Last week Chico posted:
"In the archives someone recommended PPG DDL 3613 as being very close to
original for the dash of a '49 3100. I had some mixed and it seems way too
gray to me. I seem to remember a much browner color on these dashboards."
And Bob ADler replied:
"I gave that number. It is good for the trucks made in Tarrytown NY. there
could have been variations among asembly plants, but it matches the interior
color Jim Carter sells. I'll spray out a test against some original
interiors, which tend to fade very light."
Then Joe Clark added:
"I used that PPG paint code and it looked too gray to me too. However, when I
looked at some old painted areas that had been protected from the elements,
it matched up pretty well. Check the paint on your heater vents covered by
the hose or look on the
underside of the center windshield strip. UV or whatever may have turned the
original exposed paint brown."
This is a very weird color to match. On my own '51 3600 made in Van Nuys
CA, the color has changed depending on where it was in the interior. On the
dash, the Metallic Mushroom has developed a golden hue with silver streaks
were the windshield gasket has been leaking over the years. On the doors, the
color is more grayish-brown, with the same silvery streaks.
Polishing the paint on the dash or the side window moulding introduces a
very slight golden tone over the grayish-brown. I just went out to look over
the interior with color in mind, as I have done many times in the past. In
several areas the paint has a peculiar blotchy appearance, almost as if it
has been a multi-coat paint.
A month or two ago, I posted on the discovery at the local True Value
Hardware store of the Rustoleum No. 7272 Dark Bronze Metallic spray bomb. At
that time, I had already shot a test strip, and it looked very close to the
original finish on the AD truck. This weekend, I pulled the driver's door
moulding, wirewheeled it to bare metal and shot it with the Rustoleum. The
finish was very close, but had a flat appearance, so I shot it with a clear
overcoat. This brought the sheen up to just about dead nuts equal with the
polished original, and the color is also virtually identical.
Folks, this Dark Bronze/clear coat combo is so close to original in
appearance that my eyes had to make dozens of trips from the freshly polished
original to the freshly refinished surfaces to make out ANY difference. I
finally called over a friend for his opinion. He thought the finish identical
for all practical purposes, but that the original had just about a half of an
RCH more gold that the Rustoleum. I concur.
Having said all that, I'm still not certain that the spray bomb finish
will look identical to the original paint that the factory applied in 1951 as
it would have appeared in 1951. In protected patches such as under the door
upholstery, the finish looks clean and dull. Perhaps the sheen I was trying
to match was polished in by years of wiping down with cleaners and oily rags.
It is also possible that Chevy used a clear top coat just like I did, perhaps
applying it only on high wear surfaces. Perhaps the blotchy patches noticed
in the original finish are the original topcoat pealing off. This paint looks
so different in so many areas that it is just impossible to know for sure.
Paul O'Neil, Hudson29@aol.com
1951 Chevrolet 3600 Pickup Project, See it at:
The Poor Man's Advanced Design Tech Tips Page
http://home.earthlink.net/~conntest47/
Fullerton, California USA
AEROMARK - Need Rubber Stamps or Signs? See:
http://www.aeromark.net
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