Farmall Cub

My 51 came without a grill, and while I've got a way to go yet to complete the restoration process, I wanted to find a replacement. Tom at TM Tractor Parts tells me he rarely gets wire grills, and even rarer are they in good condition. So maybe I don't need an OEM grill. I've seen a few suppliers of aftermarket grills - perhaps they're all equivalent. But I'd appreciate anyone's experience on this and their recommendation of a source to purchase one. Thanks

Hello Paul_NJ

I have a replacement mesh grill from
http://www.oemtractorparts.com/
It is well made, probabaly as good or better than the originals. It fits well too.

Mike

Paul, I've never ordered a grill as yet, but have ordered some steering wheels and other parts, and have found steiners to be good. http://www.steinertractorparts.com
I believe we may also have a local source shortly that will be more economical for us Canucks.

I got mine from http://www.jptractorsalvage.com.

You can call Jamie or John at (573)783-7055.

I have one from OEM, but who actually made it, i don't know. It required tweaking to fit and still could be better. Now, it might be exactly oem, i don't have a 'correct' one to compare it to. One obvious thought...if the grill is made to fit Farmall Cubs to 1953, and all Farmall Cubs of that era save for factory specials were IH RED, then why are all the replacements BLACK

Repro grills are available from a number of sources. As far as I can tell, they are all identical. I have not seen one from OEM. But if it is black, it is probably the same as the others. Most of the sheet metal parts actually made by OEM come in promer.

I have heard that the placement of the mounting clips is a little haphazard on the repros, which can cause some fitting problems. I haven't seen that forst hand.

There are a couple features of the repros that deviate from the originals. One makes them pretty easy to spot. Want me to keep the difference quiet or spill the beans here for everyone?

spill it, Jim. and it is the mounting clips that seemed to be the majority of the problem.

I couldn!t find one for the price I wanted to pay.So I made my own,and it turnd out very nice,fit like a glove. I may make a couple more and take them to the Cubfest Northeast 2004 in Sussex,N.B. for a reaction.The only difference I can see between mine and the original is the machine spot welds.Mine of cource is hand welded with no punch marks

artc wrote:spill it, Jim. and it is the mounting clips that seemed to be the majority of the problem.

The difference easily seen when on the tractor is the mounting clips. The 2 prongs on each clip have a little bend at the end to help keep them under the screw heads. They are straight (and a little short) on the repros.

The second difference is at each upper corner, on the inside. The originals have a clip to help keep it from bulging out. It is missing on the repros.

Bruce:

Bring a sample, I need two! So I am lookin for the best I can find....

OK Rudi I will bring two,all clips and bends on the bolt section will be there.I will not prime them so you can check them over carefully.

Thanks, Jim. Now that i know what i'm looking for, found two cubs with decent original grills at a small show today. bent tabs and clips on the inside at the top. BOTH changes would not be difficult to incorporate in reproduction grills.