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Been out of the loop for a while, but trying to get back in it.
I’m building on a dent for a few years or should say been sitting on a project.
i should have bought the grille shell 10 years ago when the were readily available for $500.
so the question is where the best place to get a really nice shell?
All last year Dennis Carpenter kept saying couple more months and now I don’t see them listed at all.
I bought the steel chrome grill from LMC and it was one of the best decision I made on my build. Looks great! Don’t know how the chrome will stand up but it looks good right now and I would buy it again in a heart beat. Very minimal filing to get the park lights to fit in the whole perfectly. Did I have to file? No, but I wanted it to look as perfect as I could get it.
I've heard many folks on these forums say to avoid LMC due to their stuff being flimsy and poor quality. My 76 has a repop grill shell. Not sure where it came from but it's a lot thinner metal. Been on the truck for about 25 yrs and it really shows. I have an original Ford shell waiting to go on the truck and comparing the 2 its way obvious the repop is not as good. Just my.02
The chrome one I bought is much heavier since it is made out of steel. Not flimsy at all! I kept my restoration to all NOS FORD other than the grill and the bumpers. I personally would never trade this grill for a FORD NOS grill. This is so much heavier and so shiny. Now if you don’t like the shinny that’s a different deal altogether but for as far as durability the finish will be the wild card.
The chrome one I bought is much heavy since it is made out of steel. Not flimsy at all! I kept my restoration to all NOS FORD other than the grill and the bumpers. I personally would never trade this grill for a FORD NOS grill. This is so much heavier and so shiny. Now if you don’t like the shinny that’s a different deal altogether but for as far as durability the finish will be the wild card.
Very nice. It does look good. Glad to know it's heavier and more durable. Mine is bent from leaning on in it.
i’ve always wanted either a NOS or one off the original tooling.
73 Hi-Boy 428
as an engineer, I an curious about the chromed steel. Definitely should be a heavier sturdier piece. One concern is the quality of the chrome for durability. Rust coming through would **** me off. And I just not sure i like the shiny over the OEM Aluminum look. But I will say, it looks great on your truck.
it would be cool af if they stamped it out of polished Stainless.
Wonder whats going on with carpenter and the original tooling? Why no inventory, with tooling and such demand.
thanks to Mod for the supply list.
I’ve got some research to do but, I’ll let you know my findings
Dennis Carpenter has had intermittent stock on the 78/79 grille shell over the last year or so. I purchased one from them 2 months ago. Just keep a close eye on their website. When stock does show up, they’re usually sold out in a few days.
Been out of the loop for a while, but trying to get back in it.
I’m building on a dent for a few years or should say been sitting on a project.
i should have bought the grille shell 10 years ago when the were readily available for $500.
so the question is where the best place to get a really nice shell?
All last year Dennis Carpenter kept saying couple more months and now I don’t see them listed at all.
What year grille shell are you looking for. I have a decent oem 73-77 shell.
I have no issue with the LMC grills. I used one for 12 years, but now it is time to replace. I can't polish out the scratches left by a engine hoist.
I prefer the modified LMC grill over the oe look. To me, it looks better.https://www.lmctruck.com/1973-79-for...et-grille-sets
After being in auto body and seeing what happens to aftermarket chrome bumpers once they get some road chips, I wouldn't run an aftermarket steel chromed grille, especially one at that price with only a 5yr warranty. Once it starts rusting it's all downhill unless you want to get it chemically stripped. You cant grind or sandblast these things, they're too thin to handle the heat involved in those processes with stripping chrome. Add in the fact the chrome aluminum grille is cheaper and it's not a hard decision.
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