Start of firewall/engine compartment paint

[Lee Cobb]

Anyone happen to know where the engine compartment "started" as far as where body paint stopped and black (I'm assuming here) engine compartment started? red or green arrows? Also were all the "attachments" (horn brackets, ignition coil bracket, ect) painted as well? We were looking at using POR-15 possibly if it is allowed. Planning on this being a show car and wanting to be as "true" as possible while still offering rust protection. 

Edited May 30, 2020 by Lee Cobb (see edit history)

[Buick35]

I always thought that the firewall was painted the same as the body color,correct me if I'm wrong.Thanks,Greg.

[MCHinson]

I think the firewall should be body color. If your car has a black firewall and a different body color, I suspect your car was originally black and someone repainted it but did not paint under the hood. I am fairly sure all of the "attachments" you referred to should be black. What is the paint code on the firewall body data plate?

Edited May 31, 2020 by MCHinson (see edit history)

[Lee Cobb]

Originally it was Color 546 - Acadia Grey, but we are actually going to be changing it to 545 - Bandelier Blue. Somewhere I thought I had come across some images that showed the engine bay and firewall semigloss black (same as the frame) which is why I was trying to see where it started. The great googleage showed them both ways, heres an example of a super, ours is a special. Not sure if there was any difference in it. Just trying to make as accurate as possible so as not to get point deductions. Only wanna paint once! 😉

[MCHinson]

I am confident that the firewall should have originally been painted body color. Those that you have seen with a black firewall and another body color are a result of repainting that was not done as original. Most of those were probably black cars where people changed the body color without painting under the hood. 

[Lee Cobb]

So at what point would you switch to an undercoating? id assume they would have done something different under the car...? And would the body color have carried on into the inside of the fenders and wells?    oh to have a delorean time machine to go back and look LOL

[neil morse]

Lee, are you a BCA member?  If you are doing a "show car" and anticipate being judged, you should definitely get a copy of the judging standards and study them.  Also, as a club member, you would have access to technical advisors for every year Buick.  Doug Seybold, the advisor for 1940, is an expert on 1940 and 1941 Buicks and will answer all your questions very authoritatively.  I think you will get better answers by going that route than by posting your questions here where people will be trying their best to answer your questions but may not know the "correct" answer from the standpoint of judging.

[Lee Cobb]

Awesome, did not know that that even existed with them. Have a copy of the judging standards we have been using as a reference. Guess we will make that a priority! Really appreciate everyones input on here as well!

[Hubert_25-25]

Lee, 

    I am not the authority on your car, but I can tell you a little bit about undercoat and paint.  GM bodies and their firewalls were typically painted the body color.  In your burgundy car photo the back side of the hood is painted black.  That would require masking and taping.  This is a step that is not usually done on an assembly line for an engine compartment-especially on early cars.  Even a 1967 Firebird would have a body colored firewall and underside of the hood.  Not sure when they started doing inner fender wells.  Those could be seen in "chassis black" or "satin black".  In general, if it is a body color panel, so will the back side be in most cases.  In your photo with the arrows, have you looked behind any mounted brackets and trim to look for original paint?  

These cars did not come with undercoating.  That is a modern application.  Brackets are typically chassis black or satin black.    Hugh