1953 Buick 56 C Frame and Inner Panel Paint

[g-g-g0]

I was very interested in the 53 Skylark frame that was on display at the Flint show however was a bit confused after viewing it. Most of the frame and inner fender panel components were a flat black (looked great!). Portions of the rear axle assembly were a gloss black and the front shocks were raw metal. The transmission appeared to be a light gray or maybe even a clear coat over freshly blasted metal.

Can some one please give me some guidance as to what is the correct color scheme and sheen? I am considering powder coating at this time but am still open to any and all suggestions and input. If you can provide procuct names or numbers, that would be helpful.

Appreciate your response as I would like to get it right!

Thanks,

Gary

BCA# 43395

[Matt Harwood]

Since the various components of each car were supplied by different vendors, it was very common for them to have a variety of different finishes. Personally, I think slightly different levels of gloss on an undercarriage or engine compartment enhances the highly detailed look and is more authentic than using a uniform color/sheen. In some cases, the factory used whatever paint they had on hand, which may have even come from different suppliers, so even one satin black won't match another from a car built on a different day.

On my '41, it is correct for the lever-arm shock links to be natural steel, with the bodies painted black or left natural. I don't know about the transmission, but I painted mine satin black. The frame is also satin black, but the rear end housing and torque tube are gloss. Many suspension components that are supposed to be natural steel were powdercoated with a "steel gray" to simulate that color without exposing the raw metal to the elements. It's fairly convincing.

Check out my web page (below) for my experiments and use of powdercoating. Look under log archives for all the entries with "powdercoating" in the title. That will give you an idea of what can be achieved and the different colors and numbers I used. It'll at least point you in the right direction.

Hope this helps.

PS: If you get into powdercoating and buy stuff from Eastwood, could I ask you to do me a favor and use the links and banners on my page to go to Eastwood to shop? I get a kickback and it costs you nothing (yes, this is a totally shameless plug, but every penny from Eastwood goes back into the Buick restoration and costs you $0).