chrome around the vinyl top, 1970 Fleetwood

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

The Ark heads to Hyannis Vintage Auto this week, finally.

I believe, I think, the chrome trim around the vinyl top is supposed to be black, I polished off the paint to reveal the beautiful shiny chrome. Now the new roof is going on, Tuxedo instead of 'correct' Cross Grain, it was a HUGE price difference and I'm not trying/can't afford to build a 100 point car. But I probably should get the chrome correct. Black semi gloss or flat black? The few pics I've seen of a 1970 Fleetwood with a black vinyl top, its hard to tell the shine on the chrome.

Grateful as always,

\m/
Laurie

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

Laurie, My '70 sales brochure is downstairs and I don't want to fight the cats to not follow me. So I hauled out the '69 that was in a drawer right behind me. It shows that there is chrome outlining the tops of the side windows. And the Brougham with a vinyl top has a chrome bead around the bottom of the top.
These are artists drawings so they might have changed things. But maybe this will help until the '70 experts chime in.
We're all hoping that not too much metal has gone on the Ark. Best of luck. You might go on line and see if you can find a page with 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and get all the different colored pictures. Nix all this and see below:

Type in 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, google it, and go down to "notorious luxury." Go past the Cornisch convertible and you'll find one with your color ? with a white top. Keep going until you find the black one. Keep scrolling down until you find a closeup of what you need to know.

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Hi Laurie:

Not sure about your '70 Fleetwood, but on my 1973
it's like this:

These pieces are metal.  The piece around the halo roof
is black (painted).  The piece around the rear window is
also black, except for the part about 3/8" wide that is
next to the glass -- that's chromed.  This does not show
up well with factory brochure pics (I looked) it's too small
a detail.

You may think they are all chrome since as the black
paint wears, it looks "shiny metal" under it.  I had to
repaint mine years ago due to wear.

We have several 1970's experts on this Forum,
hopefully one will chime in and confirm this.

[Cadillac Fleetwood]

Hi Laurie,
I have a 1970 Fleetwood Brougham (Cotillion White, White Vinyl Roof, Red Leather) which I have owned since 1984, and drove as an everyday car from 1989 through 2000.

The halo vinyl roof mouldings consist of the following:  Stainless moulding across the front, stainless moulding fore and aft along each roof rail, stainless moulding down the leading edge of the "C" pillar and across the "C" pillar base, and stainless moulding across the rear lower edge.  At each corner is a die-cast chrome piece with interlocking tabs to engage the stainless mouldings.

As to finish, part of the bright mouldings, both on the stainless pieces and on the die-cast corners, were painted out using paint to match the color of the vinyl roof.  The character line in the mouldings delineates the painted portion, and the part that was left bright.  This gave the illusion of a delicate, jewel-like bright moulding, while affording the added strength of a wider, thicker moulding.  This trick, in combination with the "halo" roof treatment, de-emphasized the added height of the Fleetwood roofline.

-Charles Fares

[wrefakis]

original molding

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Just out of curiosity, does the rear window have that
chrome "bead" treatment as well -- or is it solid black?

Mike

[wrefakis]

rear window

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Laurie, My '70 sales brochure is downstairs and I don't want to fight the cats to not follow me. So I hauled out the '69 that was in a drawer right behind me. It shows that there is chrome outlining the tops of the side windows. And the Brougham with a vinyl top has a chrome bead around the bottom of the top.
These are artists drawings so they might have changed things. But maybe this will help until the '70 experts chime in.
We're all hoping that not too much metal has gone on the Ark. Best of luck. You might go on line and see if you can find a page with 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and get all the different colored pictures. Nix all this and see below:

Type in 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, google it, and go down to "notorious luxury." Go past the Cornisch convertible and you'll find one with your color ? with a white top. Keep going until you find the black one. Keep scrolling down until you find a closeup of what you need to know.

Simply *KILLER* Barry, thank you. I've been to that site so many times and never really 'looked' I guess. Anyone else notice the blue and aqua Fleetwoods have the wrong hubcaps? The black one gave me a good look at how they painted the trim around the roof. And it, like some others, has a tuxedo roof, not the cross grain. So I'm feeling a lot better about saving that money.
Awesome Barry, THANK YOU.

\m/
Laurie

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Hi Laurie,
I have a 1970 Fleetwood Brougham (Cotillion White, White Vinyl Roof, Red Leather) which I have owned since 1984, and drove as an everyday car from 1989 through 2000.

The halo vinyl roof mouldings consist of the following:  Stainless moulding across the front, stainless moulding fore and aft along each roof rail, stainless moulding down the leading edge of the "C" pillar and across the "C" pillar base, and stainless moulding across the rear lower edge.  At each corner is a die-cast chrome piece with interlocking tabs to engage the stainless mouldings.

As to finish, part of the bright mouldings, both on the stainless pieces and on the die-cast corners, were painted out using paint to match the color of the vinyl roof.  The character line in the mouldings delineates the painted portion, and the part that was left bright.  This gave the illusion of a delicate, jewel-like bright moulding, while affording the added strength of a wider, thicker moulding.  This trick, in combination with the "halo" roof treatment, de-emphasized the added height of the Fleetwood roofline.

-Charles Fares

PRICELESS info Charles, THANK YOU!

\m/
Laurie

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

rear window

GREAT photos, THANK YOU. Its looks like a flat black paint???
Another tuxedo roof too!

\m/
Laurie

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! THANK YOU!

I got some PITA painting to do I guess... unless its part of the $1500 roof/headliner installation which I doubt.

THANK YOU!

\m/
Laurie

[Scot Minesinger]

The DeVille has a metal trim painted to match vinyl top color with a vinyl grain stamped into it that separates the vinyl top from painted metal body color that forms the halo.  Crazy that Cadillac would make this sutler difference between the Fleetwood and DeVille halo top border.  I know they did a similar treatment on body side moldings too. 

Expensive detail, but guess that is why Cadillac was the undisputed American luxury car leader (in terms of sales volume and status) in 1970 (and other surrounding years) and took care of those details.

[cadillacmike68]

The DeVille has a metal trim painted to match vinyl top color with a vinyl grain stamped into it that separates the vinyl top from painted metal body color that forms the halo.  Crazy that Cadillac would make this sutler difference between the Fleetwood and DeVille halo top border.  I know they did a similar treatment on body side moldings too. 

Expensive detail, but guess that is why Cadillac was the undisputed American luxury car leader (in terms of sales volume and status) in 1970 (and other surrounding years) and took care of those details.

Scot, just look at our grilles, and compare them to the cheap one piece stamped sheet aluminum on almost all other cars of the period. That shows the quality of materials and craftsmanship that went into our cars compared to most others back then.