Ford Thousand Series Grilles

Help! From what I have been able to research, Ford made a design change from the "wrap around" lower grille panel on 4/1/68 which necessitated a change to the radiator shell and I understood Ford had moved to plastic grills at that time. My 2000 was built on 8/1/68 and given at least a cosmetic beauty treatment when taken to a New Holland dealer for consignment sale to PO around 1997. So no telling how original it was when I purchased it from PO in 2017. It had ratty plastic after market upper and lower plastic grilles that were brittle and broken from UV exposure. At that time I replaced them with new after market grilles. After 3 years, I can see that the plastic after market grilles are going the same way.

Yesterday I was told by a Ford parts jobber that in 8/1/68 my 2000 would have been fitted with an aluminum upper grille (with round venting holes) with metal letters. (Jobber has no horse in the race as he has neither the upper grille nor the letters)

Looking around parts places now I see no lower grilles available with the round venting holes...they are all square holes. Just doesn't seem that Ford would have made this mismatch to me.

Anyone out there with experience, knowledge or opinion?

Prior to 1968 this is what you should have, on the 2000 the lower grill would have been blue.



After July 1968 it would be similar to this.

Thanks Majorman!

That's true that for a while the upper grill was aluminum. I'll have to double check, but I think the '70 5000 I have has the aluminum upper grill. It looks similar to the later plastic version.

Thanks Fordfarmer. Pic here is what I'm trying to improve on. I know in this pic, the grilles don't look that bad but they look cheaply made and poorly painted in person. Would appreciate seeing a pic of your grilles. But thanks regardless.

The lower grill in the photo is original and came off the first 3 cylinder tractor that I owned. A 2000 built in mid May of 68 iirc.
It is aluminum and has removeable letters.
It has damage and I replaced it with one of those ill fitting plastic jobs. I saved it for the letters.
The other grill is a repop replacement. It is steel and was cheaply chromed.
I don't have a tractor of that era now to test the fit of the repop.
I prefer the pre 5/1/68 style grill. Dunno why. I just do.
I'm letting go of some of my private stock here and would sell either of these or both if you were interested.

Ford switched to the flat grill in mid 68 with the lower section made of plastic and the upper grill made of aluminum.
They switched to a plastic upper in 71.




The aluminum upper grills where discontinued several years ago, I purchased some of the last ones available around 2005.
There where some aftermarket chromed medal uppers available a few years ago but the chrome was cheap and they would rust.
I saw some aftermarket aluminum uppers on Ebay not long ago but haven't seen one in person to say how well their made.

Quick search only showed plastic available

Thanks Destroked 450 for sharing your knowledge and experience. Short term I'm trying to go with a OEM NOS (post 70)lower (plastic) and an aftermarket aluminum upper. Longer term I'm going to try removing the square hole background screen from my existing after market lower grille and attaching the remaining frame to a metal screen with round holes like the upper. I like the way your upper grille fits the radiator shell. Hope mine fits that well.

Look on ebay. Think you might be able to find some there. Also this website or Steiner Tractor.

Thanks for your thoughts Margo. Pretty much committed to the course of action I mentioned this morning. I have the OEM NOS lower plastic grille in hand and ordered aluminum upper grille and letters from RAPARTS via Amazon a few days ago.

So you have a OEM NOS two piece lower grill?
They are hard to find, the one on my 4000 is the original and is the only one I have, the rest are the later one piece with the screen made into the grill

My 1970 model has the plastic upper and lowers. I absolutely hate the cheap plastic grills, cheaply made - not cheap on price, that degrade in 2-3 years from sunlight. Why doesn't anybody make a metal replacement grill at a reasonable price. They could sell hundreds.

No, not the original 2 piece lower, D1NN8151A from CNH 1 piece lower which superceded the 2 piece. Think that's the best I'm gonna be able to do in 2020.

D1NN8151A lower from CNHI comes with blue and gray both painted. I am hoping that the paint will protect it from UV. Still waiting on aluminum upper and metal letters F O R D for it. Will turn my paint guy loose on the upper when it arrives at least to apply etching primer to the aluminum. I can rattle can the gray over the primer.

If I had to settle for a more economical solution, I would have had paint guy remove mold injection marks and paint aftermarket lower...gray first and let that cure for a week or so and them mask it to then paint the blue. Same for upper but gotta do the red for lettering.

Wish Ford had stuck with original metal grilles found on '65-March '68. But some of those had a wet air cleaner behind the grilles and hence grilles got plenty beat up.

If your getting a aluminum upper why are you going to paint it?
If you look at the photo I posted above that bright shiny aluminum grill is how that came on Ford tractors before they switched to plastic in 71.
The upper in the photo I purchased new from Ford in 91, the lower is the original 69 two piece.
My 72 4000SU was burnt when I got it in 05, it came with one piece lower and plastic upper, I didn't like the plastic upper so I purchased a replacement lower and aluminum upper so that it matched my 4000AP
If the aftermarket aluminum uppers look good I wouldn't paint it.

Side note: All 3 cylinder diesel ag models and the 4 cylinder 5000 diesel tractors had wet oil bath air cleaners behind the grill from 65-75

Destroked 450, Thanks for the advice and correcting my plan.

Aluminum upper and letters finally arrived. Letters had a burgundy paint fill which i think is wrong and so repaited them ford red. Stamping of aluminum upper grille was horrible and so returned it and repurchased from another retailer. Arrived and also horrible stamping, apparently from same mould as first one. Thought of spending hours trying to polish out mould marks, but did opt to use etching primer and several coats of ford gray. Letting it cure well and will polish with rubbing compound in several days.