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Reatta moulding / trim - Original finish question


Fox W.

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Hi again, my car is in the home stretch of a restoration and now we are focused on the moulding that wraps around the center of the car. I wish it to be painted since it doesn't look nearly as nice as the rest of the car now. They didn't want to touch it because they thought it was solid black plastic and that paint would make it more fragile than the factory finish, but I am mostly certain that I was right when I pointed out that it is painted, and the edges show that underneath the color of the plastic is similar to the composite fenders.. yellowy/tan.

If I am right about the above (plus they were offered as being painted in the body color, not just black) then what is the original finish like? (How matte or glossy.) Mine have always been rather glossy and smooth black. The body shop assumed the original was more matte, like rubber ones would be.

Thanks!

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Black was considered standard and it was shiny. The dealer could check a box on the order from and at no extra cost the side molding would come from the Craft Centre in body color which was also the same shiny finish as the paint.

The Service Parts Label, located in the trunk has codes showing the original configeration but black or body color are correct for all years.

A experienced painter will know how to prepare the paint to finish plastic parts like the rub strip.

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Thanks everyone for letting me know that the original was shiny/gloss finish. I respect the opinion that matching color is a cleaner and a more modern look, but I guess my brain is weird because I -really- like contrasts, hard angles, lines and the definition it gives. So the 80's look works for me.. (As well as all older styles where the car looked like it had many components (bumpers, trim, chrome, harder lines that metal gave us) rather than a seamless composite form. I think the DeLorean is gorgeous, as an example. I would have been happy with an interior dash on a car that is as busy as an aircraft, (be it glass cockpit or not.) Anyway, thanks again.

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Fox W , Use SEM color coat flexible coating in the 12oz spray. First wash the moldings with SEM soap to clean the surface next use the SEM waterborne vinyl/plastic prep. most auto-body shop distributors handle the SEM line of products. They are very good quality. Frank

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I think it depends somewhat on the color. Both of mine are white, and definitely look better with body color moldings (IMO). Both had black moldings when purchased but needed repainting due to scuffs, so I changed them both and have no regrets. Black moldings seem to look best on red, silver and driftwood to my eye. On the really dark colors (pewter, gunmetal, sapphire blue, polo green and claret red aka burgundy) body color looks better to me as there isn't that much contrast with the black. White is the exception in my mind, being a light color it still looks better with matching moldings. All that said, overall my preference is still for body color moldings irrespective of the body color.

Another consideration is on convertibles. Unless the top matches the body color, I think body color moldings look better as they do not present yet another contrasting color to the exterior with a non-matching top. For example, red with a tan top looks better with red moldings, white with a blue top would look better with white moldings. In cases where the top and body color match, black moldings help break up the field of just one color.

Natually, this is all entirely subjective, but when factoring body color, top color, pin stripe color (if present) and moldings, that is up to four different colors on the exterior. Seems like a lot going on to me.

I have wondered why they never offered two-tone paint schemes. GM did this a lot in the late 80's/early 90's, and the body design of the Reatta has a clean continuous break that would've made it easy to do. Maybe not the look they were going for, but I think some combinations might've looked pretty good.

KDirk

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I have wondered why they never offered two-tone paint schemes. GM did this a lot in the late 80's/early 90's, and the body design of the Reatta has a clean continuous break that would've made it easy to do. Maybe not the look they were going for, but I think some combinations might've looked pretty good.

KDirk

Like this '88 I went with a customer yesterday to pick up?

post-62980-143139288488_thumb.png

post-62980-143139288495_thumb.png

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Marck,

That is precisely what I was talking about. Nice to see someone actually did it. I think the blue and silver looks good. I think burgundy over a metallic champagne color would look good with a tan interior. For that matter, burgundy with a dark metallic charcoal would look good with the 88/89 dark grey interior. This is all off topic, as I have now unwittingly thread jacked. Please pardon the interruption.

KDirk

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