I will be doing an engine detail soon. Should the fender wells inside the compartment be black or body color? I have been told at car shows that they should be black but I have see pictures online with them as body color. So what is correct for when they left factory?
Quote from: gatech1956 on December 05, 2017, 07:47:02 PM
I will be doing an engine detail soon. Should the fender wells inside the compartment be black or body color? I have been told at car shows that they should be black but I have see pictures online with them as body color. So what is correct for when they left factory?
The would be body color at least that is what mine had under the black paint some one used when I striped them for painting.
As the fenders wells are welder to the outer fenders, they are painted body color. Only the separate sheet metal pieces are black.
I appreciate the input!
Yep, definitely they should be body color ;)
For clarity for Mr. Steeves, would the body color paint under the hood have the same gloss as the rest of body or would it be somewhat more flat?
The inner fender would start out glossy and over time would lose a little of the gloss due to heat and grime from the engine.
Hm, this has been very helpful. To give you all some perspective, the car's body is (Goddess Gold according to the books) was repainted some time ago before I possessed but it wasn't a complete respray. The firewall, the door jams, and inside of the trunk is still original paint to give you an idea. I think the front of the car was in a car accident god knows when because when you open the hood you can see along the inner sides of the hood and fenders you can see blue under the yellow and the fender wells are black and you an see blue under the fender wells where the black is peeling. The body is still glossy, so I guess when I get it detailed the inside will match the body.
Quote from: CadillacRob on December 08, 2017, 11:01:16 AM
Yep, definitely they should be body color ;)
Follow up question. Did should the underside of the hood be black?
Yes. I've never seen under the hood painted body color. It was always a matte black with an insulator pad to protect the hood surface from engine heat. Others will chime in with the 100 percent confidence as what the factory spec was, but any restored 56 I've seen always is black. That's how I'll be doing mine.
Matte or semi-gloss black. Not sure which is 100% correct. But not gloss black.
Semi-gloss black is correct for the underhood paint. The correct insulator mat is available from a guy on e-bay. I've bought about 6 of them from him over the years for the 55-56 cars that I've restored. Don't be tempted to get the cheapies that are of burlap or fiberglass. Also, be sure to use the good 3M spray glue and spray both the hood and the pad. Get a helper to hold the pad in place and mark the outside edges with a erasable marker or masking tape. That way you'll know how far to spray your glue. You do want to get pretty close to the edge of the pad. Allow the glue to set up for about 15 min. depending upon temperature, then start at the front-most part of the pad, letting the pad hang down (so that you can pivot it if necessary) and work your way back. If you've left your tape or pen marks on the hood, you'll know if you're where you want to be as you affix the pad to the hood. Last word of caution here... if you've just rebuilt the engine, start it first and be sure the timing etc. is correct. Sometimes starting a new engine can produce a big hiccup from the engine that can include a fire ball and that can ignite your new hood pad...the result will not be what you had in mind when you said,"let's fire up the engine!"
Take care,
Ken Karrer
CenTex Reg. Dir.
I concur with the hood pad suggestion. If you are painting the hood underside anyway and the thing is off the car, by all means install the good hood pad then! You are much better able to tape, paper off, spray and set with much better control working with gravity. The 3M Super adhesive is the way to go. After years of being up inside the hot hood area of my cars, none of the pads have ever loosened using the proper 3M. I would only caution on the 15 minute suggestion. That seems a bit long. Test your spray to see that it is not wet, but still very tacky and then start laying your pad in, beginning at one corner after centering. Spray only half the surface area at a time. The instructions that guy gives for the pads is very detailed and helpful.
Good info on the heat pad guys thanks
Quote from: kkarrer on December 15, 2017, 11:39:55 PM
Semi-gloss black is correct for the underhood paint. The correct insulator mat is available from a guy on e-bay. I've bought about 6 of them from him over the years for the 55-56 cars that I've restored. Don't be tempted to get the cheapies that are of burlap or fiberglass. Also, be sure to use the good 3M spray glue and spray both the hood and the pad. Get a helper to hold the pad in place and mark the outside edges with a erasable marker or masking tape. That way you'll know how far to spray your glue. You do want to get pretty close to the edge of the pad. Allow the glue to set up for about 15 min. depending upon temperature, then start at the front-most part of the pad, letting the pad hang down (so that you can pivot it if necessary) and work your way back. If you've left your tape or pen marks on the hood, you'll know if you're where you want to be as you affix the pad to the hood. Last word of caution here... if you've just rebuilt the engine, start it first and be sure the timing etc. is correct. Sometimes starting a new engine can produce a big hiccup from the engine that can include a fire ball and that can ignite your new hood pad...the result will not be what you had in mind when you said,"let's fire up the engine!"
Take care,
Ken Karrer
CenTex Reg. Dir.
This is very good info. However, way back I had purchased hood insulation from OPGI. Is that not as good as what you are suggesting?
I don't think the forum permits anyone directing one supplier over another but I think we can give testimonials! The folks I've used on my last 2 or 3 cars have been Hood Pads, Dave and Karen Logosz out of Oregon. Please call them before you make any decision. 541-726-9722 klogosz@aol.com
I can not be any more pleased with their work and product.
Chuck
Hood pad installation on my 56 FW from a few years ago (a car I called Pecos Bill)...
My hood pad supplier was the guy in Oregon. His stuff is correct. He's easy to work with and delivery is always on time.
Merry Christmas!
Ken Karrer
CenTex Reg. Dir.
1961 Eldorado Biarritz
I'm in the Portland OR area and worked directly with Dave Logosz (he's in Springfield, about 1.5 hours away) on a modified under hood pad for my '55 CDV.
I wanted to try a modern upgrade to the pad. Instead of using the usual insulation material he always uses, I obtained the "Hoodliner" material from Dynamat and Dave assembled the liner so that it looks stock. The hoodliner is 3/4" thick acoustic foam with an aluminum facing to reflect heat.
I consider this an experiment. If it doesn't work very well I can always remove it and have Dave make me a totally stock unit.
BTW, Dave is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. Been to his house/shop a few times, always has some very cool cars around.
John Adams
I had my engine compartment done about 2 years ago! I'm happy to show it off!
Quote from: stzomah on December 27, 2017, 09:38:26 PM
I had my engine compartment done about 2 years ago! I'm happy to show it off!
I like it! Was your engine pulled when you did that or was it left in? Personally, I want to try to keep it in. Engine runs fine, don't want to chance anything getting messed up from pulling it.
They did a "nose job".... pulled the fenders, hood, engine, front suspension... I had acid rot from the battery on the one inner fender and we decided to pull everything off. Had the engine rebuilt then later had the tranny done. I always wanted to get the firewall and inner fenders done. It is just a dream to open the hood now. I wish you luck with your car...
Just wanted to post a fun update on my engine compartment detail. My car was featured in a small video on facebook. It comes on around the 3:27 mark. Car has been in the shop for a while, humidity has been killing the paint progress hopefully all the work wraps up soon. A lot of progress has been made this week. Also, the engine doesn't look cadillac blue in the video but it is in person :)
Enjoy! https://www.facebook.com/CaffeineAndOctane/videos/2059698684054099/
(Yes, I know the transmission should match the blue color of the engine. Shop has corrected it since the video has been made)