Can any HAMBers send me pics or explain the best method to convert a stock Merc Pan/Grill to an 11 tooth Desosto Pan/Grill. I recently purchased a Desoto pan and grill and I'm trying to figure out the best way to fabricate it into my existing pan or replace it all together. This has been done a 100 times and I'm certain someone has photos or good advice to share. Thanks
You actually use both pans to do it right in my opinion, as badbob said slddmatt pretty much has it down I think, I have not seen one of his in person but from pics they look right. You have to have the Desoto pan for the teeth in the front then the merc pan sectioned and welded to the sectioned Desoto pan to complete the fitment to the rear of the grill shell, hard to explain but if you set them out on the floor kinda sit one on top of the other you will understand, you also have to trim the edges of the Desoto pan to fit to the merc fenders to get the grill to sit back into the grill shell where you want it to be, this is very important, you have to make sure it is in the right place, if they are too far back they look like ****, if they are too far forward they look like ****, you have to get it right! LOL! Anyways....enough of my ramblings..Jim
Ok i have done one or two but its been awhile so my pics are old school film type so i can not shear them on here. You will need atleast 11 teeth to fill the mouth of a 49/51 merc. Then atleast 3/4 of the center of the desto pan. The part that the teeth bolts to and about 4" longer on each side and the ends from a merc pan the part that bolted the fenders. The one thing i see that i realy do not like about your normal desoto grill install is the grill profile is way to flat to the hood and just looks cheese to me. So when i install them i first reprofile the desoto pan to add more V to them by making small pie cuts in the desoto pan under each tooth. Then you basicly cut and blend the two pans together. The other thing that i see that looks cheese is the bumper does not match the grill & hood profile. Also o see alot of the desoto bumper used with these desoto teeth but they look way to heavy on the front of a merc. The 51 merc bumper pinched & reprofiled and smoothed makes a real nice looking combination imop GB, Erickson Extreme Kustoms 951 378-3520
Oh i forget i had this pic in the computer. This one Extreme Kustoms did not do but its very close to how i do them for some reason!!!!! GB, Erickson Extreme Kustoms 951 678-3520
here are a few pics for ya. placement is the key, too far forward and you look like bucky beaver to far in and the front edges of the teeth dont get covered by the bumper..You can slide the bumper in to a degree, but then the car looks like it doesnt have a chin.. Sams merc has one of those rare 12 tooth desoto grilles
o.k. just gonna say it... i have a 51 merc and it seems eveyone changes the grill to make it kustom....im leaving mine alone so that it actually is kustom, i like a merc to look like ... a merc ..why change a beautiful grill.. but if you already purchased it... knock it out
Merc grilles are very nice, i have a 51 that has a desoto pan in it, im swaping it out to put an original grille back in...Theres just a lot of people out there that love those big *** buck teeth!!
I see i am not alone that the stock Merc grill is just a thing of beauty in stock form or even with a little twist put on them. For the last 5 years or so we have been taken out more of these big teeth Desoto grills than put in. GB, Erickson Extreme Kustoms 951 678-3520
The install works best if you have the ends of the original '51 pan like other people have mentioned. Although some people think the DeSoto grill is played out on Mercs, I still think it looks cl***y. Finding nice DeSoto grill teeth is the real challenge haha. Matt and Rick, those look great...and like you guys mentioned, hiding the front edge of the teeth and having them in the right spot in the grill shell is essential. Here is a '53 DeSoto grill and pan I did on Lee's '51 Merc.
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