1960 Grille insert photos wanted

[roadkillontheweb]

I would like to make a grille insert for the 3/8 scale 1960 Thunderbird JR. I need some good photos showing how the cross bars in the grille fit in and what angles they go at.
I already have the taillight bezels and lenses so I just need the grille insert to be able to offer the parts to recreate a 1960 Thunderbird JR.

[arizonajack]

Here's a couple of front grille photos I found online:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/11/264095783_34978c1d82_o.jpg

http://cthst.com/vanguardmotorsales///1Y161369-10sm.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/11124355176_207e727a89.jpg

And here's a photo of the 1960 Tbird I had in 1967.

[roadkillontheweb]

Does anyone have their grille out of the car that they can take photos of? I would like to see the side profile to see how each fin looks at profile.

[Anders]

I would like to make a grille insert for the 3/8 scale 1960 Thunderbird JR. I need some good photos showing how the cross bars in the grille fit in and what angles they go at.
I already have the taillight bezels and lenses so I just need the grille insert to be able to offer the parts to recreate a 1960 Thunderbird JR.

It looks to me as this is a ī58 or a ī59 front emblem on this mold. Maybe also in the back?

[roadkillontheweb]

It looks to me as this is a ī58 or a ī59 front emblem on this mold. Maybe also in the back?

Yes the mold was made in 1958 and used again in 59 and 60. In the 60 the birds on the front and rear in the mold are filled in with clay prior to starting the lay up process so they are not even on the body. The taillight area of the mold has the round mesh 58 pattern in the mold that is why the 59 and 60 taillights have built in bezels to cover the old pattern.

[Guest]

Hey Anders,
Don't really understand what pictures you need, but hope these will help!
Richard D. Hord

[Anders]

Hey Anders,
Don't really understand what pictures you need, but hope these will help!
Richard D. Hord

Itīs not my thread. itīs roadkillontheweb

Yes the mold was made in 1958 and used again in 59 and 60. In the 60 the birds on the front and rear in the mold are filled in with clay prior to starting the lay up process so they are not even on the body. The taillight area of the mold has the round mesh 58 pattern in the mold that is why the 59 and 60 taillights have built in bezels to cover the old pattern.

My point is that if you are building a ī60 version, you need to change the Thunderbird in the mold as the ī60 have itīs wings strait out and not in 45 degrees. See pic on post #2

[roadkillontheweb]

Hey Anders,
Don't really understand what pictures you need, but hope these will help!
Richard D. Hord

Yes those help a lot. From further away it looked like they came to a point in the front. These pictures show that the bars are flat on the front with some stepped ridges in them.
I am getting a front bumper made now so I can make sure everything fits properly in the bumper.

[roadkillontheweb]

Itīs not my thread. itīs roadkillontheweb

My point is that if you are building a ī60 version, you need to change the Thunderbird in the mold as the ī60 have itīs wings strait out and not in 45 degrees. See pic on post #2

On the 1960 bodies the bird would be missing from the bodies and be added as a separate piece. If a birdroughly 3/8 the size of the front and back birds could not be found they would just need to be cut and cast.

Richard D. Hord
It look like the front might be a stainless piece attached to an argent silver painted sheet metal base. Is this correct? or is it stainless all the way back? The pieces I make will be vacuum formed plastic with the square pattern already in place in the background. If I can not get the vacuum former to work like that then the bars will be cast plastic and the square pattern background will be vacuum formed.

[Guest]

Sorry Anders, had a brain-fart

Hey roadkillontheweb,
The horizontal piece is made like a J, one piece. It is open underneath. The verticals are a U, one piece, piece open in the back. I felt of it and pecked on it. It almost sounds like aluminum with a polished front and flat gray sides. But like before in this post, I can make a mistake. It could be stainless. The back screen, square pattern, is a separate one piece, stainless steel. I found some more pictures on the net. Hope this helps!
Richard D. Hord

[ncbird]

insert photo

The insert is not flat it has a definite crease in the middle and the horizontal bar accentuates it. The center bar actually tapers from the middle out. Here are a couple of pictures I took to show it.

[roadkillontheweb]

The Front bumper mold is at the fiberglass shop getting a bumper built. Tonight I am going to make a set of bumper guards and when I get the bumper I can start making the bar pieces of the grille. I will get pictures posted as I make progress. Thanks