Anyone mount a deuce grill shell on a 28-29 body using a hood? I've got a 28 roadster body that I want to use a 32 shell on. I really want to run a hood. I just picked up a 29 hood. The grill sits about 3 inches too high. Do I need to trim the grill down? Any pics of this done? Thanks for the help....
To me it's a combination of either one or the other...or both....sectioning the grill shell(not my favorite), or cutting the slots on the lower outside edges higher into the shell.
Yeah, I'd prefer not sectioning it. I like the tall look of the 32 shell. Ive looked at a few pics and it looks like the slots on the bottoms are cut higher. Not a problem. Ill wait to do it when I have the body mounted where it needs to be.
Hey Josh, are you gonna run a deuce frame?? and if not are you channeling it? I can scan a few shot from the little books
Its on a deuce frame and no it wont be channeled. Thanks John... Im going for a late 30s to just post war, hot rod look for it. I want it to look like a lakes/daily driver car.
i cant help any,but real curious. theres a badd**** 28-29 roadster w/32 shell and rails and duvall style windshied in the latest rodders journal. it has a polished aluminum hood. it looks so*****in badd! its in the "birth of hotrodding" story, when i get rid of the junk i have now,thats what i want to build.
Trim the sides of the shell at the bottom til it looks right. Lower the shell and run a stock insert. We just did this on a 29 Touring, looks good.
I've read that the 29 on 32 rails car requires a 4" grille shell drop. Before I'd do that much, I'd sneak up on it a bit. Run masking tape like in the pic below - I know, 31 on 32 rails, but the theory applies - and lower the grille shell by tipping it. By tipping it I mean push the lower part of the grille shell out to the front until you're happy with the hood line. The hood line should follow the angle of the cowl top. And if you look close at the pic below and hold a straight edge up to the picture you'll see the grille shell is too high. I went down 1" on my 31 and it made all the difference in the world as far as having the 'right' appearance goes. Note too that the rear of the 31's body went down a little farther after this pic was taken. I go along with T-Man as well. Trim the sides and run a full length insert. Trimming easily done by a 1/16" small diameter grinding disc in a muffler cutter or die grinder or even a 3/8" drill with home-made arbor. (Arbor = headless bolt, nut and washers.) Sectioning the grille shell takes some body working skills and sectioning the insert is a******. Save the cut off pieces of lower grill shell sides as well. And be careful when turning the rounded corner. The round corner can be laid out by a can or similar of the same diameter as the original grille shell cut. Doing the grille shell by cutting the sides and keeping the full length insert adds to the allusion of lowness. My 32 is lower than the 31, but the 31's grille shell is further down in the frame and makes the 31 look like the lower of the two. Just be careful you don't get so far down that the bottom nose of the grille shell is in danger from speed bumps and driveways.
The Jalopy Journal
