It's amazing what still turns up in modern junkyards!
I hit my local Ecology yard yesterday in search of a power steering hose that the autoparts store didn't keep in stock, and, as usual, I walked the entire yard to see what had turned up since my last visit. A couple of mid-'70s Dodge vans and a mid-'60s C10 pickup caught my eye but had been stripped almost clean, though the set of slot mags still remained on an old F150.
While these didn't surprise me even though the yard is a late-model yard, the slant six-equipped Dodge Dart raised an eyebrow, then I saw it! A '54 Olds. The roofline gave it away above the ten year old commuter-mobiles, and apart from a missing front fender, hood and the motor it was almost complete, though the floors had rusted away. However, the grille was still there, though definitely past its prime. I'd been toying with the idea of using one of these on the rear of the Purple Pig '49 Chevy project, and having the exhausts exit through the oval apertures, but wasn't about to stump up the price usually wanted for such a desirable part.
A quick word with the girl taking the money told me "that old grille" would cost me $30. So I returned today with the necessary tools and it's mine. Oh, and she decided that as it was so rusty she'd give me a discount. How does $23 sound? Made me smile for the rest of the day I can tell ya!