One of the things I enjoy most about this forum is the open sharing of ideas which might inspire others. I’ve been so inspired, in this case by Leadfoot Lambert and his 55 Buick grille bar. It has an almost factory appearance in fit and proportion:
I’ve never really been content with the GMC letters on my truck, mainly over maintenance issues and also because the G and C are hidden by the fog lamps. The letters are a pita to wash, especially when they are covered in bugs. I tried eliminating them before, but the shape of the Plymouth grille bar I used didn’t blend in well enough. I also considered a custom effort similar to a conventional tube grille, but it would have been made out of cast acrylic rod and illuminated from each end. Ultimately I thought it would be too much and not a good fit with the rest of the truck layout.
I really like the fit and shape of the Buick bar. Painted white to match the front end, I think it will offer somewhat of an Oldsmobile-like appearance.
Here’s my pathetic photoshop attempt at mounting a 55 Buick grille bar in my truck:
I’ve reduced the photo size which seems to make it look a bit more realistic. The entire bar and center housing will be Rustoleum white like the grille and bumper, but I can’t replicate the white center housing with my limited photo editing skills. I have several ideas for the emblem, including the original Buick center. But again my attempts at switching emblems digitally look terrible, so I’ll just have to wait for the grille bar to arrive so I can start experimenting for real.
Here’s what an original Buick emblem looks like, which I like. Of course the one I bought doesn’t look anywhere near this nice:
The Buick grill bar should arrive early next week. Painting and mounting should be easy, but figuring out the final center emblem may take some time.