Dear Bill and mid-60s Buick caregivers,
I finally managed to pry enough time to complete this seemingly modest task. I still had to do this over a few days. Such are the conditions that prevail these days.
Here is a photo of the components before installation:
I don't know if you can still get the shim piece between the top of the hood and the emblem nut.
Personally Ed, I'd use some black polypropylene plastic (as in flat smooth el-cheapo mudflaps). . . . . .
That certainly might work nicely. When I removed the old Postron reproduction ornament I was surprised to see how well the styrene plastic had held up. Here is a picture of the old ornament and the gasket from a few years back:
Here is how the hood looked after removing the old ornament:
Even my styrene gasket did a decent job of protecting the paint until the ornament started to wobble.
I decided to make the sentimental choice and stick with cork. I first "tacked" it to the base with CA glue:
Then I trimmed around the edges with a hobby knife:
I trimmed a bit further after that picture was taken. Then it was simply a matter of balancing the ornament shaft, shim and emblem nut to tighten everything. I had applied cold galvanizing paint on the exposed metal of the ornament, so rust shouldn't be as much of a problem. Even so I put a bit of silicone sealant on the shaft to impede moisture and act as a thread lock. As a final touch, I polished the surfaces as best I could with Flitz. Here is what the ornament looks in subdued light:
The cork seems very noticeable in this photo, but of course you have to put your nose on top of the ornament to really see it. However, if you want to be even more
"stealthy" you might touch up the cork in the exterior paint color of your car.
Here is a view from the passenger side in the sunshine:
Here is a "head on" view:
While I was driving around yesterday afternoon, I found myself with some unexpected emotions. It wasn't that the OEM ornament looks "fancier," but it looked more understated and "classy" than the Postron reproduction which now felt more like a
"caricature" than a reproduction . While not a big thing, I found myself feeling pleased that I had straightened out another "imperfection" and Biquette was once more a little closer to how she was back in 1965.
Thanks Loren for having this hood ornament re-coloring service!
and thanks everybody for your support of mid-60s Buicks!
Cheers, Edouard
