'58 Front Bumper Medallion

[Zuber]

Since it looks like no one has decided to reproduce these yet, has anyone ever painted one? It doesn't look like it should be too hard except figuring out the correct colors. The base looks like silver, the outer quadrants an off white, and the inner quadrants a matte black. The one on my car is pretty faded so I can't really use it as a good reference and I'm getting these colors off pictures of other '58s.

If anyone has done this before or knows someone that has a big stash of NOS ones laying around, let me know. I've only seen one on eBay in the last year and a half and the price got higher than I could justify spending.

Thanks in advance,

Kent Z.

[Art]

Here’s what I used to redo mine.
Rustoleum Stops Rust Automotive Primer
Rustoleum Professional High Performance Enamel- Stainless Steel
Rustoleum Stops Rust- Black
Rustoleum Stops Rust- White
Rustoleum Stops Rust- Crystal Clear Enamel
Mineral Spirits
Wooden toothpicks
First I stripped off all the old finish. I think I used a paste type paint stripper. First coat was a primer. Then do the Stainless steel 30 minutes later. Now you need to let it dry. Rustoleum says a minimum of 48 hours. Longer is better. If you put the next coats on too soon, you’ll know right away because it will wrinkle underneath. You’ll need to set the medallion perfectly level to apply the next coats. I set it in a spray can’s plastic lid, and used a small carpenters 8” level to check. Now the black and the white. Spray a small amount of one color of the paint directly into a small cup. Mix in an equal amount of mineral spirits. It has to be pure mineral spirits, not paint thinner. The idea is to get it as thin as water. Use a toothpick to place small drops in the center of the depressions that you’re painting. When you’ve got enough, use the toothpick to guide the droplet toward the edge of the depression. With enough patience, you can get the surface tension to form a very straight line. You should do all 4 black and all 4 white depressions at a sitting, because you’re going to need to let it cure longer this time because of the mineral spirits, around a week. When you’re sure it’s dry, you can spray it with the clear. This stuff is pretty durable. I’ve put about 7000 miles on since I redid mine and it still looks like new.
I have no idea what the exact original colors or gloss were. I just used what was available. When I’m working on something with this detail, I wear a pair of 3X reading glasses from the drugstore.
Good luck
Art

[Zuber]

Thanks for the great write-up Art!

I was assuming that I would need to mask and spray the black/white sections, but this sounds like it may be a little easier. Looks like I have another project for when the weather turns bad seeing how it will need to sit for a while to get the paint to cure.

Thanks again,

Kent Z.