So im not a huge fan of the grills, is there ANY other options as far as interchangeability??? or would i be better off going all out and just making a custom one?
not a fan of ANY of the grills? i like some better than others, but then there are those that like the others better than some. I know that some can fit where others were, but not all others will swap to where some are. Could you be a little more specific? roundbird, wedge, bubbletop, peregrine?
do you like the 60 or 61 fronts? I've got a 62 bubbleglass (grill like yours) and was gonna switch to a 60 or 61, but then i found a 61gasser to put back on the street, I think they are both prettier than my 62 grill. you'll want matching bumpers so you dont have turn/park lamps in both the grill and the bumpers, lol or you can go bumperless if you get a 60-61 rollpan (dont know what it takes for fitment) but the 62 uses that gravel sheild under the bumper, which i doubt would look good exposed.
Thats a nice lookin 62! I had a 63 factory V8 deluxe wagon. Personally I like the 63 grilles the best, the have mostly horizontal bars, a much classier look than the 62 grille. But if you don't like the falcon grilles try the Mercury Commet grilles of the same few years, they had 4 headlights, maybe try the whole front clip off of one, the basic body is the same as a falcon, just different front fenders and tail lights. I still have a 63 Falcon hardtop with a factory 260 and a 4-spd, I even hace an extra 63 grille that is very cherry!
You know the more I look at your wagon the more I like it!!! want to sell or trade?? I live in Twisp, about 2 hours north of Wenatchee
comet front clip can be done but it aint easy, you need to swap the radiator core support also to do it right. 60-61 swap requires all sheetmetal, hood lock support change, easiest change is getting a 63 grille and bezels (need all three pieces) if the vertical look is out. for a REAL change in appearance get an Australian Falcon grille! 14 falcons gone through my hands so far.... holding 2 at this time
change out the front fenders and hood for a 61 - 63 comet and then use that grill better looking and 4 headlights
don't have a link to it, but Holman-Moody built a chopped and sectioned Falcon (two, actually) and went to the trouble of carefully cutting down the stock grille to fit the remaining grille opening. find one of those old Stull (sp?) round tube grilles for a pickup and cut it down maybe; some owners have set the headlight buckets back and run a tube grille from fender to fender, hiding the headlights. just dont cut out a set of shark teeth from sheetmetal and paint them red and put them on. that's just stupid.
thanks for the input guys, thats pretty much what i was thinking, maybe make some buckets, the have some sort of floating grill.. anyone wanna photoshop???
My favorite is the "61 grill. It has more of an inset look to it whereas the '62 and '63 grills are more flush with the front end sheet metal. This is the stocker '61 grill but a nice vertical tube grill with the same shape would look a lot like the old '50's Curtis Kraft and Ferrari grills. The '60 grill has a real fish mouth look to it that is my least favorite.
sweet little delivery! of ALL the roundbody fronts, the 61 looks best. but i have a '62 and no '61 parts around! gonna do my rear wheelwells like that too.
Go custom. I always thought a narrowed similar year meteor grill would look good. Or a crap load of cabinet knobs on a piece of drilled sheetmetal like I have planned for my daily driver '63. Just make sure you don't go too crazy and cut off too much airflow to the radiator.
Here's a pic of a 62 wagon I had. I used a 63 grille because I liked the horizontal lines better. I think it makes the front end look a little wider than the stock 62 grille.
The Jalopy Journal
