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Hey Everybody, I just got my 68 442 back from 16 months paint and body restoration. Thanks to everyone on the message board here for your valuable advice, tips, detailed info, and hard to find parts.
I’ve completely redone the interior but still working on installing that after resolving some electrical issues including the difficult task of getting the Rally pac working.
—Billy
This car has an original fender with the W36 stripe. I took the fender off and found no filled holes indicating a badge move so this is an original W36 car. It was repainted before me and a vinyl stripe was applied. For the new paint, The painter and I did extensive research on the exact measurements of the W36 stripe. Through that research and assistance of a few original paint car owners on this board confirming - we found the total width of the stripe is 6 and 3/4 inches, not 7 as indicated in the original factory build manuals. —Billy
This car has an original fender with the W36 stripe. I took the fender off and found no filled holes indicating a badge move so this is an original W36 car. It was repainted before me and a vinyl stripe was applied. For the new paint, The painter and I did extensive research on the exact measurements of the W36 stripe. Through that research and assistance of a few original paint car owners on this board confirming - we found the total width of the stripe is 6 and 3/4 inches, not 7 as indicated in the original factory build manuals. —Billy
Very Cool! Those on my '68 (signature) are not original and are the wrong dimension, in spite of being in the correct location. VERY interesting about your measured dimensions VS factory pubs, too! If not too tedious, would you mind posting the measurements you determined?
Last edited by BackInTheGame; Apr 16, 2020 at 05:48 AM.
Reason: (add a question)
If that’s the white fender photos that’s have circulated, it’s wrong. I’ll put together a diagram.
For now though, the often mistaken measurement is the outer stripes are actually 5/8 and not 1/2 inch.
The spaces are 1/2 inch. The inner stripe is 4 1/2. Another measurement often incorrect is the vertical space where the badge is. That is 2 1/2 inches.
—Billy
This car has an original fender with the W36 stripe. I took the fender off and found no filled holes indicating a badge move so this is an original W36 car. It was repainted before me and a vinyl stripe was applied. For the new paint, The painter and I did extensive research on the exact measurements of the W36 stripe. Through that research and assistance of a few original paint car owners on this board confirming - we found the total width of the stripe is 6 and 3/4 inches, not 7 as indicated in the original factory build manuals. —Billy
Very Nice Restoration
Extensive research really isn't required anymore. The Assembly Manual drawing surfaced about five or six years ago
I disagree. Extensive research is very much required. That drawing is wrong. It says the space between the big stripe and the outer stripe is .625. That translates to 5/8 of an inch. If you measure an original stripe car, that space is 1/2 inch. See the top of the drawing where it says 7.0 inches. That’s wrong. It’s actually 6 3/4.
This diagram has been circulating for years and incorrect stripes have been painted because of it.
I am told the build book was printed before assembly and that, for whatever reason, a change was made at the painting. A supplement should have been sent for revised editions of the book, but they never did it.
Someone told me that even the aftermarket decals made in later years were incorrect because they based their templates on this incorrect but official drawing.
The only way to be sure of the measurements, is to look at an original stripe, original paint car. I based my stripe on 2 original stripe cars. Thanks to those guys. —Billy
So if that is true, should we question everything in the assembly manual!?? I'm not sure GM did them incorrect, nor do I think the assembly line workers took it upon themselves to go outside the manual. Just saying!!
Last edited by maddoctor; Apr 19, 2020 at 11:03 AM.
"IF" the allowable tolerance on the stripe was 1/8" (+/-.13") it would cover what "Billyaxe" found on one "original" fender VS. what's published in the assembly manual
anyone have a clear image of the tolerance block? - but calling the assembly manual drawing "WRONG" is borderline humorous
Here’s a dialog in another thread that I based my stripe measurements on.
“ joe_padavano , December 27th, 2019 03:41 PM
OK, I measured the stripes on my original paint 68. They are basically the same as the ones in the photos, not the Olds blueprint drawing. Ironically, my car is also white with red stripes. On mine, the inner stripe is 4 1/2" wide. The two outboard stripes are 5/8". The forward gap is 17/32". The rear gap is 1/2". Overall width of the stripe is 6 13/16" or so. These dimensions are not entirely consistent from top to bottom, by the way, so all-in-all, typical GM build quality from the 1960s.
The other thing I noticed is that the stripes on my car are not centered on the emblems - they are about 1/4" towards the front of the car. I don't know if this is intentional or not, but I suspect not. These are the passenger side.
2019 04:22 PM oe_padavano , December 27th, 2019 04:22 PM
Unfortunately it appears that whoever made the paint template got it wrong, or at least did not match the engineering drawing. I wonder if the overall width was purposely changed, as it appears that the overall width of the emblems is less than 7". There might be an engineering change order and the print didn't get updated. The gaps are unquestionably narrower than the outboard stripes.
oe_padavano , December 29th, 2019 01:17 PM
Thanks to Karl Sup over on FB, I'm reminded that Chris Witt also documented the stripes on his original paint 68. That's now three cars with the 1/2" gap instead of the specified 5/8". Note that the stripes on his car are better aligned with the emblems, however.
ben442 , December 29th, 2019 04:27 PM
The assembly manual page also shows the top half of the stripe to be 11" long not 12" long like the painted red fender pictures.
I got my stripe kit from phoenix graphics, even though the space is 5/8" wide I like it.”
I still have these fender sections. I believe them to be from an original W-30 car I owned many years ago. Although no proof it was a W car, it had all the correct signs of one. Red inner fender plates, no power brakes, four core radiator, scoops, broken, but still attached, RH window wash bottle and hose routing. Car was a rust out, with no original drive train. Had a 4 speed manual transmission.
I still have these fender sections. I believe them to be from an original W-30 car I owned many years ago. Although no proof it was a W car, it had all the correct signs of one. Red inner fender plates, no power brakes, four core radiator, scoops, broken, but still attached, RH window wash bottle and hose routing. Car was a rust out, with no original drive train. Had a 4 speed manual transmission.
Thank you, I used them for my restoration because there wasn't an assembly manual drawing readily available at that time. Although I believe them to be original, I know that websites crash and data is lost all the time. It happened at least twice on ROP
Major Kudos to your body shop! 
