Color of a phaeton

My good friend and ACD Club member Sam Harvey in Connersville told me his grandfather Sam Walling fitted sedan doors to Cords on the assembly line. Pity all of the old work force have passed on, we could have bombarded them with all sorts of questions. Back when regular meets were held in Connersville there were a number of guys who attended that had worked on the assembly lines.

Originally the hood prop was chromed. But when production started anything chrome was cad plated to save money. Of course the bumpers, handles both inside n out were still chromed. There was an engineering change in 1935 reflecting this. Hand built cars had much more chrome than the production cars.


Gary Parsons

Reading the available books it appears that Gordon Buehrig and his team went to a lot of trouble to get things right simply because they did care. They were working on a unique project. I don't know but maybe the trunk lid and convertible top cover were fixed in place when the body was painted? If that were the case it would make perfect sense.
The door hinges are painted body colour.
A lot of people over the years have painted the bumper bar supports black however they were painted in body colour.
The hood hinges were cad plated ........................ just to be different.

I find it hard to believe that the trunk hinges and the deck lid hinges would have been body color. When they would have painted these cars they used lacquer and I can't see them spending the time on hinges. It would make more sense to have the hidden items done and ready to put on any color car. Meaning that when you open the trunk on a blue car who cares if the hinge is black. I'm sure you're probably right it just doesn't make sense.

Robert L Hauser

Robert, the sub frames were all painted black before assembly with the body. The black was not a shiny enamel but more of a matt black.
The trunk hinges should be body colour. Similarly I think the deck lid hinges should be body colour but I am not a phaeton owner or expert.
The bumper supports should be body colour as well.

was your car blue when new or are you changing the color? i'm pretty sure that front sub frame should be black. additionally, on the front stub frame a very faint stamped serial number is between two large rivets toward the rear of passenger side.
rear window support frame should be body color. small screwed in window frame is chromed. also, there is a chromed front pieced where rear window meets the front window. i'm not sure on hinges. i tend to think body color though.

My car is black with red interior and I am attempting a complete restoration. My question is about the different colors of Cords. If a car is blue are the trunk hinges, deck lid hinges, sub frame the same as the body color or are they black or some other color? The other question I have is on the rear 1/4 window. in most pictures I have seen of the Phaeton's they are chrome but mine where black. if they are chrome is the bottom part painted the body color or is the whole thing chrome.

Robert L Hauser