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I'm in the process of replacing the lower rear filler panel on my 66 roadster. My question concerns the bolts that connect the panel to the rear light panel. Are these bolts painted or they natural? I thought they would be the same color as the car since they were probably installed when it was painted. A friend, who restors vettes, tells me they should be natural. Therefore, my question -- painted or au naturale???
Most would say that the bolts are unpainted. Rationale: when the car was painted, the rear valence panel was hung on the car with some temporary bolts.
The valence was removed after paint because it has to be off the car for body drop. When reinstalled, new bolts were used.
One corollary to this: the body surface behind the valence tabs will be unpainted.
Now, you might ask: were they ALL done this way?? Well I can tell you this much: not even military weapons systems, built to the most detailed drawings imaginable are truly identical!
Mike is exactly right. The panels were temporarily hung on the body as it was painted. However, this is only the case with bodies painted "in house" at the St Louis plant. The A. O. Smith bodies that were shipped in to the St Louis plant were painted without the rear lower panel temporarily installed.
That's correct Wayne. At the St Louis plant, the panel was typically held in place by two bolts during the paint process and these were not reused when the car was final assembled.
I don't know for sure but I believe Smith had nothing to do with the rear panel. Pretty sure the painted bodies were shipped to St Louis minus the panel and it was added at St Louis. I've never been to the Smith plant so I don't know exactly how their operation worked. I do remember seing pic's of bodies being shipped minus the lower panel though.
Looks like they DID paint the lower panel at Smith. Sure glad I told Wayne I wasn't sure. I thought I remembered seeing pic's of bodies from Smith without the panel hung on the body. I'm surprised that loose panel didn't beat the daylights out of itself on that windy trip to the Mill. Is it possible that later C2's were shipped without it?
I read is some publication some time ago that the panels were held in place with 2 bolts when painted. That 2 of the bolts should be body color and the rest natural.
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