I have a 56 GMC 100 Series Long bed stepside with large window. V-8 316 4-speed. No paint codes in glove box. The truck was clearly repainted. I have several questions on the way these trucks were painted. I have attached the appropriate links for manuals/brochures I reference in this question and/or pictures.
1. It seems this truck's base color was a yellow; I see this under the windshield gasket, behind the ashtray on the dash and between the front lower valance and the front fenders. The problem is, it seems to be "too yellow" for panama cream and chrome yellow looks almost like an orange to me on my paint chip sheet. It looks more like the paint chips for later years (Inca Gold) or other trucks i.e. Chevy "Golden Yellow". To make matters more confusing, there is a truck in a 1956 ad (see below) which I suspect is the color, but no 56 Paint Chip color seems to match it. Or is the paint chip sheet inaccurate and Chrome Yellow--the orange-looking one is the ticket?
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www.oldcaradvertising.com 2. The only factory truck color info I can find is from 55. In 55 looks like Chrome Yellow (and Panama Cream) were not available in two-tone, yet the 56 ad shows this yellow truck in two tone. Or was that color scheme only offered on Cameo truck since the truck in the ad is a Cameo?
3. I have seen restored trucks painted two-tone with the white above the stainless trim, and also trucks where just the roof above the drip channel is white. Were both these types factory accurate?
4. A 55 GMC features brochure (item 14) talks about the upper dash panel painted so that the paint takes on a "leather like" non glare finish. Looks like standard was a gray and deluxe was the body color . My upper dash looks original and gray, so I assume this indicates the truck was not a deluxe (or two-tone ) originally. How do you duplicate this "leather-like" non-glare finish accurately?
www.oldcarbrochures.com 5. Exactly how were the interiors painted. For example, when the 1955 book lists the Standard interior treatment as Harmony Gray/PanamaCream exactly where was each color used?
www.oldcarbrochures.com www.oldcarbrochures.com www.oldcarbrochures.com