Correct dash appearance on a 51 S62 sedan?

[Caddy Wizard]

I am getting a 51 S62 sedan and the dash and door panels don't match.  One or the other or both are finished in the wrong colors.  The car is Empress Blue with a gray interior.  Does anyone know what the dash is really supposed to look like?  The first attached picture is the dash of the car I am getting.


I have only seen the pictures of the 51 I am buying, but it looks to me like the dash is a taupe/bronze color, which I thought was often correct on blue cars.  The door panels have obviously been repainted.  I am suspecting that the dash is the original color and the door panels are wrong.  Anyone have any information on that?

The center strip in the dash and the door moldings is supposed to be finely striped, I think. Anyone have any idea of how to do that?  See, http://caddyinfo.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/100_1295.jpg
http://www.futureclassicsnj.com/Cars/51CadBlue_dash2.jpg
http://images.classiccars.com/classifieds/528669_17403112_1951_Cadillac_Fleetwood.jpg

The second attached picture is from a reportedly 100% original 1951 Series 61 sedan.  Black with a gray interior.  Note the taupey color of the dash and the finely striped goldish center strip.  I have seen this particular car many times here in Georgia and I am rather sure that the interior has not been redone.

[D.Yaros]

Could not the difference in color in the two pictures simply be due to the ambient light?

[wrench]

Art, my 51 series 62 dash was redone by the previous owner so I can only describe what I see between mine and yours.

The dash color is carried around onto the door. In my case a medium brown metallic.

The garnish moldings around the windshield and the door windows is not the same color as the dash. In my case a silver gray metallic.

The treatment of the horizontal strip may be an applique. It definitely is on mine as the previous owner took the liberty of applying a woodgrain contact paper that really works nicely with the brown dash. I don't think it was woodgrain originally. From your pics, it looks like it is applied as a sheet of some sort.

Also, it looks like someone took liberties on your car as the shift lever knob is color coordinated, i am not sure that would have been original.

If you would like pics of my interior for reference, i would be happy to do so, however it is not original.

[Caddy Wizard]

Jim,


If your interior has been restored to original appearance, please send photos to me at agardner@gardnergroff.com.

Thanks.

[Caddy Wizard]

I found this image from a blue over gray 51 S62 sedan that is for sale.  The dash and doors bits look bronzy brown with gold striped center strips.

Does this look correct to you 51 experts out there?


By the way, look at how the dash and the door bits have faded at different rates.  I noticed this a few years ago on 1950 models.   Very odd how the parts have weathered unevenly.

[Caddy Wizard]

Bump ...  anyone able to help me with this question?

[rghobden]

I had the same problem when I restored the interior of my 1950  twenty years ago.  The custom paint store I contacted asked me to send them pieces of trim that have been protected from the sun and weather so they could do a color analysis.  Under the hinge of the glove box door is a good place to find the original color for the dash.  For the gold stripe example, I sent them one of the front door panel moldings which had protected areas under the window crank escutcheons and under the stainless steel strip. 

I was afraid that I would never see the parts again that but I had no choice and I got the parts back in good shape.  They mixed the paint and put it in rattle cans for me.  They also sell it in regular paint cans for those that prefer to use their own paint sprayer.  I was very happy with the results.  Cost? About $18 per 16 ounce can.  Most paint stores can do this analysis for you now. 

I think it took 8 or 10 cans to do the whole interior.  But there are lots of items that were painted the same color as the dash; two air vents under the dash, steering column, three areas of the horn ring, all the hangers for the items that hang from the bottom of the dash board such as the vent knobs, speaker selector switch, fog light switch, emergency brake handle and hood release knob.   Don't forget the ash tray assembly that is mounted on the back of the front seat.  And there is a lot of window trim.

The company I used was Tower Paint, 922 Oregon Street, PO Box 2345, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903.  1-800-779-6520.

[Caddy Wizard]

Thanks.


I am still hoping someone can point me to a supplier of the transfer decal for the striped center strip.  Anyone out there know who does this?

[Tito Sobrinho]

Art:

The striped center decal was used for one year only (1951).

Call "All Cads" (Ed Cholakian) and if he does not have, quite possible he may give you suggestions where to find it.

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Art,

Maybe this will help. I’ve seen restored ’53s with new gold inserts although the stripe is vertical. That tells me someone can and is making such decals. Second, you can have this made yourself. If you’ve watched  Overhaulin’ you’ve seen Chip Foose layout new graphics for muscle cars, then take it to a local friendly printer service that does the final shape layout on a computer. A computer printer then inks the colored graphic on adhesive back material. This could also be done by companies that do custom vinyl wrap graphic and commercial vehicles. The key is a high quality  photo of the subject insert. I did a  quick Google search and found several hundred of each.

The suggestion of Tower Paint may be a dead end. I used them with excellent results. However they had a fire a while back and I've been told they are out of business.

Ralph