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The person who is painting a 54 Caribbean for my family tells me that the black paint on the firewall appears to be original. He also tells me that he has never seen a black firewall on a Caribbean and that they are usually white.

Does anyone have any information on whether the firewall may have been black originally like it appears? Thank you!

Always white to my knowledge, but with so many restored cars and so few unmolested originals to look at it's getting more and more difficult to make these statements.

From the PI Engine Judging Guide on Firewall color:

1953/54 Caribbean: Body Color above the drip rail, gloss black below the drip rail.

My unrestored '53 Caribbean has a black firewall. My friend Gary Thomas' restored '54 is also black. He was awarded the James Nance award at the 1996 PAC National. I believe each car left the plant as an unpainted standard convertible and was shipped to Mitchell-Bently for custom bodywork and finishing.

My understanding is similar, but they all left the factory as normal convertibles but in "basic" black. Then Mitchell-Bently did outside body work and installed the special trim. Because the car was already assembled when received by Mitchell-Bently, the firewall was not repainted as the engine was already in place.

each car left the plant as an unpainted standard convertible and was shipped to Mitchell-Bently for custom bodywork and finishing.

I don't believe they were unpainted, I believe they left the factory in very dark primer. Don't loose sight of the fact that the 53 and 54 were, in terms of paint, entirely different creatures with 53s in solid colors, and if I remember correct 54s in 4 different two-tones but always with the nose and lower rear body in white. Is my memory correct on this?

And of course as with any low production car, there could always have been intentional and unintentional variations.

Perhaps in '54 they left in "White" instead of "Black" from the factory.

Thank you!

Another point that didn't occur to me before. Typically bodies are painted before they dropped onto chassis with engines installed, but in the case of the Mitchell-Bentley jobs, finished cars with engines were shipped, so the bodies were painted with the powertrain already in place, and it's no fun to paint a cowl with an engine in the way.

All 53-54 Caribbeans had black firewalls......

I have seen evidence of some 53's and 54's painted black before shipment to Ionia/ Mitchell Bentley........... I have also seen evidence of two cars painted a red primer originally also before shipment and final paint..... Leon Dixon has photos of a 53 right upon shipment in black......... I wish I could get copies of all of his great photos for posterity!!!!!!


The undersides were painted black but the visible wheel wells were mostly body color.....

thanks, Vance George 53-54 PAC Caribbean Roster Keeper-Technical advisor