Technical Need a grille insert idea

Many a great idea, and I think you all. Also many good pics of examples.
Thanks again, appreciate the help!

 

One thing I like about the McNichol stuff that continentaljohn showed is they tell you the open area. Don't believe my expanded metal ranks anywhere near that high.

 

probably hard to find now, but i've seen OLD refrigerator rear cooling grids used as a grille. looked great. i've had my eye out for one for a long time

 

Darby Wire Mesh has the best selection of s/s mesh. Looks much better than the stamped steel

 

The punched sheet material and the honeycomb stuff are too modern looking for my tastes. I like this type of woven stainless mesh because it looks like something from times way back. Cut on a 45-degree bias, instead of cut square, has a nice look but with more material and waste.
Paint it with something tough or epoxy-ish that won't chip (or something easy to touch up) if you prefer.

 

I'd look for some kind of existing grille from a 20/30 model vehicle that could be cut down to fit the opening......something with vertical bars. Or you could lay vertical bars in the backside and melt solder to adhere them to the existing shell. Maybe put a Dodge RAM head emblem near the top.

 

As much as I like vertical bars, I like the Honeycomb look more, but I’ve not completely ruled them out.

 

But, won't it draw bees ? And maybe hungry Bears ?

 

But, all I have to carry is plain toast, pull over and have a snack

 

Hello,

We used to see this ratty looking roadster running around the OC coastal roads. It looked like a one weekend job with left over parts sitting around in backyard garage. We are not sure why he never got a ticket for the open headers as it was loud. The SBC motor held nothing back. it moved quite well. We all know the SBC sound from open headers.


Upon seeing and hearing the roadster running on the local streets, it called for a close up look. Luckily, near several old surfing magazine offices was a popular “sock” company with ties to the surfing industry and shops. It has also taken hold of other sports stars and teams for a stylish look.

We saw the roadster up close and noticed the front grille being a 32 shell, but the vertical bars were missing. It was replaced with a sheet metal open cris-cross screen probably from the custom metal forming shop in the industrial corridor. It fit nicely and allowed plenty of cooling for the SBC motor.

The photo below came from the old Aces Hot Rod show in Huntington Beach.


Jnaki

So, where you live is a little out there near Highway 99, but close to bigger cities like Modesto or Stockton. If necessary, even busy and crowded, San Jose is not that far away. At least you will have a nice cruise through the local mountains to get to the San Jose area. Perhaps, a local search is necessary first. In 1967-75, we took many road trips up Highway 99 to get north or make a break for the Eastside of the SF Bay area.

When I was making a special home computer location inside of a wall system in our old office, I had cut the back wall off of the sealed cabinet. That gave me some clearance and good air for cooling the powerful home computer CPU. But, to get the air circulating, I had to make a custom cut out insert on the front door.

The door panel was easy enough, but the local hardware stores did not have quan***y sizes of the “holey” metal for the insert and air circulation. This custom metal working shop in a local industrial area did all sorts of work in So Cal. So, upon going to the showroom, they had displays of work and samples. I selected a multiple hole design, but not as large as the old Roadster radiator criss-cross pattern.

My pattern was small or large enough to allow plenty of air into the two-wall compartment and move to keep the home computer cool during long use times. But, during the hot summers, the CPU unit still stayed relatively cool, so a USB powered external fan was attached to “help” move the air along its intended path. The sealed compartment was hidden and the custom steel insert was a nice addition.

For your specific truck, I had already bookmarked 1935 Dodge Truck as one of my future Friday Art drawings with some custom modifications. I start them and as time marches on, get more ideas for additions or subtractions with stories, then take a break until the ideas start popping around the old brain, again.

To quickly find the stock solution, perhaps it would be a one-time purchase and not have to worry about making your own. As is the case, sometimes stock is the best to go along with any custom or nice looking hot rod.

1933-35 DodgeTruck Grill Insert (16-1351T)

 

Well @jnaki you named some of my stomping grounds. I lived in the Bay Area for 20+ years, work in Stockton now and spent the first 3 years and change of my life in Modesto. I did rent a place in SJ for a year as well.
Tell the truth, your an ex-PI

 

I used this screen door grille from Lowes on my model a. It comes powder coated in black, white, or bronze. This is the only picture I have at the moment.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/M-D-Door-Grille-24in-x-30-36in-White/1000880562

 

When you get a chance could you take a pic from the front so I can get a better look? No rush, but I’m off work after next week and will be p***ing by a Lowes on the way to a place that can strip my shell.
Thanks.

 

Here's another I found. It was new in this picture, now several years later, it's not so bright white anymore, but still looks decent. I can snap some more this weekend if you want.

 

Thanks Dave, that would do the trick.

 

Hey B36,

Thank you for your nice comment. I learned in college how to do some drastic research techniques and locations. In high school, it was fun and games. But, afterwards, it was serious business in between surfing trips and inland road trip vacations as well as attending those long cl***es along the way.

I lived in San Jose in 1965. Exploring the whole SF Bay Area from the home base all the way to the coastline and into the local hills, including Berkeley (an intense place). Dragstrips, speed shops, surf spots in SF and Santa Cruz coastlines and also, other geographical fun places to visit, inland lakes and mountain roads/views, etc. It was a new experience that I could not let slide, while I was in some new areas of California. Consequently, it took me a year to catch up, recover, and get better grades after all of the visitations of such a cool area experiences.

Jnaki

By the time I got my act together, I moved back to Long Beach and greater So Cal. Met my wife, became very independent and we both started traveling just about everywhere. From then, we took trips up/down California from 1966 and our last road trip was in 2019, before the pandemic put a lockdown on traveling.

It is/was difficult to see the inland areas and even the coastal cities become so involved in growth. What used to be a nice drive along Highway 99 (or Highway 101/Highway 1 along the coast) from small towns/cities to the next became a highway congestion and need for road awareness while driving. Much has changed, but, so have we... Yikes!

A P.I. ??? That would have been a great job for the both of us, as we loved doing research back in the stacks of local college libraries and old book stores. "Knowledge never gets old..."