Hot Rods Deuce Grille Shell...Filled or Unfilled?

I have been looking over books (Birth Of Hot Rodding/ Hot Rod Roots) and old mags and simply cannot decide whether to leave the Grille Shell unfilled or fill it. I see evidence of both sides from the early 50's adn prior. I like the look of an unfilled shell but seeing how I am putting this in front of my '31 Chevy the ford logo is not all that potent as it would be in front of a Model A. I was thinking about running a aluminum hood and sides so the filled might look better. Any thoughts, History or Pics?





Even this one from the Bob Roddick Story


SloppySeconds likes his filled


Jimmy White Too!


Bass' chose to leave the tag and fill the cap and the Green Grenade left it all.


One of the raddest is filled!


The Boss's Too!


Evel's is way to slick to leave his alone.


Kirby kept it all.


Bobby Green and the "Money Shot"


This one I was surprised at.


Littleman's


None of the Bones' cars are filled


If you have any to add or just a comment that could help me out throw it up.

 

JJ-

I have to vote for unfilled, thats how I did it on my roadster and thought the chrome bezel and cap added to the look.

 

Matter of your own taste really. I like them either way and own a few of each way. I usually run my 32 Roadster now with a filled shell.





But I have unfilled one that was painted at the same time for it.



Had a unfilled on my 3W @ Charlotte GG 2007 ... but I am leaning towards a filled shell now for it. I have a filled and a unfilled about ready for paint.

 

Bump!

 

A third way that I think looks good is to lose the chrome trim piece and keep the radiator cap and the nice stamped raised surround. This might look even better with a simple knurled cap like a '31 Ford. Keep detailed look, lose the Ford logo.

 

I've done lots of deuces, and like'm both ways. Kinda depends on the car and what I have available. I may sound like a restorer but can't bring myself to fill an original any more. I have used some Brookvilles and just recently bought the unfilled Vintique with the Dales insert and filled it as it has the drain holes like stock at the bottom. I wasn't going to fill it but the top opening was 1/4 inch off to the right side, didn't line up very good with the center hinge!

 

That's another idea. I guess if I am going to be running a aluminum 3 piece hood that would be a happy medium. I have this awesome winged man radiator cap that I think is really cool but I know it really does not have it's place on this car. But a plain knurled cap would be cool.

 

If a guy (backintheday) was to modify his Chevy enough to put a Deuce grille on it, and then build himself an aluminum hood, he obviously had enough talent and thought enough about bodywork to go ahead and fill the shell as well. A Ford oval is pretty dorky on the front of a Chevy.

 

what happened to the chevy grill

 

If you have a gennie...flaunt it. I know that I have looked at some filled original shells and just assumed it was another "ho hum" repro. I can hear all of you yelling "ELITIST!". HE HE

 

alchemy, that was what I was sort of saying to somebody that was telling me an unfilled shell is the way to go.

And 31whitey, the one that I have is pretty beat up and the shells are going for over $500 on ebay so I though I would throw on a repopped deuce shell to save some money for rest of the things I need. PLUS EVERYBODY USES DEUCE SHELLS FOR A REASON RIGHT? THEY ARE BY FAR THE BEST LOOKING OPTION.

tommy, believe me I would not dare to put a Gennie in front of a '31 Chevy. I would just be looking to get slapped!

 

I like them either way, but prefer unfilled if the car can handle it. In your case however, I'd run the chevy grill--- unfilled. 32 grills are overused IMO.

 

What? your car doesn't deserve a Deuce shell?

I can understand not wanting to pay the freight for a gennie. I get that, but if you are building an authentic old hotrod with authentic old parts and want the real deal...tell them to kiss your ass.

 

i would use a chevy grille. they are beautiful and since yours is a chevy it only makes sence. I go titred of every douche bag saying "nice old ford, when ya gunna paint it". dicks.

 

Good point, but I sometimes think about that guy that found an actual Deuce body and has to settle for a repopped grille shell because he/she cannot find a gennie. And here I am with a Chevy filling it in and sort of masking the fact that it's ford. I like to consider myself a real humanitarian of sorts....but whos knows, if I could afford one that might all change.

And as for using the Chevy grill, I think that they are ok looking, but not exactly what I have imagined on my car. If the deuce option was not there, I might be apt to using a track nose instead. That may all come around when I finally start seeing what this thing is going to really look like first hand. But I am building the new hood so I pretty much have to settle on something before I start.

 

Try rearranging the context and expectations: Lose the trim, keep the neck and cap, CHROME the repro shell (good luck paying for an original good enough for that)... enough change to disturb people's assumptions. Neck without trim in particular is a real visual change. Tell the puzzled it's from a '32 Bentley...

 

I kind of like the chrome idea too. Or what about having it match the hand sanded aluminum hood so that it transfers right through wilth out breaking up the colors. That with the Neck without trim might be the ticket. Now if I only had the skill to form a shell out of aluminum. I'm liking all these ideas, keep them coming.

 

I've always used these rules. If it isn't a '32 Ford it gets a filled shell. If it is a '32 ford the choice is determined by what the final look will be. A fire breathing big block blown and injected and a chopped top gets a filled shell. A mild unchopped mostly stock rod gets an unfilled shell. The variations in between can go either way, owner choice.

Frank

 

This makes a lot of sense.

JH

 

filled...

however, you have a chevy, why not a 32 chevy grill? those are pretty slick.. i had one and sold it about a year ago.. wish i had kept it!

 

Probably impossible to find, but '32 Pontiac would be interesting...or Desoto...deuce-like flavor from other corporations...
I think '32 Chevy shell is kind of flavorless in comparison to A or B Ford stuff and many other grills.

 

Frank pretty much stole my thunder ... but to answer your original question ... definitely a FILLED Deuce shell for your 31 Chevy.

 

The vast majority of what I have saved pics of, has a radiator cap & stock bezel.

JH

 

Few more...

 

& some without....

 

Now scroll up to pic in post #3...look at the shells with chrome off and raised stamping intact. I see that as a hidden cool shape that gives the thing a new look that is unfamiliar to non-deuce owners...and unfamiliar is good here, because part of the issue is to fog the Ford-Chevy clash a bit. All three modes of deuce shell have different niches in the shadings of rod aesthetics.

 

Well, after MYKE posted his recently finished '32 with the Pines Winter-Front grille I am pretty much in love. This is the first time that I have really looked at one and found out that the insert is functional. So I went back and look through some post and found that Clark had planned on building his own version of the Winter-Front grille using a '32 Chrysler grill and a later Pines insert.

So now I am diving deeper and deeper into what I am looking for as far as a grille shell and insert. I think that by adding that signature center strip down the center of the insert much like the Winter-Front / '32 Chrysler / '32 Pontiac as well as perhaps leaving the Radiator Cap and filling the nose, I may separate myself from the other deuce shell leaving people scratching their heads. Not that that is my objective but like it was stated earlier, if a person back in the early 50's was going to go through all the trouble of building a Hemi powered coupe with an aluminum hood and blisters (for the engine) he probably would have taken the time to perfect the grille to how he/she would have liked it.

 

i like the half n half idea. keep the cap ditch the oval. but i'm putting a chev grill on my A but i'm gonna fill the bow tie and the the cap

 

Can anybody tell we what the difference between filled and unfilled is???
The pictures look all the same for me.

Thx

 

Look closer at the photos,,,notice that some have radiator caps,chrome bezels on top of the shell and a Ford logo,,,the filled is just that the removal and filling in the radiator cap hole and usually doing away with the bezel and logo. HRP