1939 Ford Grille Peak

We started with a piece of 14-gauge sheetmetal 4 inches long and made into a channel the same width as the center grille bar. We took another piece of sheetmetal and matched the shape of the hood peak at one end, tapering to flat at the other, over a span of 3 feet. This can be hand-formed or you could go to a sheetmetal shop to have the pieces bent on a brake.

To weld to the center bar, we had to remove the primer. An air sander and grinding wheel work great.

Since the peaking will start at the top of the grille, we had to fill the hood-latch relief in the center grille bar. Using the 4-inch-long channel we made, we measured the exact length needed, then cut it to size.

The hood-latch relief is curved, so we had to trim the filler piece to match.

When the filler channel fit perfectly into the relief in the grille, we were ready to start the peaking procedure. We started by welding the 3-foot-long metal strip to the filler channel, bent end first. We used a metal straightedge to keep the two pieces in line.

The filler channel was installed in the grille and tack-welded in place. Notice that the other strip matches the peak in the hood.

The peaking strip was bent to match the contour of the grille, then tack-welded along the way. We also cut the strip flush with the bottom of the grille assembly.

Before we went any further, we visually checked the center strip to make sure it was straight and looked correct. When we were happy with the results, we were ready to start welding.

We started by welding the filler piece to the latch relief, then continued welding the peaking strip to the center bar, always moving from side to side and top to bottom to spread out the heat. When we were finished, the welds were ground smooth.

Sanded smooth and primered, the grille looks great with the peak matching the one in the hood. It gives the coupe a nice, clean appearance, which will complement a high-tech monochromatic paint scheme.