oldsmobileSkip

Hello, I am new to this site and this is my first post. Being an old guy i am still trying to figure everything out.
I have a 63 Olds Starfire Convertible that I purchased a year and a half ago that I am finishing restoring. a detail that I can't seem to fine an answer for is this. the Olds emblem on the center of the trunk is all chrome but i have been told that the center originally was a red star. I have also been told it was all chrome also i have looked at a ton of pictures online of 63's and seen it both ways.?? does anyone know if when it came out of the factory if the star in the center was red or just chrome??? the emblem on the grill is painted red in center star.
Thanks for reading and any input will be appreciated.

therobski

I just took this pictures of the trunk emblem off my 63 Starfire. It's a 36K mile original A/C car. That could be a red plastic insert I don't think that is paint.

Skip1963

Thanks

therobski, That does not look like the trunk emblem i have. It must be differant for the convertible.

rocketraider

Robski, that's an 88 emblem. Either the emblem or decklid has been replaced in the last 60 years. This emblem has a plastic insert. Painted red on reverse side with a silver backing. Plastic is held in with Ternstedt's trademark mushroomed retainer pins.

Skip1963 has the correct Starfire trunk ornament. The star should be painted "Oldsmobile Purple" which is actually a purplish magenta red.

Get some good masking tape and you should be able to find a suitable color spray bomb. Clean the emblem with some denatured alcohol, tape off the star and spray a few light coats. Wa-la!

Skip1963

Hay, thanks. I am going to do that

therobski

That's amazing info Rocketraider! Thank you sir.

therobski

Rocketraider I may also mention as a lot of us Older Olds guys know these cars were not built exactly the same in some cases from plant to plant and work shift to work shift! . A thread way back mentioned my 63 was supposed to have a black firewall and not the body color either. And some do. So whatever I thought I would throw that out there.

redoldsman

One expert told Rob his 63 had to have a black firewall from the factory. I have personally had my head under the hood of his car several times and would take any bets that his firewall was blue from the factory.

therobski

Skip1963

Hi Rocketraider, took your instructions for painting my 63 starfire emblem and "wa-la" looks great!!!!
Thanks, skip1963

rocketraider

Oh I'm digging that...😃😎👍

Firewalls. They're black on both of my 64s, one is a Lansing car, the other Linden.

All 62s and most 63s I've seen have body color firewalls. All I can say with any certainty is you have to know what an assembly plant was doing at the time the car was built. Oldsmobile and others were notorious for running what they called "campaigns" where they tried new or different things and then wanted the dealer network to report back on how it was received. The Service Guilds and Technical Letters and Bulletins are full of this stuff.

Bfg

Hey Skip1963, I would love to see a full picture of your 63 Starfire, love those cars!

vintagepne

That emblem does look great and I agree post more pictures.