The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop '54 PAINT COLOR COMBOS

I'm looking to find info on true color combos for '54 3100 1/2 ton trucks. My Grandfathers was Mariner Blue I remember, but I not sure as to the interior and what the jams and under the hood colors were. Also where can I find a paint chip of '54 Thistle Gray which is what the inner grill panels were painted as I have been told.
Thanks,
Joe

Joe,

The pick-up, panel, and suburbans have slightly different interior colors (and interior color options) in 1954. What model 3100?

Door jambs are the interior color right up to the "overlay seams" that are near the outside edge of the jambs (I can post a picture, if you want). Supposedly, the interiors were painted first (to the outside of the jambs) and then the interior was masked off at the "overlay" of the outside skin in the jambs. Then, the exterior was painted. We did this with my '54 Suburban and it worked well.

I do not have a Thistle Gray chip nor an Anvil gray chip (for the painted bumpers). Thistle gray is lighter than Anvil gray (I can also post a photo of PPG paints on a '54 grill and bumper - all these colors are available from PPG).

If you plan on pin-striping the body and/or the wheels, Cream Median stripes were used with Mariner Blue.

The firewall under the hood was painted exterior color. Inner fenders were painted a matt/semi-gloss black (similar to the steering column, steering wheel, and shifter column and arm (I will have to check/confirm the shifter color tonight).

Tim

column is interior color.

Hello Greg,

Are you sure about the column on '54 trucks that are not as deluxe as your two-tone "Deluxe Cab Equipment" cab (RPOs 430 & 431)? Your interior colors are truly special.

I am pretty sure (page 110 in the 1954 Chevrolet Truck Engineering Features Book) that those of us with the less deluxe cabs (including the RPO 390 Deluxe Equipment models), have black steering wheel, steering-mast jacket, and gear-shift/remote-control assembly.

Tim

Alright. You got me there. My experience is stated on as you mentioned, one truck. Black huh? I would have thought maybe the interior color. Sure wish there were more color photos from the 50s. I think you have more access to amazing documentation than anyone else I know. Between you and wdoftexas, I think I will concede defeat.

Greg,

I look forward to someday going for a ride in your Deluxe Cab '54 Hydra-Matic.

Xram53 is the one with the amazing set of documentation. As we all have at one time or another have found, it is nice to have documentation but there seems to be many things that we see (in what appear to be untouched old trucks) that either are not documented or do not agree with documentation.

How\'s this for a color picture?

Tim

Tim, hope you don't mind that I changed the image to a link. Won't take up as much ... bandwidth. Thanks.

Peg

picture gives a pretty good answer for the column.Black it is. Even the horn button on mine is different. If yo pay close attention, you see the center is painted a dark blue instead of the black you usually see.Your pic has the 2 visors, fresh air heat,radio, and traffic viewer.

I don't think I have ever talked with xram53. I will keep an open eye for his posts.

Greg,

It also has the cigarette lighter (that did not have the common, after-market, black/white knob to match the other knobs).

My eyes are not good enough to see the dark-blue on the horn button .

Also note that even when the 3-speed trucks were new, it was necessary to hold the shift lever down in third gear (to keep it from popping out of gear).

Tim

I can't say that I ever had a problem with that on my truck. I also meant the horn button on my truck had blue center. Trying to see if they potrayed the dash letters as being a different color in your picture. Sometimes it hits me as being shaded a different color in that drawing and other times I look at it, I decide I am wrong.

Just a heads up to you guys who may need one, on Jim Carter's site, www.oldchevytrucks.com, in the "garage sale" section, under the "electrical" category, he is selling original cigarette lighter knobs. He has them listed as correct for 47-53, but as the above ad shows, they are correct for 54-55 1st as well. My truck still has this same original knob in it, and two other 54 cabs that I have acquired have this same knob. Go get'em, they look real nice! And the price is right too!

-Josh

Hey Greg & Tim, et al.,

When I got my truck last December, I decided I wanted to learn as much as I could about it, and all AD's. So I bought quite a bit of the repro literature, such as the Engineering Features books, sales brochures, manuals, etc., and a few books about Chevy trucks. I wish I had more. I'm still quite the amateur, but learning a bit more each day. I'm also addicted to the 'Bolt.

There's a picture in the '54 truck sales brochure of the interior, similar to the one Tim posted, but without that funky seat cover, that also shows the color scheme nicely. The lettering on the dash is white in the picture. This is confirmed in the '54 Features book. The horn button is bright metal and black paint.

I've been disappointed at Chevy's documentation of interior colors for the trucks (perhaps I don't have enough yet). The literature, including the resto packs, isn't specific enough as to exact color names and original paint codes. For '54, they just call the standard pickup/panel interior colors brown (trim) and beige (paint). There's a similar problem with the exterior trim colors, such as the Thistle Gray, Anvil Gray, and Waldorf White. Chips and/or codes seem hard to come by.

I've seen reference to five different deluxe interior color options, and there have been discussions of some of these here in the past.

For the grille inner bars, the Thistle Gray was used for all exterior colors except Commercial Red and Pure White. The red used Argent Silver on the inner bars, and the Pure White used Pure White. The Chevrolet letters on the grille were Waldorf White.

Has anybody ever shelled out the $20 to get Bob Adler's color info? Also, does anybody have the reprints of the 1954 Chevrolet Service News? I'm wondering if they contain any info on the mid-year additions of deluxe interior colors.

Curt (Xram53),

I have PPG and Dupont codes for most of the 1954 interior and exterior colors but I do not have chips for most of the interior colors.

Codes (but not chips) are available for:
Thistle Gray
Anvil Gray
Pulsar Gray (deluxe interior)
Pearl Biege (standard interior)
Maroon (deluxe interior moldings)
Brown (standard interior moldings - no pictures, though)
Interior Black
Onyx Black (inner grill bar with an exterior color?)
Pure White (a chip is available)
Waldorf White (this is different Pure White)
Shell White (added in April 1954 - for what, I am not sure)
Aluminum (Dupont lists this as being used on Commercial Red and Pure White grills but the GM restoration pack list Argent Silver - these colors have different codes)

The chrome grill had Waldorf White on the inner grill bars (hard to find in GM documentation but I saw this on a original and pristine, 18,000 mile truck that had every deluxe option)

Waldorf White was also used for "Chevrolet" lettering on the grill and dash lettering (except for dash lettering on the Deluxe Cab Equipment 2-tone interiors - Greg has information on this).

The Panel Truck interior gray is different from any of the above grays - Dupont and PPG codes are available.

Those old GM documents that were painted by artists in color are not always right (I have one with inner fenders painted body color). This give us a few things to argue about (I know, "get a life").

Greg has (first-hand) information on the 2-tone interior color combinations. It looks like there were were two 2-tone interior combinations available with the Chevrolet ('54) Deluxe Cab Equipment. I have read (Jim Carter & Bob Adler) that GMC trucks ('54) had four, 2-tone interiors combinations in its Deluxe Cab Equipment options.

I have originals and copies of '53 and '54 Chevrolet Service News. The November 1953 issue introduces the 1954 trucks but has minimal information on colors (no names or codes). January, February, and September 1953 had information (names and codes) about 1953 colors (many of which were carried over into 1954 trucks). I can find no paint information for trucks in any 1954 issues.

Tim

Is that Bob Crane (of Hogan's Heroes fame) at the wheel?

Thnaks for all the responses!! I've been researching this for awhile, I want to try to restore my '54 pretty closely to my Grandfathers!?
Have lots of memories of riding in the back and getting tobacco juice splattered up side my head, took several times to remember which side to sit on!?!?!? AS to the model I think it is classified as a 3104, I will research and find out more. Also would like to see any photos you care to share. my e-mail is [email protected]
Thanks again,
Joe

http://community.webshots.com/user/greg_h Here are some pics of my truck with 2 tone blue combination. It has been in the family 40 years and I have confidence it's interior color combo is as it left the factory. Exterior is close but not quite. Originally Transport Blue with White (the original color name escapes me right now) top.

Tim,

Do you have any info on the "Sheen Gray Metallic" mentioned in the Sept. '53 Service News as the '50-'53 interior color?

Also, you mentioned Shell White. This was originally a '53 exterior color, but it was replaced early in production by Pure White (you've probably seen this in the Feb. '53 Service News), though the '53 resto pack still lists Shell as a striping color. One of my sources says Shell White was the exclusive upper color on '54 two-tone exteriors. Maybe the two-tone RPO 438 became available in April, '54?

I have a '48 sales brochure with a rendering that sort of shows the engine compartment of a red truck. The inner fenders and the upper radiator baffle appear black, but the firewall is not body color (red). It looks tan-ish. This could be another one of those artist inaccuracies. Though I wonder if all of the assembly plants followed the same painting "rules".

Curt.

Here is the 50-53 Truck Interior Paint page. It is a 1MB file and I left the "Tips to the Beginner Mechanic, Engine Vacuum Test" information in the scan.

Tim

Thanks Tim. I have the '53 Service News and have seen that page. I was wondering if you had any other info regarding the Sheen Gray. Carter lists a Gray-Brown or a Charcoal, both semi-flat with slight metallic, for '53.

BTW, Tim, I've visited your site a few times in the past, and the Section Links on your home page never seem to work. I just noticed that it does say "under construction".

Curt,

I have been lazy about completing the website. Should be adding pages soon - scanning of old photos is almost done. By the way, I was not going to post paint chips/codes because the colors are most likely not true. Maybe I will reconsider (the codes might be useful). I wish I had more Ditzler/PPG chips - PPG is good about finding modern formulas.

I have Dupont paint chips/codes for '52-'54. The code for Sheen Gray Metallic for 1953 Chervrolet Truck is in the link below. There are no chips, just codes, for interior colors.

Tim

DUPONT 1953 CHEVROLET TRUCK COLORS, B25S5

Bombay Ivory! That is the name of the color for white top on 2 tone exterior cabs in 54 according to salesman's data book. I just remembered the name.

Tim,

Your link didn't work, but I managed to find your color chip directory. Thanks.

Greg,

Are you sure the '54 data book says Bombay Ivory? As I mentioned above, one of my sources says Shell White for the '54 two-tone uppers. This source also says Bombay Ivory was the '55 two-tone upper color. Tim's color charts also show that the Bombay Ivory was added in '55. Just curious. I have found some wrong info in the source to which I'm referring.

Looking at the salesaman's data book reprint that I have (It is dated Oct. 29 1954) Section 8 page 15 options and accys. RPO 438 Two-Tone cab Exterior color combinations for De Luxe Cabit shows 11 different lower colors and all list Bombay Ivory as the Upper color. Lower colors are Juniper Green 438L,Ocean Green 438G, Mariner Blue 438D, Transport Blue 438H, Commercial Red 438A, Jet Black 438B, Omaha Orange 438C, Yukon Yellow 438F, Coppertone 438J, Autumn Brown 438K, and Cream Medium 438E.

I bought this book as a 54 but the date it was published (late 54) makes me think it could actually be late 54 or 551st series info. Somewhere I found info showing what colors were available with 2 tone interior but need to search again to find it.

Here\'s a color list from Tim's site (for '50-'57) that shows Shell White as a '54 color, and Bombay Ivory as a '55-'57 color (it continued thru '60).

Now I am puzzled. Would like to see a chip of bombay ivory. Maybe it looks like white. The late print date on the data book concerned me but I still have to wonder about it's reliability. I would have considered it a reprint of an original factory document. I started looking thru the packet I received from Bob Adler and it agrees with your info that Bombay Ivory came in to play in 1955. I plan to look thru it more in the near future.

The 1954 Chevrolet Truck Data Book shows Bombay Ivory as the upper color on all RPO 438 & 439 Two-Tone Cab Exterior Color Combinations for DeLuxe Cab (Section 8: pages 6 and 15).

This 1955 Chevrolet Truck Color Sheet shows the same Dupont code as shown in the 1954 Truck Data Book.

Tim, I e-mailed you some info that was in the packet I received from Bob Adler.

I am sure I saw this before but I can not find it. For the 54 3100 mine is Commercial Red. Were the grills always the body color from the factory or did they also come with the white painted grill? Mine was painted white when I got it. I have seen a lot of photos of them painted white on the red trucks but I have also seen a lot of references that say the grill is the same color as the body. Also the bumpers. Mine are white. Is that a correct color for the 54 painted commercial red?

1954 painted grills were all painted body color.

All 1954 painted grills had Thistle Gray "inner bars", except:
- for Commercial Red exterior color - it had argent silver inner bars (red would "bleed through" the white)
- for Pure White exterior color - it had Pure White inner bars

If it was a 1954 chrome grill, it had Pure White inner bars.

1955-1st series grill was Bombay Ivory and it had Onyx Black "inner bars".

What about bumpers? Was white on option for the 54 Commercial red or were they Argent Silver?

Standard bumpers were painted Anvil Gray in 1954. Optional/accessory chrome bumpers were available in 1954.

1955-1st Series colors (for comparison with 1954).

Thanks. This is exactly what I was looking for. Not what I wanted, but at least I know the original colors. Now I have to decide if I am going 100% original or with personal preference.

I know this reply is reviving a thread after 7 years but maybe this will help. This is a 1955 1st series two tone deluxe cab with Mariner Blue lower. I think this is the "Bombay Ivory" that was mentioned for the top. It was painted over with a crappy white top but I'm stripping that to repaint the truck. The wheels were also repainted white but as I removed that paint, the wheel stripes on the Mariner Blue wheels seem to be either white or the Bombay Ivory as well.

I think Bombay Ivory was the color for 55