Welcome to the forum, David. It is really nice when a Son picks up on an old car Dad owned and is redoing it.........just the fact that the car has a history and sentimental value makes it great.

The very first thing I would do is make sure of the exact extent of damage done in that wreck. Accidents tweak things in strange ways. If the car took that kind of hit there is probably hidden damage to components you haven't considered. You will want to take very careful measurments and triangulate the frame in every direction to make sure it is square and level. You will want to pay close attention to the front axle and suspension as well as all of the mounting points. If it hit hard enough to bend the shift linkage, things moved around. If you do not feel comfortable doing that phase, take the frame and running gear to a body shop that has an alignment rack so it can be pulled back into shape. Don't trust your eyeballs to tell you it is ok.

Second, you will want to make sure the construction is done well. I'm sure your Dad did a good job, but things have changed a whole lot since the time he built the car. We now build them safer, better, and with stronger brackets and components. Shoot us some pictures of every angle of the suspension , frame, and engine mounting so we can see what you have to start with. We did some rather marginal work in the early days of rodding, even 30 years ago, so you will want to bring the car to 2006 hot rod standards.

As for the grille, good luck. Every grille has gotten expensive, even stupid tractor grilles because the rat rod guys are eating them up. The one you are looking for is exceptionally pricey, from what I have seen on Ebay. Being up there in Washington, you may have an easier time, as I see a lot of tin coming out of there when I surf Ebay.

Good luck, and post those pictures for us.


Don