This is more a question for guy that have original paint. Are the hatch hedges painted or not, how were they done from the factory?

painted

painted

I've seen it both ways was the hardware also painted?

and the bucket like thing they sit in?

In this photo (from 26thZ's collection, I think), the bodies are shown in the metal finishing stage of the metal shop before going to paint. So that would agree with what has been said.

Hinges were painted while attached to the body. But the large Phillips head screws that hold the hatch to the hinges were NOT painted - they were silver cad-plated.

Perhaps I should say that this was true for my 7/71 build date car - can't say for certain on all of 'em.

what Arne said. That is the way my car is (280)

So playing this in my head they would have been installed for fitting the hatch, hatch removed by screws, and painted leaving the hinges, then new screws or recycle the ones removed so they never got paint. That makes since.

This is good stuff to know like when I took the cowl off the car I was restoring to find little paint circles hinting to me the cowl was painted on the car without the screws, and a paint line from were it sat when painted.

So playing this in my head they would have been installed for fitting the hatch, hatch removed by screws, and painted leaving the hinges, then new screws or recycle the ones removed so they never got paint. That makes since.

This is good stuff to know like when I took the cowl off the car I was restoring to find little paint circles hinting to me the cowl was painted on the car without the screws, and a paint line from were it sat when painted.

I am looking at a spare hinge right now, it has factory primer on the back sides, looks like it was sprayed with color at the factory installed on the car with the hatch off (this is from a 77 one coat of primer one coat of paint 510 blue).

Edited January 26, 201114 yr by grantf