Hi guys,
I am currently re-restoring my 27 sport touring. I have noticed that many of the dash panels were painted black rather than the body color. However, the 15 millionth car at the Henry Ford has a green dash to match the body color. Which is correct?
Thank you for your input.
Brent
The dash on my 1919 T matches the body color -
In fact it is the body color
But it doesn't answer your question!
Hi: Nice car. I am restoring a 27 sport touring at this time. I believe the dash is black on all cars but I am no expert. Maybe Hap will know. Could you post a few more detailed pics of your sport touring. I am mostly interested in the way the wind wings clam to the windshield post. Or send me a few pics in a PM. Thanks ...
I have seen two Improved car "survivors" that interested me since I am in the process of restoring a '26 Tudor. In both instances, the interior of the car was painted the same color as the rest of the car. In those instances, it was Deep Channel Green. If there are exceptions to this rule for other colors or 1927 cars/models, I can't say.
Some were black, some were body color.
We went through this in 1996 or '97.
Same on the '26.
I painted mine black.
My 26 Tudor is the green body color. Personal preference may carry the day on this one.
Brent: This is a very good question. I owned a '26 touring many years ago, but it was a black car. If I had your car, I would paint you dash body color. I think black would be acceptable, but would look out of place in my opinion. I just checked the judging standards put out by the MTFCI, and it says it is painted BODY COLOR.
Mt 27 Tudor has a Royal Maroon body, black fenders and black dash board. The body was repainted back in the 1950's but I think the dash is original.
Thank you all for your help!
If it was already bolted to the body when the body was painted, then body color sounds like a good guess. However, if it were painted then bolted on, black may correct. Henry did things as quickly and easily as possible. Unless they were bolted to the body or else traveled with the body through the paint line, they would have had to paint them the various colors, keep them sorted out and delivered to the assembly line when that color body was being built. Black may have made more sense to them, in this case, so they could all be alike.
According to this thread, it seems that either way would be correct, so it is up to you what your personal preference is. I personally think all the interior metal parts, including the window moulding frames, the arm rests and the dash would have been painted the color of the body and the way Henry would have preferred it done, for that is the way my original '26 Fordor came. Interior color adds a little brightness to the usually drab, unexciting Model T that Henry was after to try and appeal more to the masses when he redesigned the T in '26 and '27 as a last ditch effort to keep the T relevant as the other car companies closed in on and passed Ford in car sales.
I'm fairly certain that the window garnishment would not have been on the closed car when the car was painted for that would have entailed that the glass be installed and masked prior to painting and that would not have been very efficient. Also, the dash was probably not installed either, for it would have prevented the painters from having access to the underside of the cowl, which was necessary for a thorough paint job, so it came down to looks, and I think the painted interior looks best and Henry probably agreed.
Additionally I guess it may have also depended on which conveyor the parts were hung on, on their way to the paint department and which garnishment was selected from what bin by the final assemblers. Black, green (coupe), or maroon (Fordor), as all were colors that were used. It may have also have come down to the preference by the final assembler as to whether he preferred color or black interior or even what colors were available at assembly-time. Jim Patrick
PS. Also, further evidence that the the interior window garnishment frames were not installed in the closed car, prior to painting, is the fact that the garnishment frames helped to hold in the door and wall upholstery panels, which also would not have been installed prior to painting, so the steel interior parts would have had to be painted separately, most likely hung from a traveling overhead conveyor as mentioned earlier. Jim Patrick
Based on evidence of extant barn-finds, it is my belief that 1926 'enamel' cars had their dashes &c. painted body color. The 1927 'pyroxilin' cars had these parts painted black.
The body color of my May 1926 built Tudor was dark green. The dash appears to have original black paint on it.
This from the factory '26 coupe has body painted dash and black painted gas tank Hope the tank is empty
Doesn't anyone have one of those assembly line pics showing the body being lowered onto the chassis? I know we've seen them for some years; surely someone has a '26-7 one.
Mike
Sure we have assembly line photos of '26-'27, but they are all from the front of the line as it moves toward the photographer! Can't see the dash!
the photo of the upside down coupe seems to show the window moldings painted a dark color. Since they would not have been in the car when the body was painted, maybe they were black?? On the Model A they were maroon or grey, depending on the upholstery option.(deluxe models were wood grained, and there were some other combos on the fordors.)
Brent,
Not sure how old that picture is of your sport touring but it certainly doesn't look like it needs re restoring? That green with the cream wires is a great combination. It looks great.
Hi Warwick,
The car is a ten foot car. It was restored in the 70's and it's getting tired. My Mom bought the car for us before passing away. We want to bring it back as a memory to my parents. We are looking forward to the process restoration starting this year. Thank you for your compliment. It is a very nice car and deserves a facelift. It is also a very late car. It's number is 15,000,524.
Happy New Year to All!
Brent
My 26 Coupe has a green dash, but black window moldings, and that is what I matched on the resto.
Eric
My grandfather's 26 Fordor has a black dash, and always has.
By the way, the Fordor is Channel Green.
I had a '26 Coupe that was pretty close to being an original car, it was a one owner, and the dash was that real dark green, almost black. The rest of the car was that same color, the fenders and running boards were black.
My '26 Tudor body was a blue-ish green with a straw colored pinstripe when I originally got it. It had a black dash.
I'll point out that this body only had wood in the seats and, of course, the floorboards & top. The rear window garnish mounts to steel with a solid steel filler across the header over the windshield. Perhaps I'm backward but my understanding was that the later the body the more wood that was re-introduced (but that wasn't really very much). The rear window went back to a wood frame with the garnish mounted to that and the header over the windshield eventually consisted of just enough metal in the middle to mount the rear-view mirror.