169indy,

What I have found is the paint chips off easily. Only see them painted on low mile cars.

For those keeping track, the 1973 Nova did not seem to have rivets.

Greg

My 72 Nova doesn't have the rivets either and are original to my car.

How would the rivets have been painted? Just a hand touch-up like by brush after the Fisher tags were riveted to the sill plates?

cruiserofland,

Good question.

It is more likely that the rivet heads were painted before assembly. Many original rivets heads have a particular ring indentation from the tooling. The paint is embedded in the indentation. If painted later, the paint would flow into the indentation and cover it more.

Besides, if someone had to paint them later, excess paint would show up on the tag. I have not noticed any excess paint.

Many original sill plates had the paint off one or more of the rivets due to wear. Or from the paint adhesion being weak after assembly.

Greg

BTW When I first started you could purchase the Fisher Body tags with the holes in them. Later, I could only get the ones with fake raised indentation to simulate rivets. I just drilled through indentations.

IIRC The Original Parts Group sells them with holes and black rivets.