'40 Deluxe grille

Gregoryp01

Gregoryp01

Junior Member
Hello everyone, I'm trying to get some personal feelings and information from the experts here. My original grille has broken into many pieces, and I have come to the conclusion that I need to replace it. My dilemma is who's grille to buy? I need opinions...So do i spend the big dollars and get a Bob Drake perfect grille? A slightly lower priced vintique grille ? Or the much lower priced speedway grille. I've heard nothing but praise about the Drake grilles. The Vintique grill has up and down reviews, and the Speedway grille is said to be quite good for the money. Please, all input is wanted. I do have to say my car is not a perfect show car restoration, it's more of a drive it and enjoy it type...lol. Thank you all.
 
I have an old Vintique, from at least 35 years ago. I got it from someone who's father never got around to using it. The color of the chrome on it is noticeably different than the new stuff. If you care about that sort of stuff, matching bumpers, grille, wiper towers, headlight doors, hood ornament could be an issue for some. Since yours is a driver as you say, and I'm generally tight with the wallet I'd go Speedway as you can buy two for the price of one from Drake. After all, you can't see it from the driver's seat.


I have two or thee extra broken ones as well. I was going to try and play with brazing them back together and refinish with either the new high reflective chrome powder coat or a chrome wrap. Just to give me something to do to avoid actually working on getting the car drivable.......a project for another time.
 
DRAKE is the best way to go as the front grille of the 40 Ford is what
gives it its beautiful classic look. Plus, it fits. The price of DRAKE grilles will never go down so buy it now. However, there are some low priced grilles on Ebay.
 
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I agree with you Art Doctor, I am very tight with my wallet as well, and my car is far from a show piece. I was going to try that special welding rod for pot metal...muggy weld I think it was called, but it seems that original pot metal is so brittle it's just going to break again in a different area.
Kube, I fully agree that Drake is the ultimate grille, I'm just having a hard time justifying spending $1400 right now. That's why I was looking for input on quality of the other brands.
 
Most of the e-Bay grilles are Vintique. I have used 2 Vintique grilles and my '40 tudor that I bought 3 years ago also has one. You have to play with them a bit to make a good fit, but they do work and look good. The Drake grille is excellent, but the Vintique grille is great for a "driver type" car. I have not seen a Speedway grille.
 
I have an old aluminum one in the collection as well. It was chrome plated originally, but half the chrome has flaked away and the exposed aluminum has a white corrosion product. Before I found my "forever grille" I picked it up for $40 just a few years ago at a swap meet thinking I could just sand and polish it, still could. They are not the best option, probably the worst actually, but If your not in a hurry they do come along cheaply sometimes.
 
The Vintique and the Speedway grille are pot metal like the originals aren't they? Pot metal was a mix of zinc and other metal? Speedways says pressure die cast zinc just like the original, and chromed. Speedways is $624 and has good reviews. I think that's how I'm leaning.
 
I'm a "30-footer guy". If it looks good goin' down the road, it's OK with me. I think cheap repro parts jump-started this hobby in the sixties and seventies, which was a good thing. However, a lot of the top restorers are real sticklers and keep everyone honest and prevented the hobby to descending to a level of inauthenticity that would curdle even my low standards.

As a result, you had what I think is a great variety of choices and you seem to have made the correct one for you.
 
Woah. Looks like 40 standard grilles are available again? Am I mistaken that a few months ago they were not available? Kind of tempting….if I ever get my car back.
 
Tubman you hit the nail right on the head. This is a hobby for everyone, not just the high dollar restoration people. I'm not a purist that has to use only genuine Ford parts, and my car isn't a concourse show car. I just want my car to look good and enjoy it. If someone criticizes the way it looks or an imperfection, that's their problem not mine.
Busmania, I have seen '40 standard grilles coming back in stock also, but the prices are out of sight on them too.
 
I am sure Drake and Carpenter are aware of what certain parts are selling for on the secondary market and have adjusted their production schedules and prices upward. A run of '40, '39 deluxe and '33 - '34 grilles and '40 deluxe hood ornaments would be very profitable quick sellers these days.
 
Drake used to make many parts that are still in high demand. I can't understand why they would stop making them if there is a high demand. Things like windshield garnish moldings, trunk latch... There's money to be made..
 
Gregoryp01 said:
Drake used to make many parts that are still in high demand. I can't understand why they would stop making them if there is a high demand. Things like windshield garnish moldings, trunk latch... There's money to be made..
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The problem is they have to purchase huge quantities of an item when they get an item manufactured They have to judge how well an item will sell in order to get their money back and also make a profit. It's a tough call on these old Ford parts as there are not many of these being built today.
 
TJ said:
The problem is they have to purchase huge quantities of an item when they get an item manufactured They have to judge how well an item will sell in order to get their money back and also make a profit. It's a tough call on these old Ford parts as there are not many of these being built today.
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You more or less hit the nail on the head.


40 years ago a manufacturer could look at an item, judge sales to be 500/year, get a quote from Taiwan for 2500 at 10.00 each, retail them for 30.00 (the cost for a US ones), and triple their money in 5 years. Not a bad return for a 2500.00 investment. It was not that easy but you get the idea.


Today the sales for that item would be closer to 50/year, the quote from Taiwan is now 5000 at 50.00 (they don't work cheap anymore), US "old school" production will not touch it (they forgot how to make stuff). Now they have to invest 25,000.00 (cash up front please) and would have to get 1000.00 each to break even in 5 years (but they would have 4750 items paid for except for storage costs). Hypothetical numbers but you see the trend.


All gloom and doom? NO! The cost of restoring an original part vs tossing it and buying new will favor restoring for many parts. MOD (manufacturing on demand) with 3D-Printers, Laser/waterjet cutting, CNC press forming, etc are all changing the environment for making SOME parts. The next generation who become caretakers of these cars (when the price to purchase one gets low enough) will be more attuned to the new ways then most of us will ever be aware of.
 
Isn't it sad that we have come to relying on China for things that were once proudly made in the USA? I have told my kids many times, when I was younger we didn't throw away parts and just replace them, everything was made to be rebuildable. Starters, alternators/generators, wheel cylinders and so on... It's bad enough we can't get reproduction parts, but we can't even get the parts to rebuild our originals.
 
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