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Tractor grill shells

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by BeatnikPirate, Dec 22, 2008.

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  1. skwurl
    Joined: Aug 25, 2008
    Posts: 1,620

    skwurl
    Member

    I like the Model a shell better. I do think tractor grills are rather Rat Roddish ,but if thats your thing go for it. A cars grill just flows better to me . the tractor shells Ive seen are bulky and dont follow the lines of the car vey well. I have seen a few that were ok but not as cool as a car shell. I'm a less is more kinda guy. Just my .02 Let the reaming continue. Its like Jerry Springer in here! Who is the babys daddy?
     
  2. southpark
    Joined: Aug 2, 2007
    Posts: 712

    southpark
    BANNED

    thanks for posting you have really proved your point
    like i said before. RAT RODS ARE COOL!!!!!!!!!! :rolleyes:
     
  3. Insane 1
    Joined: Feb 13, 2005
    Posts: 974

    Insane 1
    Member
    from Ennis TX

    For the longest time I wanted to start a thread about why the hell are people running tractor grills, on cars and think they look good....I mean really WTF????

    Especially on fourm that is supposed to be about the "trad" hot rods, but I knew it would turn to a cluster fuck just like this one.
     
  4. yawn.

    when's the next tech week?
     
  5. Hooligan36
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 129

    Hooligan36
    Member

    I guess Bomber seats should stay in Bombers then.....? To each's own, I personally like seeing things that are different
     
  6. Old-Soul
    Joined: Jun 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,789

    Old-Soul
    Member

    Bomber seats are actually very traditional. they were light, so lots of guys used them in lakes cars...they took up little room, and were easy to obtain.

    Tractor grills, on the other hand, are not 'traditional'. I have yet to see any in use in old photos as evidence. They are a part of the 'ratrod' genre, and I'm not saying that's bad...it's just not traditional. If you like it, cool I guess.

    I hate it when guys use the argument that 'building it with what you have' or 'building what you want' makes their car traditional... YES guys used what they had, and YES they built what they wanted...BUT those creations became what we know as TRADITIONAL so there is a formula. 'Just because you can, does not mean you should'
     
  7. merc-o-madness
    Joined: Aug 23, 2004
    Posts: 1,544

    merc-o-madness
    Member

    i think most tractor grills look too big,and not proportional. and i dont think they belong on traditional styled hotrods i could be wrong but i dont remember seeing a hotrod with a tractor grill shell in any little book i have
     
  8. Hooligan36
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 129

    Hooligan36
    Member

    I agree with not being traditional however, that isnt what this thread was about. Yes Bomber seats were widely used... but you cant really use comments like they belong on tractors, when there are many other parts used in builds these days that did not originate from autos
     
  9. Old-Soul
    Joined: Jun 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,789

    Old-Soul
    Member


    And this is a traditional hotrod and custom message board.

    to each their own, I guess.
     
  10. Hooligan36
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 129

    Hooligan36
    Member

    I hate to tell you this then....... there are alot of cars here that are neither
     
  11. Old-Soul
    Joined: Jun 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,789

    Old-Soul
    Member


    Something I've noticed, and don't particularly like...but hey, not my job to say what stays and what goes.

    I just pick and choose where to post, and hope someone will take what I say into consideration.
     
  12. choppintops
    Joined: Dec 9, 2008
    Posts: 1,460

    choppintops
    BANNED

    Highly modified some look ok, but I have yet to see one pulled off a tractor and left close to as is that didn't look bulky and akward. The guys posting pics only make me think that way stronger and stronger. The original green poster,,,, car looks great, grill leaves a lot to be desired IMO.
     
  13. AA/Fuel34fordpu
    Joined: Mar 15, 2005
    Posts: 1,266

    AA/Fuel34fordpu
    Member

    X's2
     
  14. Oh yeah!!! Well, I say you can argue over opinion! You know I'm right, don't ya!!!

    :D:D:D
     
  15. skwurl
    Joined: Aug 25, 2008
    Posts: 1,620

    skwurl
    Member

    The grill is higher than the cowl. The intake and exhaust is way to high. The car is notproportioned right. It screams rat rod. You might as well run that exhaust into the cabin.
     
  16. Doug B
    Joined: Feb 2, 2008
    Posts: 478

    Doug B
    Member

    Hey! Boat parts don't belong on cars! Thats just stoopid...:D:D
     
  17. Well DESTO brace yerself.
    For years I have wanted to build a track or Indy style roadster using a Allis Chalmers WD tractor grill and hood. The gas tank on these ol brutes is tear drop shaped like a motorcycle tank and i wanted to mount it safely behind the seat and build a boat tail over it. I wanted a 50s '60s Jag 6 cylinder engine and a manual trans. It would be a single seater and the dash would be placed under the hood where the gas tank used to be. A frame would be scratch built and a solid I beam or tube front axle a must. Wheels would be ideally wires of some earlier vintage. It is what i want and BTW I dont give a rats tail whether it appeals to you or not and you SHOULDN'T give one if it happens to appeal to me. Taint really nun uh yer business.
    Don
     

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  18. BeatnikPirate
    Joined: May 21, 2006
    Posts: 1,416

    BeatnikPirate
    Member
    from Media, Pa.

    Dolmetch, thanks for the sketch. I think your idea has potential. I've been thinkin' along similar lines....a lakes style roadster/track T, inspired by 1930's indy cars, maybe something like a Miller in the front, with an inline motor, long full hood, tall, narrow grill shell. This is what prompted my request for tractor noses because I think some of them are cool or could be modified to fit the look I'm thinking of.
    To all who responded with pictures, thanks. Some of them were cool and all were "interesting".Still like to see some more.
    To those who expressed their opinion, Thanks, I guess:confused::rolleyes:
     
  19. HotRod33
    Joined: Oct 5, 2008
    Posts: 2,570

    HotRod33
    Member

    how many clowns fit in the car.....?
     
  20. hugh m
    Joined: Jul 18, 2007
    Posts: 2,142

    hugh m
    Member
    from ct.

    Wasn't around in the thirties and forties, but some of the buck down guys did use tractor stuff on their midgets and sprints, got that from the late Johnny Kay....they just did a good enough job that the traditional grille police can't tell.
     
  21. notrod13
    Joined: Dec 13, 2005
    Posts: 995

    notrod13
    Member
    from long beach

    its what they were made for
     
  22. Personally I'm tired of seeing a '32 grille shell on every hot rod . The point of hot rodding , in my mind , is to be different . You can go to car shows today and see rows of 'red '32 highboys with an SBC . What's he point ? We might as well all drive white Toyota Celicas so we can be "in" .
     
  23. brado
    Joined: Feb 2, 2006
    Posts: 28

    brado
    Member
    from Ohio

    Traditional and Hot-Rod should not be used in the same sentence.. It's like saying "Different - Like everyone else" I was under the impression that hot-rods originated from people making their cars different and to their own taste. Along with that comes the mentality "If you don't like it, so what?" If they were traditional, they would look like they did when they came off the assembly line. I've seen guys running their cars with PBR cans for radiator overflow tanks. You can't tell me that you can't find something else that looks more "traditional". It's the ease of finding the parts and the style that such person would be looking for.(which I like for that matter.)

    Also, before I start building my 32 era hot-rod what are the guidelines I should follow to make it a "traditional hot-rod?"
     
  24. Mazooma1
    Joined: Jun 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,545

    Mazooma1
    Member

    Geez..let it go, guys...its Christmas
     
  25. white64
    Joined: Sep 15, 2008
    Posts: 672

    white64
    Member
    from Maine

    I don't think you could park a car that said "Cockshutt: on the grill where I work... someone would complain about it not being politically correct...

    And what is this all about anyway..? This kind of arrogance, about what you had on your car in the first place, was why a lot of people got out of building street rods.. because you had to have billit, and a set of $2000 Boyd's, $5000 pastel paint jobs etc etc...

    Has that same group of people that said your rod had to be a certain way traveled to the "rat rod" community? Isn't this breaking from the "Street Rod" mega dollar cars and being individuals what started this new wave of old rods and run what yah got?

    I don't care what a guy has on the front of his car, as long as it's not my dog he just ran into... but an ex-wife..? that would be kewl as hell!
     
  26. I agree with the too many Deuce grilles on Model A sentiment. If a guy is going to change the grille it should be what he likes for HIS car. I'm changing my Model A grille to put an electric pusher fan behind the new one, can't hide an electric fan, or anything else, behind a Model A grille. I looked at tractor grilles, didn't work for me but I have seen some that I liked.
     
  27. SOCAL PETE
    Joined: Oct 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,204

    SOCAL PETE
    Member
    from Ramona CA


    And of course, with the birth of the artist came the inevitable afterbirth - the critic
     
  28. NITRONOVA
    Joined: Sep 3, 2008
    Posts: 184

    NITRONOVA
    Member

    HUH..... I realy got turned on to the old rods because of the idea of expressing any build stlye you wish and yet still looking good. Looks like the old rods are going "cookie cutter" with some of the responses. I say build what you think looks good...the hell with what people think! How do you think the "super builders" like boyd, troy and the likes define the differences??? I have always liked the segment HOT ROD mag does called "DARE TO BE DIFFERENT". It's creativity that drives this culture. ......other wise everyone would just buy new cars! And thank God they don't!
     
  29. You know, I can see both sides to this argument. Yeah its being different and yeah a lot of cars have 32 grilles.
    BUT.............
    The tractor grilles have as much to do with the HAMB as billet rocker covers. They should stay on the rat rod sites. It has been said again and again, they are not traditional.
    This is a traditional site.
    Niff'said.
    Can we close this now.

    PS They look like ass on any car.
     
  30. KreaturesCCaustin
    Joined: Sep 3, 2008
    Posts: 1,258

    KreaturesCCaustin
    Member
    from Austin, TX

    I do remember seeing an old dirt track racer that belonged to friend of my dad. It had a tractor grille shell and it was built in about 1954. Just because it wasn't popular then, doesn't mean it wasn't done at all. Granted, most tractor shells look like a dumpster hanging in front of the car, but some look cool and it absolutely WAS done back then. Just not often. No, you won't see a them in the 'little pages', but you don't see that many dirt racers in those pages either. Doesn't mean they didn't exist. Just my .02

    Build what you want. If someone bitches about it not being 'traditional', ask them how old they are and if they were alive and hot rodding in 1954. If they weren't, then they're like me; relying upon what someone else says is right or wrong.

    As for the green ride with the tractor shell, those lines meld perfectly with the original cowl. Looks like it was made for that car. Not my cup of tea, but it works in that application.
     
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