Stovebolt.com Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Your opinion please

I am working on restoration of my 47 five window 3600. Originally it was Cape Maroon in color. That was not very common color from what I understand. It will have the maroon seat covers, door panels, and seat back panel. It will have grey head liner and the standard gold/grey dash paint. This is the deluxe cab with all the chrome or SS trim. It did not have the original engine when I got it, it is a 59 235 that I just completely rebuilt. It has the 4 speed. What COLOR should I go with??? I was thinking maybe a burgandy metalic, but my wife thinks red would be her choice. Or should I go with the original cape maroon?? I want it to look nice, I'm NOT into rat rod trucks or cars. It is not going to be a perfectly correct in every detail restoration (because the engine is not the original) I just want it to look nice and function as it should. I'm thinking of an overdrive unit to make it a little better for highway use, say 55mph and keep my RPM's down a bit.

If your wife wants red then red it is. No arguments just do it!

Will you keep the enclosed driveshaft?
If yes, consider getting the 3.55 Ring & Pinion (from MotherTrucker) and get the parts kit sold be several vendors (replaces all seals/bearings/etc).

Will you relocate the water pump (see Tech Tip)?

Will you be replacing all front end bearings/bushings (and carefully adjust the front-end alignment)?

If you do the above, you can easily and quietly and safely cruise all day at 55-60 mph.

Take a photo of your truck. Convert it to black and white in a photo editor. Get out some colored pens and start coloring. When you have all the sheets in front of you, pick out the color that speaks most to you. Or your wife.

If that sounds like too much work, Visit the internet and do a search for a truck in the color you think you might like. Keep the search simple like "AD truck red." When you find a picture, print it and take it to your painter of choice and say "make this."

This is a smart man. Take his advice.

The 3600 has a full floating rear end so the 3:55 kit won't work. Need to find the rare 4:11 carrier

I found a 4:11 for it but have not picked it up yet.

lumbersawyer A slick coat of red sounds good,you know happy wife happy life,if she'll cruise with you that's the best !! Once had a beater where I had to close the passenger door from outside,put my wife in came around got in ...accelerator stuck !! Iv'e never seen her eyes that big since !!

Red is always a winner on a 5 window AD. Especially Marilyn Monroe lipstick red...a pure red that doesn't head to orange in sunlight. It looks really well with the champagne/mist interior paint Chevy used for over a decade.

Fire engine red with a little bit of gold pinstriping around the belt line will be a winner. Wheels the same color with a narrow 3-line stripe pattern will really make it pop! Dad had a stripe specialist back in the early 1950's who was a real artist with that 2" long camel's hair brush, but he needed about two shots of whiskey to get his hands steady enough to handle the brush. Sometimes he would get so "steady" he couldn't move at all!
Jerry