What were the Ford Factory Paint Colors used in Model T Fords?

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2016: What were the Ford Factory Paint Colors used in Model T Fords?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Daniel M. Chapasko on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 11:57 am:

I have a 1926 Fordor and would like to know what the actual colors used by Ford Motor Company. Where do I buy the paint used by Ford?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Strange - Hillsboro, MO on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 12:05 pm:

http://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/1926.htm

Look under "Colors". Looks like either all black for early Fordors, or maroon (with black fenders and splash pans? Doesn't say specifically) for later Fordors.

The text implies that a very late 1926 Fordor might have been available in 1927 colors.

http://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/1927.htm

Can others provide better guidance?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 12:10 pm:

A lot of old car colors were so close to black that you needed direct sunlight to see them.

http://www.autocolorlibrary.com/aclchip.aspx?image=1926-Ford-pg01.jpg


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 12:12 pm:

Previous discussion here: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/506218/596709.html?1450989739


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Karlsson, southern Sweden on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 12:13 pm:

From the "comprehensive description" page:
http://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/1926-27H.htm

"After the initial announcement in which the Fordor Sedan was shown as being Windsor Maroon, the Tudor and Coupe as being Channel Green, and the open cars as being black, a number of changes occurred.

Existing samples of 1926 models, which appear to be original, seem to indicate that in spite of the colors listed for the closed cars, all body types also appeared in black in early production.

By mid-1926 the Fordor Sedan color was listed as “Moleskin” which should be a gray. By the fall of 1926 (1927 models?), all closed cars were apparently painted in a choice of three colors: Royal Maroon, Highland Green and Fawn Gray. Whether the “Windsor” and “Royal” maroons were alike; the “Channel” and “Highland” greens were alike; or the “Moleskin” and “Fawn Gray” were alike is open for question but evidence seems to indicate they were not. The differences may have been due to the different paints used. The 1926 cars were initially painted in enamel, but later production used the new Pyroxylin paint.

BODY COLORS
Enamels
Black, Channel Green and Windsor Maroon
Pyroxylin
Black, Highland Green, Royal Maroon, Fawn Gray, Gunmetal Blue, Phoenix Brown, Commercial Green, Moleskin and Drake Green.

WIRE WHEEL COLORS
Enamels
Casino Red, Emerald Green and Straw
Pyroxylin
Casino Red, Emerald Green, Straw, Drake Green and Black
Note: While not listed under the enamels, Black was the standard wire wheel color. The other colors were optional and often dealer-installed.

STRIPING COLORS
Champagne, Cream, Emerald Green, Orange and Vermilion.

Apparently the Pyroxylin paints were introduced after the initial introduction of the 1926 cars. The “enamel” colors listed in the Ford Parts List concur with the colors in the introductory line folders. It would appear that at the time the Pyroxylin paints were used in place of the enamels, the Fordor Sedan body color became Moleskin (gray) and that after a time all the closed cars could be had in a choice of colors (maroon, gray or green). The actual dates of the changes are not known but it seems the Pyroxylin finish became available during 1926, and that the three-color option came in the fall of 1926 (1927 models). Further study seems to indicate that the open cars were all black until late 1926 when black was dropped in favor of the Gunmetal Blue and the Phoenix Brown options.

The bodies of the closed cars were striped at the factory. The stripe was quite thin and appeared just below the body molding. On some of the cars another stripe was added on the front body pillar; this stripe beginning at the front edge of the upper body stripe and following the curve of the pillar down to the bottom near the splash apron. The striping colors were Vermilion or orange on the maroon cars, champagne on the gray cars, and cream or emerald green on the green cars. Some open cars were seen with stripes but it is believed that these were dealer options and that such striping did not come from the factory.

When supplied as standard equipment, wire wheels were black. Any of the available colors could be ordered on any car. Ford offered an exchange program for the dealers who installed wire wheels in place of the wooden ones, or colored wire wheels for the black ones.

Fenders, running boards and splash aprons, as well as most hardware (bumper brackets, for example) were painted black on all cars."


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Trent Boggess on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 04:11 pm:

Look in Bruce's Encyclopedia under the topic painting. Scroll down a bit until you see an article re-published from the Vintage Ford that Bruce re-titled "All Model Ts Were Black". The original title was "A Customer Can Have Any Color So Long as It Is Black: a Study of the Materials and Methods Used to Paint Model Ts in the Black Era". The article pretty exhaustively describes the composition and application of the paints.

You will probably come out with the conclusion that the only thing the original paints have in common with modern pains is that they are referred to as "paint".

Respectfully submitted,

Trent Boggess


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Dewey, N. California on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 11:24 pm:

Actually, most modern color coating systems are referred (by the manufacturers) to as "coatings" not paint!!
:-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Sutton on Sunday, October 09, 2016 - 04:36 pm:

I was told at Hershey last year to use a certain Mazda or Subaru (can't remember) green on my late '26 Tudor to get an almost perfect match. Any thoughts on that? I'm close to paint myself after not touching the project for a couple years.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ted Dumas on Sunday, October 09, 2016 - 06:59 pm:

You may find a listing of colors by name but no pristine color chips exist so the actual color is unknown.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By chris lawrence on Sunday, October 09, 2016 - 10:17 pm:

Hi all. I have a 1926-7 fordor complete, that I am about to restore. It has the original dark green paint and red pin stripe on it. My father is the second owner, and the old couple before him had from new. Lots of wood to replace, but color still there. I will try and put a photo of color and pin stripe up shortly if it helps.a few cars down here have tried to get close, but can beat out of the factory original. The t is Canadian, shipped to new Zealand new. Thanks chris


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Allan Bennett - Australia on Monday, October 10, 2016 - 06:33 am:

And then there were Australian produced improved cars. To sell these in a waning in 1927, some were offered in two tone colours.

Allan from down under.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By john kuehn on Monday, October 10, 2016 - 09:46 am:

You can get close to the correct color but not 100%. That can be a rabbit chase and you cant please everybody. Paint it as close as you think you can get it and be happy.


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