'63 SWC interior molding.

[GaryC]

While disassembling the interior of my resto project (interior is black), I noticed that some of the black molding on the body around the door and above the windshield has chrome underneath the black paint. I know this may sound like a dumb question but, was it originally chrome and a previous owner just paint it black? It appears that the molding on the rear windows is black with no chrome underneath.

Thanks.

[Duke W.]

Re: '63 SWC interior molding.

All the interior garnish moldings on my red interior SWC were painted, and no primer was evident. The molding surface was plain old mild steel just as they came out of the stamping dies. Suspect that somewhere along the way an owner chromed the moldings, which were then painted again somewhere down stream, but chrome plating does not hold paint very well.

Duke

[Tom B.]

Re: Paint It Black

Gary,

The molding like Duke mentioned is painted bare metal. It may appear chromed, but the times I've repainted them they were just a real smooth, somewhat "shiny" surface. If I remember correctly, the upper interior windshield trim piece for the convertible is unpainted, but I may have "mis-remembered" from my 66. TBarr #24014

[George Daina]

If th moldings are chrome plated.....

take them to a chrome plater and have them stripped of the chrome, then spray semi gloss black and your're back in business

[David Van Weele]

Re: moldings

My saddle SWC had paint over steel without any chrome. The one thing I did when restoring my car back in 1980 was to get the correct interior paint on all of the painted pieces. The window trim, the halo with the dome light, the speaker grill and the side panels on where the heater ducts come out. On the tan interior there were 5 different shades of tan. Some items had metalic some were semi gloss and some were flat and also diffent shades of tan. I still am in Europe but will be back home in a few days I hope and will look at my car than. But I believe the lower front molding should be nearly a flat finish and the other moldings should be a semi flat or semi glosss. I had to mix my own colors to get them correct. I have owned this car since new and have done all of the work on the myself since new and I know the only time these pieces were repainted was when I restored the car.

[Duke W.]

Re: moldings

I found three different shades/gloss levels on my red interior. Ditzler still had codes, but no longer had the formulas, so my local Ditzler dealer mixed up three match to sample quarts. Fortunately, my interior had very little sun fade so I was able to give them a good sample of each shade.

Duke

[Don Lemek]

Re: '63 SWC interior molding.

You are not seeing things. I have had many 63 SWC ,all way apart in ser #. they all had the small 90's, and the windshied pcs all chrome. Then painted int. color. GM I think canned the chrome because of reflection.