is not made like the original. The Drake ones I have seen are like the originals and the opening is a smooth curving line from bottom to top. I can spot the poor remakes from as far away as I can see them. Maybe that doesn't matter to you, and you can get something that suits your needs far cheaper than a Drake.
 
deuce_roadster said:
Look at the openings between each horizontal bar out near the panel with louvers and small stainless steel trim. If the end of the openings look like stair steps going up from the bottom the grill is not made like the original. The Drake ones I have seen are like the originals and the opening is a smooth curving line from bottom to top. I can spot the poor remakes from as far away as I can see them. Maybe that doesn't matter to you, and you can get something that suits your needs far cheaper than a Drake.
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Oh, it matters to me! I'm trying to be as 'factory stock' as I can with this vehicle, which isn't easy due to the lack of repro items being made at the moment for many aspects of the 40 Deluxe Fordor.

I come from the G503 WW2 Jeep world, where we could build nearly an entire Jeep from scratch with repro parts being produced by multiple companies in incredible detail duplication and precision. But, not all repro items are alike, as I mentioned, and some that were considered the best have fallen, while some smaller companies have exploded into the repro world with incredible deals on top-notch stuff, causing prices to drop. So you really have to do research, because the most expensive thing might not actually be the best product.
 
Drake is by far the best. We still have a older drake (same quality as the current) on the shelf at the old price $875 if you need it.

Carpenter is selling the Vintique Grille
 
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