Wanted, rear deck lid "grills"

OK, so I just scored that wonderfully rusted rear deck lid for the old coupe, now I need some grills to put in the holes. I'm not expecting anyone to give up a grill or two for short money, but was wondering if anyone has happened across something that would work as an alternative?

Maybe a toaster oven rack, or a piece of metal wire shelving or a broiler tray? Something from Walmarts or the local dump that caught your eye?

You know what I mean. Anyone scored anything that looks like it would work and could turn me onto where you got it? I have some old arc welder cabinet louvers that I can tack into the openings as a back-up, but figured that a post wouldn't hurt.

Thanks ! ! !

TC

What I think would look cool is some of that expanded metal lath. You know the stuff the kids jam into the front voids of their ricers?

You can buy the stainless stuff but I've found it at the dump where the truckers throw out their old air and oil filters (might be heavy equipment..not sure). The expended metal lath is wrapped around the filters and all you need to do is use a cut off saw to cut it out. I grabbed rather large used filter and the pieces I've gotten are plenty big enough to fill the holes in the grill.

Actually the PO of my IM had that under the grill on my car...I've since removed it.

Brian

this stuff...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160125172743&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=160124818398&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=active_view_item&usedrule1=StoreCatToStoreCat&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget

Come ON, my man.
You only need ONE. The other one's at my house.

I think I've got an old Hibachi laying around........

Tomorrow I'm replacing my Char-Broil brand gas grill with a new stainless steel unit, where to I send the grill to ?
When figuring shipping, be sure to take into consideration the additional weight of a couple of pounds of accumulated grease and a recently found burger patty:)

There's a wire mesh and I think it's called the "British Weave". Very good looking, automotive-looking, less like a screen-door repair. email me off-site if you wind up wanting real grilles I have a few.

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY --

TC, What if Terry and I each send you a hibachi?
You would have the ONLY Gheedster/V56 or ferrous coupe with TWIN replica grilles in a beautiful, shockingly chunky cast aluminum!
You'll still have to add a little metal to the edges, I think, so you could get creative with the placement ...

Whaddya say?

Make it dual purpose and throw some charcoal under the grills.
It's a metal deck lid, right? (o\'/o)

If you live in a major metro area, find the largest auto trim/tops & interior shop and go there. Basically you need some flex aluminum channel/rectangular tube molding to make the outer rings, and then flat aluminum bars to make the verticles. Certainly will look good hanging on the wall, or under a glass coffee table.

"shockingly chunky cast aluminum!"

I totally LOVE those grills! Certainly not "stock" looking, but much more purpose built. Like they were quickly sand-cast for a prototype production line in order to get the car(s) FIA Homologated for Group 4.

They're WAY cooler than genuine or repro.

TC, thanks for saying that. I was unhappy when I discovered that my car had been equipped with the infamous habachi grill and what that purported meant. I feel much better now....;-)
Hoss
BTW, do you have a "proper" one to trade....

"BTW, do you have a "proper" one to trade...."

Not just now, but I'm ALWAYS coming across 356 stuff and make a lot of trades with the guys. Now that I know, I'll keep you in mind next time. I come across Coupe parts more than Speedster/Roadster, but I see a lot of reproduction bits and pieces as well.

Maybe you just need to add a badge to your WAY COOL grill to soften the prototype aspects of it. Like wrapping a rough-cut aluminum steering wheel in a little leather . . . that perfect juxtaposition of coarseness and class is almost the essence of the Speedster.

T C Said: "Maybe you just need to add a badge to your WAY COOL grill to soften the prototype aspects of it. Like wrapping a rough-cut aluminum steering wheel in a little leather . . . that perfect juxtaposition of coarseness and class is almost the essence of the Speedster."

But it's not a Speedster.....Anyway, since it's so "WAY COOL" maybe I'll just leave it alone. Besides, I'm too lazy to transplant the badges that I have. ;-)

"But it's not a Speedster....."

Then what the he!! are you doin' HERE ? Go HOME, kid . . . .




LOVE the grill, don't mess with it ! ! !

I've often thought, but never acted on the impulse, that cutting out the band of aluminum that runs through the middle of the grille from right to left would make it look cleaner. Then it would just be vanes and open space ...

Paint the cross bar flat black first, stand back and squint, see if you really like the look or not.

Then leave it alone! I don't want the bar removed. If it's comin' my way I like it just as it is. Quit messin' around with my s#it . . .

Hehehehehe he hehe hehehe ...
Hey, Hoss:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-356-Cabriolet-CURVED-Engine-grille_W0QQitemZ320125054754QQihZ011QQcategoryZ34204QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

OK, the deck lid was delivered just this morning and I'm in real trouble as to what to do with. Need a few suggestions/opinions/etc.

The lid is perfect! No holes or dents or bumps at all. It was stripped/dipped and rusted up a bit on the surface, but I could easily media blast it, rub it down with WD40 to protect it AND show the perfect metal then sell it on Ebay for a nice profit right now.

But, the underside of the lid holds a couple of treasures. There are 14 louvers on the rain tray which could be cut out and grafted into the Pre-A deck lid, 7 per side, Carrera-style for a sweet look. AND there are two beautiful ovoid pockets, with pressed edges and finished lips which the air cleaners fit up into. By cutting and rotating them, up to the top surface, fitting them in, welding and filling them with the kind of stainless screen that the headlamp screens have I would have a really purpose-built and functional looking deck lid. Especially once the twin grill holes were filled with externally hinged louvered panels. They'd lift for quick access to the distributor and linkage and such. REALLY LeMans looking, original German metal and kinda WAY cool ! ! !

OR, I can splash a quick mold and make a fiberglass copy and run with that. Being glass, it's got an infinite number of easy-to-do possibilities, from a giant oven rack grill to a gasser-style snorkel scoop and a Moroso sponge material scoop hole filler for rainy days, and everything in between.

A little guidance here to quiet the mind would help . . .

If you're going to put it onto the car you have out back, I'd take it apart, make all the edges clean and use it as a dummy for templating other decklids. If you've got masters of all the metal pieces, you can fab metal (aluminum, hmmm?) clones in any configuration you want and leave the original pieces in wet lay-up until the Coupe's ready for the masterpiece. Then, badda-bing, badda-boom -- weld it back together and use it with your distributor-access design.
There's enough call here alone that a perfect mold of any or all of your creative ideas would continue to fund R&D on the coupe projekt ad infinitum.
I know I'm going to want your handiwork on my new one; louvers and such ...

I'm thinking splash a mold. Not only does that give you infinite possibilities, but it allows you to change your mind if you don't like the first look. If you change the metal, you're stuck.