Factory color scheme for front cross-bars and hood latches

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Roy McKinney

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My '68 Dart GTS has the cross bars and hood latch painted black, but I am not sure if that was factory paint or has been painted over. I had been told that Dodge typically painted the engine bay area the same color as the car. Would that include the front cross-bars as well? As you can see in the picture, the body color is yellow. Any thoughts on what the factory paint scheme was? Thanks for your help.

Dart.jpg
 
The rad support (what you are calling crossbars?) was crudely painted black in the factory on light colored cars. This was done so that the body color couldn't be seen through the grill. It was sprayed from below with little or no masking.
 
I knew a guy who did that job back in the day. He said it was an entry job and not liked by those who did it. The paint was applied from below the car from a pit and was sprayed as the cars passed over with a wand similar to a weed sprayer. Paint drifted back down onto the guys and ventilation wasn't great. He said if someone on another position called in sick the core support painter was pretty quick to step into the other position. That often left one guy doing double duty (why some cars appear to have just some black splashing) or sometimes there was no painter. (Why some cars that should have been painted weren't)
 
Roy McKinney said:
My '68 Dart GTS has the cross bars and hood latch painted black, but I am not sure if that was factory paint or has been painted over. I had been told that Dodge typically painted the engine bay area the same color as the car. Would that include the front cross-bars as well? As you can see in the picture, the body color is yellow. Any thoughts on what the factory paint scheme was? Thanks for your help.

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Mine have always been body color.
 
It was normally left body color on "dark" colored cars. Don't know how they defined "dark", so it is very hit-or-miss. And then we have the "restorers" who seem to want it all body color. IMHO, the body color looks like crap thru the grille.
 
69_340_GTS said:
It was normally left body color on "dark" colored cars. Don't know how they defined "dark", so it is very hit-or-miss. And then we have the "restorers" who seem to want it all body color. IMHO, the body color looks like crap thru the grille.
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In hindsight I have to agree with this.

01515_7sC0p8Lqx0U_600x450.jpg
 
Tearing down a 100% original 1972 Dart. You can see how it was painted in the front as a reference

20181110_131916.jpg
 
That looks totally factory, more of the crossbar than normal but not all cars were the same as this was done quick.


Alan
 
Thanks for the replies. Mine looks just like these do. The engine bay side is the color of the car (yellow) and the front facing is the flat sprayed in black.
 
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