Body tag conflicts

[Native]

From my research my car should be Shell Grey with seamist top according to the body tag. Going through paperwork posted below I see something different. I can visually see that the paint under and behind things is the original paint yet not Shell Grey?

[Native]

[Native]

I may have figured it out, I was getting my info from HometownBuick.com

Here is what I've found from the color charts the previous owner just handed me

[Native]

[Native]

[Native]

[The 55er]

Body tags were originally attached with rivets from the factory, yours is re-attached with phillips head screws. That tag could possibly be from another car so anything's possible. 

[SpecialEducation]

37 minutes ago, The 55er said:

Body tags were originally attached with rivets from the factory, yours is re-attached with phillips head screws. That tag could possibly be from another car so anything's possible. 

Yeah, I found that odd, too. Seems to me they are riveted on before the body is painted, and that’s obviously not the case here. 
 

A lot can happen in 65 years, I may have been repainted more than once

[retirednow]

I’m not sure about the ‘53s, but every ‘50-‘52 Buick I’ve seen had screws, not rivets. Maybe a shortage of rivets due to the Korean War. 

Edited July 3, 2020 by retirednow (see edit history)

[Native]

The car had been repainted in its life. Its painted the same color as the paint behind the door panels and were some of the newer pain had failed and peeled. The firewall had been repainted in recent years as the PO was going through the restoration.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

1 hour ago, retirednow said:

I’m not sure about the ‘53s, but every ‘50-‘52 Buick I’ve seen had screws, not rivets. Maybe a shortage of rivets due to the Korean War. 

 

 Yep. Have never seen one riveted.

  Even the serial number strip on the "A" pillar.

 

  Ben

Edited July 3, 2020 by Ben Bruce aka First Born (see edit history)

[BuickBob49]

The answer is that it depends. My 1949 Super model 51 may have rivets or screws covered with a sealant. It is an all-original car that I purchased from the original owner in 1978. It just turned 70,000 miles about ten minutes ago when I returned from a drive.

Edited July 3, 2020 by BuickBob49 (see edit history)

[Barney Eaton]

If he removed a inside door panel..... would there be traces of the original color?

[Native]

31 minutes ago, Barney Eaton said:

If he removed a inside door panel..... would there be traces of the original color?

Thats what I was saying above.  Its not Shell Grey its White

[SpecialEducation]

2 hours ago, BuickBob49 said:

The answer is that it depends. My 1949 Super model 51 may have rivets or screws covered with a sealant. It is an all-original car that I purchased from the original owner in 1978. It just turned 70,000 miles about ten minutes ago when I returned from a drive.

Those are rivets (aka blind rivets or pull fasteners). There’s a hole in the middle of the fastener so its got sealer to close it up. 

[1939_Buick]

On 7/4/2020 at 8:28 AM, Native said:

The car had been repainted in its life. Its painted the same color as the paint behind the door panels and were some of the newer pain had failed and peeled. The firewall had been repainted in recent years as the PO was going through the restoration.

The doors may not be original to the body.

Many things may have have been changed in the last ~60 years.  At some time it was a low value used car.: no one cared what they did to keep cars on the road.

[BuickBob49]

Thanks!

[Native]

11 hours ago, 1939_Buick said:

The doors may not be original to the body.

Many things may have have been changed in the last ~60 years.  At some time it was a low value used car.: no one cared what they did to keep cars on the road.

Back of the deck lid,  and other panels. I'm looking for someone else to decode the tag, dyslexia is a royal pain.

[Barney Eaton]

I know very little about Buicks of this period but looking again at the body plate it does not agree with the reference material

that I have.     Model # 53 -76R  = Roadmaster 2 dr (Riviera) hardtop......Style No agrees 4737 = Roadmaster 2dr hardtop but what about

the "X"  that indicates it should be a convertible.

Seem like I read somewhere the "X" added to the number could also indicate "Export"   what do you experts think?

[1953mack]

FISHER BODY STYLE NUMBER:

The "X" in 4737X = equipped with the optional hydro-electric powered 4 windows and front seat.

  

BODY NUMBER: 

G = built and assembled in Flint, Michigan.

8167 = the 8167^th 1953 Roadmaster Model 76R 2-door hardtop built in Flint, Michigan. The 1953 production run started in late-November 1952 and ended during the first part of October-1953. There were a total of 22,927 Model 76R’s built and a total of seven assembly plants in 1953. Unknown is the production of 76R’s for each plant and whether all plants even built the Model 76R.

 

TRIM NUMBER:

82 = Black nylon pattern cloth with Red leather.

 

PAINT NUMBER:

67 = a code for a two-tone paint job using Sea Mist Grey, paint code 56, on the top only (roof) and Shell Grey, paint code 57, on everything below the stainless steel belt-line trim.

 

ACCESSORIES:

B = heater and defroster

D = Sonomatic radio and roof-mounted antenna

P = Easy Eye glass (light-green tint)

  

Your 1953 Body by Fisher Number Plate was originally attached at the Fisher Body plant with Phillips Head screws before the body shell was painted the lower color (Shell Grey) nitrocellulose lacquer. If you removed a number plate for the first time, you would have most-likely found what Buick called a dum-dum body sealant that was used between the back of the number plate and the top of the cowl around the screw-hole areas to prevent water infiltration. Removing the paint off the original number plate creates problems like you are experiencing.

 

If you have the original glass windows, the etched two-letter date codes could give you a better idea of the build-month and whether your hardtop was #8167 off the Flint assembly line, or if the number plate was swapped-out from another two-door hardtop.

 

Bill Hirsch’s 1984 memo saying (guessing?)that the lower body paint was Majestic White, paint code 74, could have been a mis-read from a small sample of the original paint. Nitrocellulose lacquers were oil-based paints and anything made with oil yellows-out later (31 years?). Plus, Majestic White already has yellow in its recipe.  

 

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

“500 Miles West of Flint”

 

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by 1953mack (see edit history)

[Barney Eaton]

Thank for the info and my continuing mini series of education.

[Native]

The rear seat base and back are within a few days of each other November of 1952.

[Native]

[195354]

 

I did a VIN inspection in my home state of Oregon a few years back. The DMV pulled a book from the shelf and looked up 53 Buick. It listed the location of the serial number on the frame also serial number location attached to the body and body tag location. In 1953, the reference material the state used noted Phillip screws held on the body tag and body serial number. I have also parted a few 53 Buick's and this is what I have found on those units.  In 53 the serial number on Chevy cars is stainless steel and spot welded to the left doorpost about vent window height.  Makes me wonder why one branch of GM used screws and another used a spot welder, and then Oregon used the engine serial number for the VIN# until 1955 if I recall.

Steve

[Native]

Back to the top. Any of you have photos of a car in these colors?