bj61662

Is the trim plate supposed to be stainless steel or body color?

Alan 71

Hi b,
During the 68-72+ (?) period the trim plate was placed on the hinge pillar after the body was painted, so it typically was unpainted.
If some paint touch-up was done further down the production line a plate might have a bit of incidental overspray on it, but that would be a rare case.
Regards,
Alan

blue67ragtop

From the NCRS 1975-77 Tech & Judging Guide: " It is attached to the driver's door hinge pillar by two aluminum pop rivets between the first and second color coats. As a result some paint should be on the plate and rivets." "In general, most 1975 plates are well covered with body color paint. Later years are usually less well so." Earlier tags such as '70-72 should not have paint on them.

hunt4cleanair

If you find a conflict with the two posts above...they are both correct but for different periods of St Louis plant production. Around 1975-76, the plant restructured space and the booth where trim tags and VIN plates were attached. Prior to this period, tags were placed after paint, as Alan indicates. Somewhere in the 1975-76 period, the booth was moved to a location between the two paint booths to make space for increased plant production. Tags were thus attached at this point.

As a result, the stainless steel trim plates were not primed but covered by the second paint coat as ragtop states. Clearly by 1977, those plates were painted with one coat and it's not unusual to see trim tags where the paint has flaked off. I interviewed a Bowling Green plant engineer who had been a St Louis plant supervisor and explained the change to me

revitup

My '77 trim tag, no repaint.

Torqued Off

I like mine polished.

sullyman56

My 77 still has the original paint and the trim tag doesn't have any paint on it.

bj61662

It's nice to hear from someone who actually knows the facts. I got this backed up by a former Bloomington Gold judge. The trim plate question on '77s was a real bone of contention, especially by owners who had paid mega dollars on a paint restoration, only to have the car disqualified.

gbvette62

The practice of painting the trim tag continued right through the end of production at St. Louis in September 81. Production at Bowling Green reverted back to the early process, of installing the trim tag, after the body was painted.

On 75-81 cars where the paint has been removed from, or has peeled off of the trim tag, there will usually still be signs of paint inside the hole in the trim tag rivets.

ORANGEBROTHERS

12000 Original mile car.

Bikespace

Thanks for that! I checked both my cars, '79 and '80, and although the trim tags are shiny (one more so than the other), both have indications of the correct paint in the pits of the aluminum rivets. Both cars have been repainted, in the correct original color.