Gbouff@aol.com wrote:
> >
> > I have a 59 TR3 that I am restoring, the interior and the rail coverings are
> > shot. The body is a very light grey color, which from what I can determine,
> > was called "silverstone grey". The interior and rails are also a very light
> > grey, even in areas where the sun could not bleach the pigments...trim
> > samples from Moss Motors are cosiderably darker than that on my car....
On Sat, 27 Jun 1998, fred thomas wrote:
> Gary, have any idea how many times the interior has been replaced on your
> car ?? So how do you know which is the correct color, and you need to
> have the rest of the upholstery match the trim also. I was at a LBC show
> a few summers back and all in a nice row were 12 TR 3'S all painted
> "Signal Red", and there were 12 different shades of red, but all were
> "Signal Red". Anyway unless you can find a never redone 59, there is
> really no way of knowing the shade is correct or not, I bet at your first
> show you will find 4 different shades of grey....
Fred and Gary, I have to "jump in" here. From what Gary said, it sounds
as if he's redoing an original car. Years ago, when I entertained dreams
of restoring my green TR3A, I ran into the same situation as Gary did. My
car still has what's left of its original grey interior. (Believe it or
not, that leather and vinyl had been painted tan, blue and finally black
in the 12 years from new until I bought the car in '72. But I digress.)
I, too, was able to find "unmolested" (unbleached and/or unworn) bits of
the original grey material. Indeed it was MUCH lighter than material samples
provided for new kits from TRF and others. I would go so far as to
describe the original color of my interior as a dirty white, but the
description "Silverstone Grey" was confirmed by build records of my car.
That said, I will be interested to see what others might have to say
about the topic. And I must admit that I admire you, Gary, for wanting to
preserve your TR in its original paint and trim colors. Some might go so
far as to call the combination of grey paint AND trim dull or boring, and
I suspect it did not sell well. I can't say as I've ever seen a TR in
that combination.
As you noted, Fred, so many of the cars seem to have become Signal Red
over the years. As a part-time purist, I love to see cars restored in
colors that have long since lost favor: Beige, Salvador Blue, Geranium,
Olive Yellow (ok, that's a tough one to live with, but...), etc, paint
along with trim colors such as Fawn, Blackberry and Vermillion. My
suspicion is that you, Gary, will likely end up (as I will -- SOMEDAY)
spending much time searching out the correct shade of light grey vinyl
(and leather to match for the seat facings and cowl/door cappings). I
look forward to an equally long search someday for Coffee-colored vinyl for
one of my Heralds!
All this is not to say that what is currently supplied by even the most
well-intended parts suppliers might not have been correct at some point.
Variations in trim colors were very common, as the factory undoubtedly
relied on several suppliers at any given time. I have seen some
documented original cars with, frankly, almost hideous shades and grains
of vinyl trim -- stuff that most of us would have hesitated to use on a
kitchen stool in the 1950s. But apparently that's what was available to
the factory that week!?
At risk of turning all this into a tirade, it often is up to us to dig
around when the "regular" suppliers can't or won't provide correct
materials. Another example of this is Charcoal Grey carpeting, used in
Heralds from the latter part of 1960 through the mid-1960s. All the
"best" suppliers will provide black or a few other colors for Heralds,
but not Charcoal Grey. In this case, hats off to my buddy Bill Kelly, who
managed to track down a supplier of carpets for early 1950s Fords and was
able to find an almost perfect match (color and pile) for the original
Herald carpeting.
Conclusion (whew!) -- as one who appreciates originality and "correct"
restorations, we need not just judging guides, but also those who do take
the time to research originality and make every ettempt to duplicate it.
When that doesn't happen, originality (and judging standards) ultimately
become rooted not in what is actually correct but in what those
well-intended parts suppliers offer in their catalogs. And what suppliers
are most likely to offer is what sells best and/or is easiest to provide.
For interiors, that's mostly black and red and perhaps some shade of tan.
For carpets it's almost always black. (Paint is another story, as almost
any color can be matched or recreated, but Signal Red does seem to rule,
followed closely by "BRG" and black.)
OK, I'm done now. :-)
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