Looking for some ideas for my 55 Desoto.....The grille was gone when I got it. I've got a pair of 56 Desoto front bumperettes (with the light in them.) and I'm open to suggestions.
When you first posted that i thought, it would look bitchin with and only fair to have one of the '49-'51 Mercury or Ford grills in it. Or if you need the "bumps" filled, a couple of bumper guards in there with just a straight bar across....or '55 Pontiac grill and bumper maybe? the one with the upright guards. I think that since it had the "tooth" grill that everyone else uses, going real simple on the Desoto would be the way to go.
I have a couple bumper guards from a 56. They have directionals or parking lights in them and fit the bumper (same bumper 55 and 56). I was thinking about a couple stainless bars vee-ed in the center slightly to fill the space. Kind of like an old tube grille.
Hard to argue with the original Desoto's design, one of Virgil Exner's best to be sure. But a pricey grille to find. My first photoshop shows the car with a '54 grille like I have, with the bumps in the grille surround shaved and using '53 Chevy parking lights in place of the original Desoto ones (a bolt-in swap because they're the same diameter and they're glass instead of the Desoto's plastic which tends to get foggy) I'll look around for a pic that shows the '56 bumper guards and try to incorporate them into another Photoshop, with some kind of tube grille like you were talking about. I tried to graft on a '50 Merc grille, but damn, that was ugly. Looked like a Plymouth with a mouthful of shit.
like any cool custom piece stolen from another car, a 55 desoto grill looked like shit in a 55 desoto but kicks as in anything else id say something that can fill the cavity well 49-50 merc would work as well as 57 buick or 54 buick just my opinion but i thik a full grill would work better than somehting w/ teeth
Hey Reverend, if you can bolt your '56 guards to your front bumper, or just stick them in place long enough to take a nice straight-on frontend shot, I can add a tube grille or whatever you have in mind in Photoshop. Just a thought.
the 55 and 56 DeSoto had one of the best grills ever. I'd be trying to find one if'n it was mine. I run a 55 Plymouth, and if it did'nt have such a mint grill already, I'd be looking for one of those.
I've got a 56 coming. maybe tomorrow. Here's a pic I found on the web. Still interested in the 54 Squablow, funds are a little short. I do have Harley parts!!
could just use the 55 grill and get rid of the big mounting teeth and replace it with 2 regular teeth and float it and fill the humbs in the body... off topic, but talking about 55 desoto, I want to buy 2dr 55/56 desoto side trim
Don't worry, that '54 grille ain't goin' nowhere. If I get some playtime tonight, I'll do a couple photoshop ideas on that '56 picture. I tried to do the Merc grille in there, but it just looked awful. I do like those '56 guards, I'll try to incorporate them.
I finally picked up the 56 4 dr today. It runs fine, has no reverse and you have to pump the brakes to make it stop...So, It's like new. I ordered a later model dual reservoir brake master cylinder for the 55 so I'll throw that in tomorrow. I don't need reverse if I don't go backwards....and I'll put the 55 tranny in this one...put a th350 in the 55. (in the near future) I had a great idea for the 55 grille. I'll pick up some stainless brake tubing tomorrow and fabricate a web design to fill where the 56's grille would have been. Small sections on either side of the bumperettes and a larger version, assymetecial) in the center. FTS,
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