Windshield valance grills

[RivNut]

I know that the grills where the fresh air intake / windshield washer squirter on the 63/64 Riviera’s are painted body color. Are the 65 grills also painted or were they left all chrome? I cannot find any definitive pictures for reference.  I would think that as many 65s that I’ve seen at various ROA meets, that this would have stood out, but I have no recollections.

[Pat Curran]

The 65's were painted as well.

[jframe]

Mine are painted, but around the edge trim, they are chrome.

[RivNut]

Someone on one of the FB Riviera groups is being very adamant that the 65s were all chrome.  Does anyone have any kind of factory proof that they were painted? 

[abandg]

Ed, I owned and parted lots of 63 64 and 65's. They were all painted. Under the paint it is chromed. The 63 64 headlight eyebrows are also brome under the silver paint. So yes they were all 

[Seafoam65]

My Dad's 65 that he  bought brand new had painted grills. I think the main reason why so many people

strip the paint off of them is that the paint chips real bad on them because it didn't adhere to the chrome underneath very well. The 65 I own now has the paint stripped off on the grills and the guy who owned it for 45 years said he did it because the paint chipped so bad on them. I do recall that the grills got pretty chipped up on my Dad's car. If anybody is repainting their car and want to paint these grills I would recommend masking off the

area that is not painted and sandblasting the rest of them so the paint has proper adhesion. Personally I think they look better all chrome with no paint.

[Pat Curran]

13 hours ago, RivNut said:

Someone on one of the FB Riviera groups is being very adamant that the 65s were all chrome.  Does anyone have any kind of factory proof that they were painted? 

A picture is worth a thousand words as they say.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Pat Curran
Update content (see edit history)

[kegart]

People get confused when they find the chrome under the paint but to

plate just the edge would be costly. Faster and cheaper to chrome the whole grill and paint after.

 

Kevin

[RivNut]

Chroming the entire item then painting over chrome is what Buick did. A number of Riviera Owners over on FB, who are not as old as their cars, have all sorts of misconceptions are adamant that they are right.  They are the 6th or 7th owners who think that their cars are all original and swear by them being that way.

[telriv]

I know when I removed the paint on my grills, around about 1970, There was a yellow type primer over the chrome that was hard to get off WITHOUT destroying the chrome.  Was taking lots of time. I then put them in the OLD type dipping carb. cleaner, a 5 gallon can, the stuff that has that smell you can't get rid of, which then stripped off the paint in no time.

This "New" stuff doesn't even come no where as good as the old stuff.

 

Tom T.