Authenticity question (1954 and others)

[veesixteen]

Who can tell me what was the finish (color and material) on the underside of a 1954 Cadillac? I guess (black) undercoating was optional. But all models must have been given some form of basic protection from rust. No?

[Walter Youshock]

Basically, the underside of the bodies were primered and painted the same as the rest of the upper body at Fleetwood. Chassies were painted a semi-gloss black at Clark.  Undercoating was done at the dealership and, probably the plant if you picked the car up there.

My '57 was undercoated, as were most of the cars I've seen, especially in the Northeastern USA.  There is very little undercoating that actually got on the frame rails, nothing on the drive components, but the entire floor, fender wells and gas tank are covered on my car.

I've read that on a non-coated car, especially without a rocker molding, there could have been touch-ups from the body drop mechanism and some body color overspray ended up on the side of the frame.

[quadfins]

My '61 came out of New Mexico. There is some external sound deadening spray, mainly in the rear wheel wells and lower rear quarters. The floorpans are not undercoated (inside or outside). Nor is there body color paint. However, the red oxide primer is still very clear and apparent even after 47 years.

[PHIL WHYTE CLC 14192]

According to the Authenticity Manual [which was confirmed when I stripped the undercoating from my 54 Coupe DeVille] the underside of the floor was finished in Red Oxide primer and would have had some body colour overspray around the rocker panels etc. As already stated the chassis was finished semi gloss black. The undercoat had done quite a good job on my car in protecting the underneath, but , as usual, wherre it had lifted water had got between it and the floor panel causing rot.
All the best,
Phil

[Walter Youshock]

That would explain it.  I've never found a Cadillac of this vintage in the bone yard or on the road that wasn't undercoated.

I doubt the entire floor was painted, but, I seem to recall seeing faint traces of body color on the trunk floor when I dropped the gas tank.

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

The underside of the early '50's cars floors and trunk were primed with red oxide
They were never painted body color.

The undercoating was never done at the factory, it was done at the dealer as
an "option".

I have seen restored cars of this vintage with the floors and sheet metal under
bodies painted body color but this is not correct. Red oxide primer may not be the
best rust proofing agent -- but that's what they used.

Mike

[veesixteen]

Thanks for all the inputs.  The info was needed for a scale-model project from the Danbury Mint.  They like to get their facts right before any production run.  The '54 Coupe de Ville in 1/24 scale should be available in the first quarter 2009.

[veesixteen]

While on the topic, can any member supply (or post on this site) a couple of digital images of the trunk area of an unmolested  '54 Coupe de Ville?  We need to see especially the shelf area over the rear axle, as well as the back side of the reart seat back. Thanks again.