When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I recently acquired a '53 F100 and have a question about the '53 grille. I've noticed that some '53 grilles have "teeth" between the horizontal bars. Some, including mine, don't have that feature. Were the teeth indicative of a certain trim level, an option, or?
1953
Deluxe Trim level trucks would have 6 chrome teeth mounted across the grille and a chrome gull wing on each side of the hood surrounding the F100 emblem.
1954
Sometimes the grills are substituted, so maybe you were comparing against the fangs on the 54?
Good info, thanks. Mine is originally a 6 cylinder truck but it has the V8 emblem so I know that's not original. I'd suspect the teeth would be bolted on to a standard grille. Does anyone reproduce them? Edit: I found that they are reproduced. Thanks.
Last edited by bobscogin; Jul 17, 2024 at 09:05 PM.
Hardboard upholstery behind the seat, matching the headliner Outside door locks on both doors (standard cab on passenger door only) Inside light switches on both doors (standard cab optional on driver's door only) Hardboard door panels Arm rests on both doors Locking dispatch box lid Passenger sun visor Stainless trim on drip edge around cab Stainless trim around wing-glass and on the track between the wing and door glass "Boomerang" trim on hood "Teeth" in grille Dual horns
Hardboard upholstery behind the seat, matching the headliner Outside door locks on both doors (standard cab on passenger door only) Inside light switches on both doors (standard cab optional on driver's door only) Hardboard door panels Arm rests on both doors Locking dispatch box lid Passenger sun visor Stainless trim on drip edge around cab Stainless trim around wing-glass and on the track between the wing and door glass "Boomerang" trim on hood "Teeth" in grille Dual horns
Do you have all these in place on your 53, Ken? Standard Cabs are easier to restore....
Those grilles that came from the factory with teeth have two holes per tooth drilled. The teeth are angled to match the slope and angle of the grille bar. If you decide to add teeth to your grille and would like a template to drill these holes, let me know and I can make one off of my grille.
Here are a couple of pics of my grille showing the teeth mounting holes. The edge of the grille where it mounts to the headlight housing is rounded so it's difficult to get an exact measure...that said, I don't think that an exact measure is really necessary in this case. The center hole shows the offset back from the leading edge of the bar...1-1/4 for the front hole and another 11/16 more for the rear hole.
it would cost at least a couple of grand to get a chrome grille today. A pristine NOS grille can be $900-$1,200. (Or more) When one can be found. Then another $700-$800 for the chrome. (Or more)
ETA: the more I think about it, the more I think the chrome plating would be way more than that.
This particular grille is one that I have had for some time now. When I bought it (I believe at a swap meet in SoCal years ago) it was in very good condition so that made it a good candidate for chrome plating. I modified the headlight housings so that I could mount 56 headlights and then I had it plated...my buddy in San Diego had a off-road shop and he used a plater in TJ that he trusted. I only paid $400 to have it plated but after the grille hung in the shop for a few years waiting to be installed on the truck, the chrome failed and the grille was covered in surface rust. In 2020 I moved to the Nashville area and I took it to a local plater here who rechromed the grille for $700. I think that Specialized or one of the other well-known shops would have charged in the $2,500 range but that's just ridiculous for a non-show truck. Here are a couple of pics from a post on FTE from years ago when the topic was recessed headlights in slant cabs.
This particular grille is one that I have had for some time now. When I bought it (I believe at a swap meet in SoCal years ago) it was in very good condition so that made it a good candidate for chrome plating. I modified the headlight housings so that I could mount 56 headlights and then I had it plated...my buddy in San Diego had a off-road shop and he used a plater in TJ that he trusted. I only paid $400 to have it plated but after the grille hung in the shop for a few years waiting to be installed on the truck, the chrome failed and the grille was covered in surface rust. In 2020 I moved to the Nashville area and I took it to a local plater here who rechromed the grille for $700. I think that Specialized or one of the other well-known shops would have charged in the $2,500 range but that's just ridiculous for a non-show truck. Here are a couple of pics from a post on FTE from years ago when the topic was recessed headlights in slant cabs.
I lived in Tijuana for 4 years, great place.. finding people you trust to get work done is really important down there, and everywhere really.
Cordially: Ken
