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Hey guys, along the back of my 442 on the trunk is the mouldings that says “Oldsmobile”
on the quarter panel are little chrome pieces called quarter panel extension cap moldings.
Mine are pitted. I’ve tried to buy reproductions of these and they are come in a brushed metal color which doesn’t match my trunk molding. Anyone know why they don’t match? Did most cars come with brushed moldings? —Billy
Hey guys, along the back of my 442 on the trunk is the mouldings that says “Oldsmobile”
on the quarter panel are little chrome pieces called quarter panel extension cap moldings.
Mine are pitted. I’ve tried to buy reproductions of these and they are come in a brushed metal color which doesn’t match my trunk molding. Anyone know why they don’t match? Did most cars come with brushed moldings? —Billy
The inlay is a light silver. If yours are all chrome the original silver has been removed
Thanks. Do people completely take the paint off? Because I don’t see any that have paint half on? I’ve searched a lot of photos and that Olds trim across the trunk is very often seen as all chrome. If I wanted to paint it what color should I use? Anyone know? Thanks —Billy
Thanks. Do people completely take the paint off? Because I don’t see any that have paint half on? I’ve searched a lot of photos and that Olds trim across the trunk is very often seen as all chrome. If I wanted to paint it what color should I use? Anyone know? Thanks —Billy
I painted the whole thing a light silver and then block wet sanded or used paint reducer to rub off the color from the top surface. It wasn’t the same color Silver I used for the headlight buckets but I don’t remember exactly what color it was. I remember buying three or four spray cans and spraying test pieces until I matched a pitted one I had that hadn’t had the paint removed.
I cleaned mine up real good, removing all the old paint. I taped off the edges, painted the center part, and then used a rag with a minute amount of laquer thinner on it to clean off the tops of the letters. Randy C.
Wow! That really looks great. I’m gonna do that. Anyone have an idea of what color silver that might be? Matt finish I guess. Here is what mine currently looks like. —Billy
Randy helped me when I restored my trunk molding. I used Krylon Dull Aluminum. Like Randy said, use a rag or a Q-tip with just a small amount of lacquer thinner and slowly rub with a light touch.
Dull aluminum sounds right. I was looking through my old spray cans and found a can of Seymour lacquer dull aluminum and I'm pretty sure that is what I used. It's the same paint I used for all the silver-colored plastic pieces at the front of the car for both my '68 & "69.
Dull aluminum sounds right. I was looking through my old spray cans and found a can of Seymour lacquer dull aluminum and I'm pretty sure that is what I used. It's the same paint I used for all the silver-colored plastic pieces at the front of the car for both my '68 & "69.
Randy C.
I think if you find an original trunk molding you’ll see that the Krylon Dull Aluminum is too dark.
The molding I was matching had been taken off a convertible Cutlass S in 1978 and stored inside. It was definitely a lighter silver. I would have used it except it had too many studs broken off and I never could come up with a successful way to re-attach those studs.
Thanks for al the tips and suggestions. I have the quarter panel extension molding pieces which has the color on it. I’m gonna do some silver and dull aluminum paint tests to see if I can match it.
Ill post a pic when I’m done. —Billy
I used "south of the border" chrome in a spray bomb and then wipe the high spots with a soft Kimberly Clark paper towel & thinner.
Had to wipe it clean 3x and respray it to get it right.(perfectionist)
Once it weathers a bit it looks like a lighter shade of argent silver. Its as close to OEM as I could get. Once weathered/aged a bit its perfect. By weathered, I mean occasional washing and sunlight while on car show duty...not abandoned in your yard for 10 years...
After it completely cures, a month or so, I waxed the whole thing with carnauba. Wipe off wax with a very soft towel (K-C towels are great for this) Clean the crevices with a very soft toothbrush. This enhanced the aging look too.
Come to think of it. I have used this method on the grill/headlight buckets and the SS2 bolt on centers. Same OEM looking results. I did all this in 1990. Still looks great.
Ill post a pic of the above once on home computer.
So I think I found the answer as to why my trunk “Oldsmobile” molding is completely chrome and shows no signs of silver paint even in the cracks or edges - which I have been told came with silver paint on it.
Ive looked at replacing the quarter panel extension molding (pictured) and have come across silver painted ones only. There is another version of the quarter panel extension molding that is longer and does not have paint on it. The longer one is meant for the convertibles. So I think the olds trunk molding on convertibles came in chrome and not painted. Can anyone else confirm that?
so I think someone changed the Olds molding on my car and used one from a convertible. —Billy
For 68 & 69 the Coupe used a longer trunk molding and shorter fender extensions. The opposite is true of verts. They do not interchange. All had the silver inlaid paint.
Yes, what droldsmorland said! I had the originals on my '68 convertible which I stripped and repainted so I know the silver was there originally. There was no difference in the paint trim on these pieces between hardtops and convertibles. The only difference was the lengths of these pieces, depending upon if the car was a hardtop or a convertible.
Finished painting the trunk molding with dull aluminum paint and it looks great. Now I have to take off the paintbon the letters with lacquer thinner. I’ll post a pic as soon as it’s finished. Thanks for the tips everyone. —Billy
Much easier to do this within a 1/2 hour or less of painting. Less chance of screwing up the paint or much easier to do a redo with soft paint.
I had to wipe all paint off mine 2 or 3 times before I got it right. Sure like to see how the factory did this. Let us know if you struggled
Thanks for all the help along the way. So I paintedvthe molding with dull aluminum and to my eye it looks like the color of the OEM. I had to do very light mist coats over a few days. If I went too heavy, the paint seems to separate and look watery. I masked off the edges but later used thinner to wipe the paint off the letters. Even after several costs the paint came off with a good rub. I used cue tips for detail cleaning. I’m very satisfied.
Now, one problem I did have a day later was some paint coming off right down to the chrome when I accidently stuck a piece of masking tape on it. My concern is how durable is my paint job? I like the suggestion of after complete curing, wiping it with carnauba wax. What about an acrylic clear coat sealer? Anyone have any additional opinions?
Billy, what brand of dull aluminum color did you use? Your and Randy's refinish jobs look fantastic! Thanks to all above for sharing your process! I see this step coming up in my summer weekend 4-4-2 project days.
Thanks a lot. I’m very happy with the way it came out. You know what? It’s actually not dull aluminum. When I tried to track down the krylon dull aluminum, a paint store guy said it was discontinued, but said the Rustoleum metallic aluminum is the same color. I took his word for it and when I did a paint test it looked right. Here it is. —Billy
You could try to touch it up and get it to blend. But if it didn't stick... you might have to just clean the whole thing off and start over I had to do that two times three times I think in order to get mine to look right, stick well and not fisheye On yours something didn't get prepared right you didn't wipe the whole thing down good with lacquer thinner or something maybe a finger print? Don't be afraid to try it again. Get a toothbrush and some lacquer thinner and brush the hell out of it repaint and then let it cure. I let mine cure for a year or two before I even thought about putting wax on it it actually enhanced the weathering look to it ,made it look even more OEM. Krylon is what I've been using for years.
The first half of 1968 Olds used a satin finish through the center of the molding (along with two piece front peak molding) but changed sometime after Feb. to solid chrome truck molding and one piece front peak molding. My 'August 68' 442 has solid chrome trunk molding and like the 69's one piece peak molding.
Thanks. Very interesting. I’ve never seen a 68 with a one piece fender peak molding that was not a replacement because of damage. If your 68 was built in August, that had to be the last week before retooling at the plant for the 69s. And why would they not paint the trunk molding, it wasn’t a part that fit on the 69? Can anyone else back up this info or add to it? —Billy
February 1st, 2019, 05:04 PM
