Painting mid year dash pad mounting tabs

[Robert T.]

I'm trying to understand the assembly sequence, I guess for all mid years, on when the interior dash pad mounting tabs actually got painted. I know why they got painted, i.e. difference in interior to exterior color, but when exactly in the assembly sequence did that happen. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the body is painted devoid of any interior. The body and chassis are then mated up later and the interior is installed. So was there another paint station later where the tabs got painted. Doesn't sound very efficient. Was there a guy on the line with a bunch of spray cans .

Thanks for any clarifications

bob - 1966

[Michael H.]

Re: Painting mid year dash pad mounting tabs

I'm trying to understand the assembly sequence, I guess for all mid years, on when the interior dash pad mounting tabs actually got painted. I know why they got painted, i.e. difference in interior to exterior color, but when exactly in the assembly sequence did that happen. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the body is painted devoid of any interior. The body and chassis are then mated up later and the interior is installed. So was there another paint station later where the tabs got painted. Doesn't sound very efficient. Was there a guy on the line with a bunch of spray cans .

Thanks for any clarifications

bob - 1966

Robert,

While we don't have anyone here that I know of that was at the St Louis plant for the C2 era build, I've heard that the dash end tabs were masked/painted on the final trim line. The cars on that line were mostly complete and running/driving at that point.

By the way, unlike 65-67, the dash tabs on all 63's and all (most?) 64's were painted gloss body color, no matter what the body/interior colors were.

[William C.]

Re: Painting mid year dash pad mounting tabs

It really depends on the interior/exterior color combination, if a car had an interior that matched the exterior color, red/red, Black/Black, Blue/Blue, Green/Green Silver/Silver or white/white, the end tabs were painted with the IP structure and are "interior color" (all cars) and if the interior exterior color was similar no furthur work was done, and the rivets attaching the dash ends at the plliar are black. If color change was required, the touch-up was performed after the interior installed, the equipment would not have been "spray can" but some were more carefully done than others.

[John H.]

Re: Painting mid year dash pad mounting tabs

Robert -

I was there in 1967, and the end tabs (on cars with contrasting interior/exterior colors) were masked and painted in Final Paint Repair, after the car came off the line and went through Roll Test and Water Test; all cars then went on a floor flat-top conveyor through Final Paint Repair (whether they needed it or not), and then went on the Final Trim Line, where all of the interior soft trim was installed. At the end of the Final Trim Line, the car was shipped.

[William C.]

Re: Painting mid year dash pad mounting tabs

John, what is the chance of missing one? I'm focused on the black rivets as being factory applied?

[Michael H.]

Re: Painting mid year dash pad mounting tabs

It really depends on the interior/exterior color combination, .

Bill,

That's true for 65-67. Not the case for 63 and most of 64 though. All the tabs and rivets were painted gloss body color for 63-64.

There has always been a great deal of confusion on this issue.

[John H.]

Re: Painting mid year dash pad mounting tabs

John, what is the chance of missing one? I'm focused on the black rivets as being factory applied?

Bill -

Talking '65-'67, missing one wouldn't be out of the question, as a human at the beginning of Final Paint Repair had to look at it and decide if it needed to be painted, and later an inspector had to look at it and decide if it had been properly painted or not. As far as I know, all ten rivets were black oxide-finished when the panel was secured to the body back on the Hard Trim Line, and the tabs (and rivets) were either painted or not in Final Paint Repair.

[Robert T.]

Re: Painting mid year dash pad mounting tabs

Thanks John, exactly what I was looking for! This really helps in understanding how the line worked back then. Seems like a lot of work and set up for such a little item. I assume they would have employed some kind of template to speed things up vs masking everthing.

Thanks again.

Bob

[Tim G.]

Re: Painting mid year dash pad mounting tabs

My red/red coupe has red painted rivets and it was judged as incorrect last weekend. It's a 22,000 mile Four Star Bow Tie coupe, so I'm not going to "correct" this. I know that they should be black as per the judging manual. I also had a low mile blue/blue '65 coupe that had blue rivets. I would have made the same deduction if I was judging the car, I just don't want to tamper with it.

[Michael H.]

Re: Painting mid year dash pad mounting tabs

By the way, not all paint repair at the St Louis plant was done on the final line. Notice the spray booth and respirator that the painter is wearing.