The world seems awash with 32 grill shells of varying quality and cost, and I’m not convinced there is a good correlation between the two. I imagine HAMB members represent a good portion of the customer base for both original and repo shells. I’m in the ~$500 space for an original or original-looking shell and insert, and I’m able and willing to do a little tin-smithing if necessary. what are your experiences? Quality brands that you’d buy again, scraps that you pieced together, loans you took out to purchase one of Henry’s? Is it even possible in that price range? Let me know. yes, I know that the search function is my Friend, but I’m lazy and, who knows, this might be a timely subject thanks in advance
Sadly a Dales insert is no more. They were the closest to OEM ever made. I haven't had a United Pacific insert yet, their 32 parts are usually good. Shells are all over the place, non of the repros are really great. I've bought a few Vintique stock shells and filled them so I could have the bottom look stock. My Dales inserts fit them fairly good.. Nothing beats an original but taking out a second mortgage may be necessary. Currently I'm hording 9 originals, I enjoy looking at them.
I've never paid more than 500 for an OG shell. That one was over double what the others cost, but it came with a mint Kelsey hayes 16 and chopped closed car windshield frame.
Thank you gentlemen, The Vintiques shell seems pretty affordable. Maybe United Pacific for an insert…other vendors you would trust?
They have been stamping those shells for quite some time. Maybe the dies are worn out and it is time to consider fiberglass.
With cost of originals, I recently tried two different Vintiques shells and two different inserts. I sent all that junk back! Ended up with a United Pacific truck shell. Very pleased with the quality. If you are 100% set on a car shell and insert, save your nickel’s until you can buy an original.
Ugh, two votes for Vintiques (not entirely enthusiastic) and one “Vintiques are shit” There must be at least a high-price repop that is high quality/ good fit to stock. I would think the restoration guys would be even less forgiving of poor fit on a part that is so front and center…
I think a lot has to do with your intentions. Is is a nice driver your building or a pristine restoration or a show car? A nice driver I'd use a Vintiques, do a little metal work if necessary to your liking and move on. If a pristine restoration then I could see saving and looking for an original. Show car? Then I'd decide if I planned on doing any mods to the grill shell, like removing trim etc. If it were going to get some mods I'd use the Vintiques and mod as necessary... Some people have the mindset if it ain't original its crap, I don't go by that train of thought, I go with does it fit my needs. Like the Mopar guys that won't use anything but genuine Mopar parts etc, shame there's a lot of good parts out there made by other vendors. Besides if everyone had that frame of thought there'd be a whole lot less hot rods, customs etc on the road today !! ...
I am in the middle of another deuce highboy roadster and am using a Vintique filled shell I've had a long time and my very last Dales insert. The insert fits good. The shell has the provisions for the stock shell welt. The body shop I have helping me is cutting the stock crank hole and the slots in the bottom of the shell. Need them to get the grasshoppers out from behind the grille. When this one is gone I've got one last roadster planned and I'll probably us the almost perfect filled original shell with original insert hanging on my shop wall?
I am poor I am using this one.. https://a.co/d/dpAF41V. The insert is pretty cheap but the shell actually has a decent fit abd finish and as of march 2023 it was only $135-. Obviously it isn't an original ford unit and the quality isn't OEM either but at the end of the day for being Chinese junk it isn't terrible if that makes sense. Edited my typos and I am adding this Sense apparently that particular grill shell is no longer sold go on the jungle site there is a ton of other ones in the pretty cheap price range. If you want a high quality one you're going to pay for it but if you want something that's good enough for a driver that will only need a little bit of fit and finish work these things work. My personal biggest complaint is the vertical grill bars in the insert are easy to come loose they really need a little tack weld with somebody that knows how weld cleanly (I am not that guy lol).
Tempting as a wall hanger…and only costs 188 Biden bucks! Have an original insert, if it fits, cool, then I’ll sell the repro insert. If the original doesn’t fit…should be able to get the repro insert to fit, one way or another. Either way, should be fun to lightly “patina” the shell in gloss black!
I am not much help as to brand names but I had a obviously cheap insert in an OG shell go rusty fairly quickly and a buddy had a repop shell with an off set filler, cut that sucker out and put it where it should be.
It is the same one in the link that I posted just above you... I physically bought it, it isn't bad it isn't great but you get what you pay for. I would say it is made out of probably 20 gauge steel, it has a lot of shape to the steel so it's pretty rigid. My Model A pickup I am building a vehicle that I plan on driving the wheels off of on a tight budget so I'm not worried about it looking like a show quality piece and this one is pretty nice for what it is. The only thing I wish it had was the crank hole to look more authentic and less 1989 street rod but I will live with it.
1972 or 73 whenever the NSRA nationals were in Tulsa. I had the 32 roadster body at home and I think I paid around $350-$400 for a nice shell, insert and a pair of deuce rails at the Nat's. Bought them from I think Jim Niblett? That year he had a yellow 33-34 Plymouth roadster body on deuce rails. It made it to the cover of Rod And Custom. Later that summer I went to Norfolk NE to Lowell Kimball's looking for a firewall and gas tank. He sent me to a little town outside of Norfolk where he said I'd find what I needed. There were dozens of 32 bodies, chassis, and other sheet metal in this yard Kimball owned. I found what I needed and went back to town to show him what I found and pay for them. That was over 50 years ago.
My thoughts exactly…driver quality Hot Rods are the most fun to drive! Solid and safe…but a little rough around the edges.
Update: Actually bought one of the $188.00 ones, but bought it from Amazon, because it was returnable. Was $197.00 with tax, and came with the insert installed, all though it said hardware wasn’t included in the info! Like ARA said, it’s sort of light gauge, but not real terrible overall, but everything is just off a little. The sides are wavy, the horizontal bars are just a little crooked, the vertical bars are just a little funky, and worst of all to me, the stainless surround just doesn’t look right…it’s size is a little too large (diameter) and just looked funky. The installed insert was in there, but the fit was not that great. Seems like they probably started to install the inserts because of past complaints…at least they are trying! Oh, and the sides of the shell seemed to flair out more than they should, so I’m not sure how the hood sides would jive with that. I sent it back…just got the credit today, (no hassle). If I really needed a grill shell, and was building a rough around the edges Hot Rod, I might have keep it.
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