[Closed] David, I'll tell what I know, which isn't much.,,,,,

David, I'll tell what I know, which isn't much.,,,,,

Production of 1942 cars lasted for about 6 months. Some started in July and August of 1941, and ended in the first week of February 1942. The last, roughly month of production were specified by the Federal Government to use certain finishes on some parts to conserve for the war effort. These last autos were referred to as "blackout models". Some moldings were left off altogether, and others were painted a contrasting body color to match the color of the car. If the part was already made, the chrome was painted over. If it was made during this period, it was primed and painted.
I checked my original sales brochures, for the 1942 Olds, and found all of the lower grilles were painted, but I saw somewhere, some chromed pieces. You cannot rely on the validity of the brochure, because they were printed before production began, so they could be in dealer showrooms in plenty of time. If some were chromed,it would be only on the more expensive 98 series,
The lesser trimmed cars would have been built between late December and the end of production, Feb. 5th, 1942. The photo of the last 1942 Olds, a 98 Club Sedan (like the Brooklin model), shows a painted lower grille. No mention is made in Helen Early's wonderful Oldsmobile history, "Setting the Pace".