HI

NEWBIE here, asking questions for a Frend without a computer so PLEASE bear with me.

My buddy has a 1954 F250 long bed. He has been working on for over 15years.
I got the fire going on him. WE made a NEW bed last year. looks great. Please forgive this part. 3/4ton chevy axles and Ford super duty springs with a Chevy drivetrain from a 94 Blazer. Every year he works and spends a couple hundred dollars in parts then thats it tell next year so it is going slow. and it;'s that time again to go to Columbus Ohio All Ford swap meet. which real get's him and me going on the projects.

This year we want to get the Grill on and his Question is what will it take to install a 1956 Grill on a 1954 with 1954 radiator support. How hard is it to do. OR does somebody have and want to part with a 1954 and how much.?

 

To install a 56 grill you will have to modify or exchange the air dams behind the grill, it's all because of the head light pots. If you are buying a grill at a swap meet you will likely find the air dams there a well or you can buy repops from some of the vendors that advertise on this site, cost about $60-70 dollars.

 

By the way welcome to the site.

 

Welcome

Many here will agree that the 54 grill is the ugly duckling of the 53-56 Effies. Switching grills between the different mid-fifty Ford pickups is a common modification.

Switching out the 54 grill will involve either patching the gravel pan to close the dimples for the 54 grill "teeth", or replacing it with an aftermarket one. The 56 grill has recessed headlight buckets that required a dimple in the air dams behind the grill to make room for the headlight bucket that sticks rearward further. You will need to either cut holes in the air dams or replace them with 56's. The park light brackets, lens frames and lenses are also unique to the 56 model. You'll have to deal with replacing them also, although they are not very expensive as new aftermarket stuff.

An easier route might be to replace the 54 grill with either a 53 or 55 grill, which use the same air dams and park light hardware.

The 56 grill is the only one that is commonly available as a chrome unit, either stock or aftermarket.

 

Welcome ! Lots of new folks today - Great !!!

 

Basically, if you have a '54, you need all of the parts at the front of the nose for a '56 in order to go the bolt on route. The only parts that are the same, are the hood, the hood locking panel, and of course the fenders/inner fenders. You can also use the '54's radiator frame. You need the grille, air deflectors, gravel pan, headlights, park lights, and center grille support for a 56 in order for it to work.

 

Thanks for the info, I will pass the info on to my buddy. One reason for him to use the 56 grill was he came up with one in fiberglass . And that the 54 grill is not repoped yet. At lest that is what I think he told me a couple months ago.

 

Anything but a 54 grille.

 

The '54s are were the leat produced model year for 53-56 Ford trucks. If you have an original 54, then it may be worth more to restore it, or at the very least, keep all the original parts. The 54 is gaining in popularity, and it currently has more value according to appraisers, insurance inspecters, and museum experts, than even the 56.

 

Glad to hear that original 54`s are making a comeback. I think they look great as stock.

 

Welcome to the board. I myself have a 54. I prefer the 54 grille to the 56. The 54 is bulky looking but it also can be beautiful. Remember that its harder to get some parts. I had to spend $450. for my 54 grille, in chrome of course. The gravel pan can be hard to find. IMHO I would steer clear of fiberglass grille, I think it would/could break. Good luck on your friends truck. Kurt G. Y-blocks rule.

 

Those 54 "sharks tooth" grilles are getting really hard to find. Most folks hated them and put the 53 (which is very similar looking superficially to the 56) or the "V" front 55 grille. You see very few of the 54s. That grille is one of the very few things that distinguished the 54 from the other two years (53/55)

 

I'm still kicking myself in the **** for letting the one I had go to the wrecking yard.

 

Apparently there are appraisers, insurance inspectors, and museum experts out there that don't know their **** from a hole in the ground...

 

You should check the recent statistics. NADA, Old Cars Price Guide, Hagerty, etc. They all have the base value of the 54 more than $2500 more than the 56 in all restoration categories. Currently, the 55 is categorized as the most valuable. The biggest reason for the change, look at the 56 F-100, and then buy everything to buiild it from scratch through mail order. Ever vehicle (statistically) that is buildable in its entirety from a box, causes the value of the real McCoy to go down. The aftermarket production of the 56 F-100 has destroyed its ability to remain the most valuable of the 53-56 ford F-100's.