Technical Help with custom grille ID - Hope to NOT stump the HAMB

I wonder what the mounting holes in the grill look like. I would think if it was 1 piece there would be two in the center piece and on at each end of the spears. If the center piece and spears are separate I would think there be two holes for the center piece and then holes at both ends of each spear .

 

This is really close I think. If the center piece was redone...maybe? Saw it on this forum, they think its aftermarket. https://forums.aaca.org/topic/261431-buick-grille-ornament-fits-on-what-year-and-model/

 

At first I thought it could be ‘55 Buick grille trim. Not so sure about that now, but I have one at my shop. Will dig it out and compare.

However, I am sure it is a Buick piece......front or rear. Will keep looking...

Ray

 

True, but I don't think this particular one is the 55 Buick one.






55 Buick

 

Thanks, Mark.

 

I'll look for a close pic of this one. Maybe.....

 

Do you own that one?

 

Thanks, everyone for your efforts. I'll try to get in touch with the owner of that piece to get measurements.

 

The folks at the AACA forum thought it was aftermarket. If that center piece is 3 inches, eyeballing it makes the spears 9" which puts us at 21". That probably isn't specifically it, but if a company made something aftermarket like that with a Buick emblem, what else did they make like that. Might be worth trying to find a 50's JC Whitney catalog and flipping through it. Maybe its aftermarket and thats why in the article he just said he found it in a junkyard and didnt mention off from what.

 

Here is a pic of the mesh part of the grille. When I got it, it had 2 small teardrop trim pieces (not original). You can see the ghost image on the close up. The original holes in the mesh are shown as 4 5/8" apart and are right in the center. There is another hole just to the right of the right hole. I believe that one is not original. There are no other holes in the mesh.

 

I have a 1958 Almquist catalog that I looked through but I didn't see any of these grille bars, although I think a JC Whitney or Honest Charlie's would be a better bet to find stuff like that. Almquist didn't have a whole lot of custom stuff in it.

 

Then it would have to be one piece I would think, I have kind of been thinking the spears have been separate. Maybe the spears could go over the centerpiece and hold it down, but you would think there would be some mounts at the end, like this picture from a 57 Buick emblem. The second pic is a 15 inch old fridge badge. Even that has 4 mounting pins.

If its all one piece that makes it less likely something he made and more likely something he found right?

 

I agree it would be a 1 piece unit. With the mounting studs of the aftermarket piece shown above, it looks like an even more likely candidate. That piece looks like it's aluminum so it probably wouldn't need studs at the ends. I think we're pinning it down.

 

Check this out in the classifieds...I know it's not right but kind of cool...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/nos-motoramic-kustom-grill-bar.1216024/

 

That's it right? The answer was here all along: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vintage-jc-whitney-car-accessories.1103184/

 

I think you got it

 

Great find! @Barn Hunter needs a wake up call!

 

Looks like it could be it. Now to track down an old J.C. Whitney accessory!! Mark said the original one scaled off to about 21 inches and this is 22 inches.

 

I think raylloyd has it here! The hard part might be finding one, but damn, that sure looks like it.

I'm finally going to be able to sleep. Thanks raylloyd!

 

You and me both! Has to be it.

 

An option, make a pattern and have it cast out of aluminum.
https://crafty-b.com/pages/about-us

Sent from my SM-G973U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

After seeing that overlay comparison, I'm convinced, every proportion is right, and also the advertised width is so close to the scaled estimate.

And that would still track with the builder's story of him finding it in a junkyard. Somebody with an older car could have bought one out of the catalog, stuck it on their car, maybe to dress up an old, used car, then the car either got wrecked or just junked from age, when the builder stumbles on it in the yard. Honestly, the builder might not have known it wasn't a factory part if he pulled it off a wreck in a junkyard.

 

This is always an option. We'll see what comes up first. I would like to see one of the Whitney pieces in person.

 

I also found this on the internet, hard to tell if that's the same piece as the better picture or not, but figured I'd add it just in case, the JC whitney part numbers might be useful for searches. This catalog was marked 1955 #112 by whoever posted the pic.

 

Unfortunately, that isn't it. When I look at the blowup @raylloyd posted, the spear is one piece, notched for the center section. The other problem with is that the roundel in the center is too large. If the spear is roughly 21-22", the roundel can't be 4", which the catalog piece is.

 

You may be right, its really hard to be certain based on the quality of the pics. But I personally feel really really good that this is it. Like Squablow said, it fits the story in the article. I am not good with photoshop, but below is the only pic i could find of one on a car. I really think it is it, and the look of the blown up one is just reflections and shadows of a low quality photo being blown up.

 

Maybe there is a dusty shelf, in LaSalle, Illinois .. .. with a dirty, torn package .. containing a Motoramic JC Whitney No. 14179 bomb sight spear grille bar ?

Or .. .. maybe there isn't.

I too .. feel good that the mystery is solved, but now a new mystery evolved. Where would one obtain such a quinky dink item today ?