can anyone tell me if the lower grill sections interchange between a standard and deluxe 38 ford car? I’ve got a deluxe grill but my car is a standard. I’m wondering if the trim is the only difference of if it’s a totally different grill all together? Thanks in advance for any info Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I as well have a 38 Standard, and it seems by counting bars the number of bars is different between the deluxe grill image you have posted and what I counted on the standard grill shells I own. Showing two sets, before gl*** beading, the one grill set was purchased as a NOS damaged 38 Standard grill, it came without trim holes. I have no explanation for it or a couple other anomalies I've noticed in the differences between parts. I would be curious to see how your grill measured, fit in comparison for height , width and curve. My guess is, and it's just a guess, it could be made to fit if you had no choice but to use it but again, that's just a guess.
Maybe so. Possibly...Could be. I think your correct Ray. 38 deluxe and 39 standard share a look alike. If the difference between the 39 standard and 38 standard is simply holes for trim then that could have been the case with the grill I used for parts. I don't know? I'm uncertain to what was done in the Ford factory. Also, with my cars, the dates of manufacture differ from an early to a late in the model year maybe accounting for the slight difference I have noticed? I have always ***umed Henry would have used up and adapted into adjacent years of production. While sold to me as 38 Standard grill 1/2 shells, it had no trim holes, but it did fit the hole spacing between the fenders. I wasn't using a 39 grill center brace, hood or side panels nor had them to check for fitment so I'm again left to guess. Will it fit...I guess that depends on what other parts are used. Having two cars, one that came mostly intact, it has been the apple to the apple to compare to. I had to procured parts for the front end of the second car so all I can do is compare what I got to what I bought. That said, the second car body came with one tail light, one wiper and had mechanical brakes as a clue to it's styling. I have noticed slight changes to the side panels yet those are both specific to the 38 standard model in design. The dip along the top rail stood out, both left and right equally matched, yet absent on the other set? The hood as well, again slight changes round hole to a rectangle opening. The hole are all in the same location. Maybe that hood was a 37 hood? Appears to fit however. Once again throwing out an "I'm guessing", I've always attributed changes to the fact dies had worn down, tool and die stamping methods improved or changed, and it's easier to remove metal to change a shape then to build up and make crisp a body line by adding metal. Hence the fatter fenders and rounding of the model years that followed. As far as it goes however, I'd guess there is a difference, slight, but different. Counting the bars would suggest there is. I would guess it could be sectioned in and no one would notice. Other then the absence of holes for trim, seems to have worked for me to some degree.
The bottom half of grille is different between standard and deluxe.. Top half, hood and fenders are also different... **clic pic**