Sectioned or lowered 32 grill shell

[MGL]

I'm building a channeled 32 5 window with a Z'ed frame in a sort of modern traditional style (I know, you don't need to point out the contradiction). I'm looking for opinions on what would be more appropriate (not necessarily accurate), sectioning the grill shell or lowering it? I see pictures all over the internet of either approach. I think lowering it between the frame rails may work better with what I'm trying to do but would like to stay true to the spirit of an east coast style hot rod. Thanks in advance. 

[1930fordpickup]

A west coast guy building an east coast car!!!!! LOL I like you use of the term Modern Traditional Style. I think you just nailed this current movement. 

Mark my 2 cents, is if it is a T or an A roadster the sectioned grill is fine. Just looks funny to me when it is done to a 30 or later car with a roof. Not sure why just my taste I guess. 

[Phirewriter]

The Model Car Garage has a couple of nice chopped Deuce shells in resin with photo etched grills in their line. They might be appropriate for your application.

[MGL]

A west coast guy building an east coast car!!!!! LOL I like you use of the term Modern Traditional Style. I think you just nailed this current movement. 

Mark my 2 cents, is if it is a T or an A roadster the sectioned grill is fine. Just looks funny to me when it is done to a 30 or later car with a roof. Not sure why just my taste I guess. 

I'm actually an east coast guy stuck on the wrong coast because of my job! You make a good point about sectioned grills in roadsters, I never noticed before but the only time it looks right on a car with a roof is if it has a severe chop and a hood. No chop and no hood looks better with moving the grill down to my eyes. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Every car is different. You  I do what looks best in each individual situation.

Sectioned AND lowered here...

The body has been channeled the full height of the frame rails, and the top of the rad shell lowered to line up with the cowl correctly. But this lowering ALSO would result in the bottom of the rad shell being below the pavement. A careful sectioning job corrects this, and also avoids to often poor proportions of heavily chopped rad shells.

Even if you use a PE insert, it's fairly easy to customize it to for a sectioned rad shell EXACTLY with some precise work.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[tim boyd]

The Model Car Garage has a couple of nice chopped Deuce shells in resin with photo etched grills in their line. They might be appropriate for your application.

x2.....just what I was going to suggest.  

Either grille/radiator shell approach would be "correct" as far as I am concerned, but whichever it is, my view is that the top of the grille/radiator shell should be no higher than a line drawn forward from the cowl area of the body.    Depending on how much you've channeled the body, a sectioned grille might be the only way to achieve this alignment. 

Sounds like a very cool project.....TIM

; 

 

 

[Misha]

Agree with Tim that the rad shell ought to line up horizontally with the cowl. Depending on the the amount that the body is sectioned or channeled will determine if the grill needs to be sectioned to avoid scrapping the ground. With my example below the body was channeled and the rad shell sectioned a scale three inches to give it its stance. Fairly straight forward procedure, even when using the chrome grill.

Cheers Misha

 

Edited April 9, 2017 by Misha
spelling

[Greg Myers]

Here ya go, or the American Graffitti kit

[Ace-Garageguy]

The importance of proportion and line can not be overstated when it comes time to do the rad shell.

The original American Graffiti car had a rad shell that was sectioned too much, and always looked goofy to me. A shell with that much chopped out of it would be appropriate for a channeled car, but not one like this, where the body sits on top of the frame rails.

A rework of the basic idea gets the rad shell looking right in relation to the rest of the car. See the difference?

                                                                                   

The BEST way to get the radiator shell right is to use a hood to mock up the top of it relative to the cowl, AFTER the body has been channeled the amount you want. THEN, figure out the amount of sectioning that will be required to bring the bottom of the shell up to where it won't be torn off on every speed bump.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[Dennis Lacy]

Absolutely full-length, lowered to line up with the cowl. 

Exhibit A: The infamous Tom Branch channeled '32 Roadster. 

Hosted on Fotki

[Lunajammer]

Slanty, slanty. With the top angled back upright again and level with cowl.

[MGL]

Thanks for all the great responses, I think I will keep it full length unless the bottom falls below the axle beam. Tim and Dennis, you guys should collaborate on an article about proportions for hot rods, maybe Bill could contribute.