Pinstripe - Painted or Tape.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Discussing pinstriping with Roy (a/k/a Mr Mulberry) a while back - he had suggested that painted pinstripe commenced in 1978 model year; tape stripe 1977 & prior.

I questioned this at first, but as I began to recollect the many original 1977 Cadillacs over the years, I began to realize they were indeed all tape while the 1978s were painted.  Further confirmation of this is my own 1977 Coupe deVille that has tape stripe and "Accent Stripe" is listed on the broadcast sheet. 

It is in my opinion that Roy is correct on this point; hitherto I had believed factory pinstripe was always painted.

Thanks.

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Painted pin stripes I know for certain started prior to 1978 -- I don't
know how far back.

For example, the pin stripes on my 1973 Eldorado are painted (I'm
the original owner so I know this to be correct).

It almost sounds like your source has it "backwards" -- painted
stripes were around long before tape.

Mike

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

I can only repeat the evidence of my own car and the many original 1977s I've owned.

Could the factory have briefly transitioned to tape before settling on paint thereafter?

[Walter Youshock]

Or was it assembly plant specific--Clark cars were painted and Linden and Southgate cars weren't?  The stripes on the 2-tone cars were tape.

They were definitely paint in the classic era. 

[bill06447]

Generally painted stripe is factory and tape stripe is dealer-installed-at least that was the case in the Eighties.

Bill

[R Schroeder]

I'll throw something else I noticed at you.

This is your posting when you bought the car. In it you show that you peeled back the pin stripe.
I noticed that the wide stripe was on the bottom on your car, and on the top on my car. Also noticed you don't have one on your trunk. A little more mystery...........ha

http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=125103.0

[Gene Beaird]

Was pin striping ever a factory option?  I have a friend who does pin striping as a profession. All paint. He works mostly for dealerships, but does others' cars between dealership gigs. I'd think someone who did that work with pin striping could be equally employed, so your pin striping would depend on who added it at the dealer.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

"Accent Stripe" as it was technically called was absolutely a factory option, available at extra charge.

I do not think the question of whether tape or paint was applied dependent upon plant at which the car was produced as Fleetwoods were all produced on Clark and of the 5 original 1977 Fleetwood Broughams I've owned, all had tape stripe.

[Tom Hall 7485]

There is a training film featuring 1971 Eldorados and body repair.  It shows the way to reproduce the factory's painted accent stripe.  It shows how to lay down a magnetic rubber mat.  The mat has a slot in it.  An arm extending from the dual striping wheels is placed into the slot.  The painter runs the dual striping wheels around the hood.  If the painter didn't get the mat down straight, the stripes would be crooked. 

This was kind of a nuisance, so tapes were used for some body repairs.  Tapes were also used as dealer-installed options.  A striper by the name of Alex came to the dealership where I worked.  He could apply pin stripe tapes to several new Cadillacs in an hour.  That was 1975-77.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I know that GM used painted pinstriping in the late 60's.   I have an issue of Car Life here, and that shows a Pontiac undergoing the pinstriping.

There is a jig that is fitted to the whole side of the car, and is held on by suction cups, and the painting wheel simply follows the guide for the full length.

I will have to dig it out, but it was somewhere around 1966 or '7.

Bruce.