Body / Glass: 50 champion, rear fender to body seal

[50pete]

Hi, I've read in the past that the seal is to be painted the color of the body. I've got the seal (body filler seal from S.I.) it doesn't look like it will hold paint well, it's a glossy black vinyl. anyone have any input?

[BobGlasscock]

I can't speak to the replacement seal's ability to hold paint, but I can verify that the original seal was painted body color.

Just call SI and ask them about it.

[studegary]

The origianl welt was painted body color, except on black cars (and perhaps some other very dark colors).
The original welt was more of a fabric and held paint. The new shiny, plastic type stuff is harder to paint. You could rough it up a little and use some kind of bonding primer.

[rockne10]

Any surface you are going to paint needs prepped. You can't just shoot it and hope it sticks. It will need scuffed for tooth and wiped with Final-Klean.

[RadioRoy]

Thank you all for realizing that it has to be painted. leaving it black is one of the biggest authenticity mistakes on a bullet-nose. That and painting the car bright red.

Thank you.

[Champ51]

Our family's '51 Plaza Gray Champion (purchased new) had black fender welt and I don't consider that a dark color.

[jclary]

My best restoration is my '48 business coupe. I purposefully did not paint the welting. Most things done like this at the factory were done for the purpose of keeping cost down, saving time, and increasing profits...not that it was the best way, and certainly not considering that years later, someone would be making a big deal out of it at car shows.

I have won trophys with it, but would never complain about points deducted for the unpainted welting. For me, just like my upgraded wiring, the value of the changes I made are worth more than points.

Same goes for quality of paint. Even if you can find the old style enamel anymore...using it is pretty goofy when compared to the durability of modern paint formulations.

[RadioRoy]

Our family's '51 Plaza Gray Champion (purchased new) had black fender welt and I don't consider that a dark color.

Have you got any pictures of it when it was new? Sometimes, after years of exposure to the elements, the welting shed its paint before the fenders did. When you have looked at a car all your life, everything seems correct, but I would be very surprised if it actually came from the factory that way. All of the factory pictures I have seen show the welting painted body color, regardless of what the body color was. I have never seen any factory photographs that have shown black fender welting. Consequently I have been on a campaign for years to educate everyone to the fact that the welting must be painted.

"Restored" cars are no evidence because people seem to research Studebakers much more casually that other brands, if they research them at all.

If you have any proof of a car coming from the factory with unpainted welting, I would love to see it.

Thanks

[studegary]

Fred Fox and I did extensive research with factory pictures, factory documents and original cars, many years ago. We agreed that the welting was painted body color, with the exception of some dark cars, especially black cars.
On may "original" cars, the paint has weathered/worn/been polished off the welting. In some cases the welting has been replaced because it got worn looking.
There was a reason that Studebaker painted this welting body color. It was to make the rear fenders look like a part of the main body and not like earlier attached fenders.

[unclemiltie]

I remember Earle Haley also researching this years ago when he was a writer for the Turning Wheels Tech Column and had the same conclusions as Gary. Earle had also worked at Studebaker in the early fifties and he said that is what his memory told him also.