1931 Pickup- Stainless vs Carbon Steel Headlights & Radiator Shell

[ItsA31]

My '31 pickup has stainless headlights and radiator shell, instead of carbon steel. I'm trying to determine if someone added those stainless parts to the truck sometime in the past, of if Ford may have actually built the truck using stainless.

Excluding Deluxe models, did Ford start putting stainless headlight buckets and radiator shells on the pickups in '31, or did they continue carbon steel all the way to the end?

[Charlie Stephens]

From everything I have read they should be carbon steel. A dealer in the day could have added them to make a sale. I added stainless to my '31 RDPU years ago but am about to revert to the carbon steel pieces.

Charlie Stephens

[2manycars]

Except for the deluxe 31 pickup, which was very different from standard, trucks had carbon steel painted black. Many people swap to stainless steel because they prefer the look. I like them both ways, although mine have always been black. My brother has stainless on his pickup.

[ItsA31]

Originally Posted by 2manycars

Except for the deluxe 31 pickup, which was very different from standard, trucks had carbon steel painted black. Many people swap to stainless steel because they prefer the look. I like them both ways, although mine have always been black. My brother has stainless on his pickup.

I like them both ways too, but I'll try to keep my truck as authentic as possible with carbon steel black. I would like to find originals with a nice patina, but they seem to be hard to find.

[700rpm]

Originally Posted by ItsA31

I like them both ways too, but I'll try to keep my truck as authentic as possible with carbon steel black. I would like to find originals with a nice patina, but they seem to be hard to find.

They're hard to find because the carbon steel is/was prone to rust.

[RonC]

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An option would be to paint your stainless shells. There are original factory painted stainless shells floating around. However, they will lose points in fine point judging.

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by RonC

An option would be to paint your stainless shells. There are original factory painted stainless shells floating around. However, they will lose points in fine point judging.

That won't work if his stainless shell is a '31, only if it is a '30. Your comment brings up an interesting point, why should a factory painted stainless shell lose points. I assumed that Henry painted stainless shells, headlight and taillight buckets and cowl bands that had defects. I guess it is something like having all of the 19 inch wire wheels from the same supplier, and deducting points if they don't match.

Charlie Stephens

[ItsA31]

Originally Posted by RonC

An option would be to paint your stainless shells. There are original factory painted stainless shells floating around. However, they will lose points in fine point judging.

I'm looking for a shell and buckets with patina to match my truck, so stainless won't work.

[1955cj5]

Try Bert's in Colorado...He had steel buckets and worn nickel rims for my 29 ccpu.

http://modelastore.com/

Talk to Steve.

[ItsA31]

Originally Posted by 1955cj5

Try Bert's in Colorado...He had steel buckets and worn nickel rims for my 29 ccpu.

http://modelastore.com/

Talk to Steve.

I'll try it. Thank you

[CarlG]

The PO had put black steel headlight buckets with a stainless ('30) radiator shell on my '31 Bud Cab Pickup. Probably going to stay that way.

[C26Pinelake]

Originally Posted by RonC

An option would be to paint your stainless shells. There are original factory painted stainless shells floating around. However, they will lose points in fine point judging.

How many of us really care about fine point judging ? Not me for sure. I am out to enjoy my car not to impress judges. Wayne

[katy]

Our '31 CCPU has black headlight buckets and a Stainless rad shell, but then again it's a "Heinz 57" so who knows what was put on when.

[ItsA31]

Thank you to everyone that contributed!

[Bruce Lancaster]

"I assumed that Henry painted stainless shells, headlight and taillight buckets and cowl bands that had defects"

Hmmm. Long ago, like about 1963, I bought a '32 truck headlight shell. Carbon vs, stainless for trucks was exactly as with Model A's on Model B's...
The part was very close to worthless back then, and no one was reproducing anything like this then.
The shell proved to be stainless under its paint...but stainless with a swirled finish. The swirling was absolutely regular and fairly fine grit, far too regular to have been done by a person with sandpaper. Stainless lights, as with Model A's, were polished on automated machinery in 1932...
This shell was presumably either deliberately slightly roughed by a mechanical device to hold paint or perhaps yanked off of the polishing line one grit before final finish. Some minor defect leading to demotion to commercial, or perhaps a quick substitution when truck shells ran out on the factory line?

[Paul Dobbin]

Does anybody make the reproduction steel shell for 31 Pickups?

[RonC]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lancaster

"I assumed that Henry painted stainless shells, headlight and taillight buckets and cowl bands that had defects"

Hmmm. Long ago, like about 1963, I bought a '32 truck headlight shell. Carbon vs, stainless for trucks was exactly as with Model A's on Model B's...
The part was very close to worthless back then, and no one was reproducing anything like this then.
The shell proved to be stainless under its paint...but stainless with a swirled finish. The swirling was absolutely regular and fairly fine grit, far too regular to have been done by a person with sandpaper. Stainless lights, as with Model A's, were polished on automated machinery in 1932...
This shell was presumably either deliberately slightly roughed by a mechanical device to hold paint or perhaps yanked off of the polishing line one grit before final finish. Some minor defect leading to demotion to commercial, or perhaps a quick substitution when truck shells ran out on the factory line?

They are stainless shells that were factory painted black. I have seen several. They have the same swirl unpolished stainless under the paint and the factory rivets were applied "after" they painted black. The question is are they production or are they Ford after production replacements?

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by katy

Our '31 CCPU has black headlight buckets and a Stainless rad shell, but then again it's a "Heinz 57" so who knows what was put on when.

I'm afraid that applies to a good portion of the Model A pickups (and cars for that matter) that are on the road today.