So..... Ive found a replacement body for my 54 2100 4dr. Which means its back in the works! Ill post a build thread later. My plan now is to get all the parts bought,restored, ect. And boxed up, then when i have the means to, have the body sand blasted and primered by a body shop, then start the long tedious process of welding up all the rust damage. Had some questions on paint though. Im a bit OCD with my cars and even though the 54 will technically be a custom, I want it to be "correct". No guessing or "looks good enough", at least to a point. Lol. So Here goes, When these cars were new, were the underbody, gas cap compartment, underside of hood, and underside of splash panels, black or the body color? I Know that underbody coating is black but wasnt it optional? The fenderwells were black, correct? Would these things also depend on what plant they were built at? Dont mean to be ****, i just dont want to come across a mint condition chevy one day, look under it, and swear.
Don't know some of your questions but the underside of hood and fenderwells were black. I would think that all ***embly plants did everything the same. Here some links that might be helpful. http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Chevrolet... 54_Colors_1.jpeg 54_Colors_2.jpeg
My '53 210 was 100% original when I got it. Inner fenders were black in engine compartment and under the fenders but inside of hood, trunk, and gas filler area were all body color. The underbody of my car doesn't show signs of ever being painted at all. (It's still untouched original.) I have a photo album somewhere with tear down pictures in it that I can refer to if you have any other specific questions. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
everyone you look under could be different. Not all the ***embly plants did everything exactly the same. Some will have more overspray than others and others could be undercoated or not. They weren't building show cars so they didn't really car what color got on what underneath.
Ok. so unless i can compair it with something close to the ID tag number, it could be either or, i gather. Most every inner and under surface on this car was rusted when i got it. Every now and then i might find a paint fleck under a bolt or something. This car was the bermuda green with surf green accents inside when it was new. The old paint was still fairly intact around the doors and under the deck lid and im kinda excited to see it back on the exterior (pretty pretty). Im not sure what it is but seeing "structural" and mechanical parts of the car painted properly just adds a quality to it. Like its still under warrenty and has many years left in it or something. Seeing these areas left in mix matched primer and the like just shouts "dont let me fool ya, im still an OLD car." Humility dosnt belong in a restoration in that sence IMO.
Remember, GM was building these things quickly and in m*** quan***ies. Best I can tell, anything attached to the body shell got sprayed with body paint, the ch***is got black, and that was about it. They weren't detailing them and a lot of under body parts stayed bare metal, at least in my part of the country. That said, it's hard to go wrong with satin black and/or cast iron gray down under the body. If you're trying to win show trophies there must be restoration guides available. Otherwise, go with what looks good and don't freak out if you see one that is different. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Do it the way you want it and don't worry about the way it should be your the only one you have to please !
Thanks for the feedback. I like the idea of haveing the underbody match the exterior. Should brighten it up and contrast the frame. My 53 will be easy to paint. Straight black. Lol
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