The 1960 - 1966 Chevrolet & GMC Pickups Factory Correct Restoration Thread

[oem4me]

A recent happy accident led to a discovery. I bought a bunch of older base/clear paint, and in the mix were two cans that are nearly a dead match for our fawn metallic interior color. Funny thing is, by carefully comparing these colors against my own original paint trucks, I found several slightly different shades of factory fawn, some within the same truck!

Excuse the poor quality pics, but you can get the idea of a good match.
The door-end shot is my 1965 Suburban for reference.
The '92 chevy truck and '89 mopar pics are just internet grabs.

[yelmer]

i still think the paint from day to day or week to week at the plants is different when they built these trucks. It was build them close enough and get them out.

[aotte1]

[QUOTE]
i work on old gas regulators from the same time period . They are made by rockwell they use the same color paint inside the regulators . it is a brownish / red like your picture/QUOTE]

Yelmer,

Do you have any source for the red-brown, paint.

Les


OEM4ME,
Nice find, any current model paint that is close? Those pictured above.

Les

[yelmer]

you might try a company called Senus they make the old rockwell regs . next time i see a rep i will ask me about the paint

[aotte1]

That would be great if we can still get it. Thanks for asking the rep.

Les

[yelmer]

here is the color of the rockwell reg inside. see if that matches close to yours i am trying to get paint info

[aotte1]

The color looks very close or the same. The T221 may be a little more maroon, the difference if any could be just in the photo. It would be a really good color to use.

Les

[LT1 Burb]

So in doing some research and looking at original pictures, it appears the mirror arms are body color and the heads are black, am I correct. Also does anyone have a paint code for the black behind the grill and under the hood.

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by LT1 Burb

So in doing some research and looking at original pictures, it appears the mirror arms are body color and the heads are black, am I correct. Also does anyone have a paint code for the black behind the grill and under the hood.

Correct, at least for 62 or 63 and up. Lots of pics in the following thread show the black heads. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=455059

Jon (60-66) recently suggested the earlier trucks may have had black bases too. Found a pic in the same thread supporting the earlier black base idea.
Also note most (not all) promo pics show the offset mirror heads hung with the bulk of the head BELOW the stud.

[LT1 Burb]

Thx Bruce, I was going off of your truck and it has a black mirror head so I will do mine black.

[60-66]

Originally Posted by oem4me

Correct, at least for 62 or 63 and up. Lots of pics in the following thread show the black heads. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=455059

Jon (60-66) recently suggested the earlier trucks may have had black bases too. Found a pic in the same thread supporting the earlier black base idea.
Also note most (not all) promo pics show the offset mirror heads hung with the bulk of the head BELOW the stud.

Thats Correct Bruce. Im finding the black arm only on 1960 Chevy so far. 1961 1962 Cast arms painted body color as are 1963-1966. Bolts-screws nuts are silver cad or zinc plated .

Then GMC comes along , For 1960-1962 was a White cast arm and white mirror and 1963 for sure, EDIT : 1966 was a silver , same thin mirror and white stamped steel arm. Heres NOS RH examples.

[Brad54]

Can anyone tell us how the beds were painted?
Specifically, were they assembled as bare metal and then primed and painted body-color, or were the individual panels primed, bolted together and then painted body-color, or were they all painted and then assembled?

How about the tail gate and its mounts in the build/paint order?

-Brad

[jbgroby]

I'll take a guess, but I can't imagine that the bed parts were painted as separate pieces. This has as much to do with speed of the assembly process as greater chances of scratch and dent issues. We all have ample time to assemble and paint, but on the Assembly Line, things were a poppin'.

[60-66]

Originally Posted by Brad54

Can anyone tell us how the beds were painted?
Specifically, were they assembled as bare metal and then primed and painted body-color, or were the individual panels primed, bolted together and then painted body-color, or were they all painted and then assembled?

How about the tail gate and its mounts in the build/paint order?

-Brad

Chevrolet and the GMCs built at Chevy plants. Bed floor was assembled and we think painted or final painted as an assembly. The evidence of this comes from runs dripping to the passengers side on a few survivors with less that 2000 miles. The sheetmetal was dipped in black primer, then completely assembled. The Bed floor was then added to the sheetmetal and rear cross sill welded to the bedsides. The floor was covered in paper BEFORE it was assembled to protect the black finish of the wood. Then the sheetmetal was painted body color in Enamel as a complete unit. The evidence of this is, On Chevys when you take originals apart the black primer is still showing in overlapping seams . Of the 2-3 super low mile trucks the paper was still there that the floor was covered with. Also on Chevys ALL the body/bed bolts to assemble the sheetmetal are painted body color.

GMCs, this, so far, is for the trucks with Black inner fenders in the bed. These trucks were painted in pieces. Each bed side etc was painted body color separate, then assembled. Floor was painted as a unit like above. Then the freshly painted sheet metal was assembled on to the bed floor . The evidence of this is, on these trucks ALL the body assembly bolts are silver cad plated on the front bed panel on both sides, same with tailgate pivot hardware and rear cross sill. These GMCs, the rear lower body colored cross brace was just bolted in and not welded like the Chevys above were.

The exact timing of assembly is still unknown but you get a good picture of what Im saying.

[60-66]

Heres a few pictures showing the remains of the paper that covered the bed floor. This is a 1962 with 900 miles.





Then here is a pictures showing the runs in the paint on the wood.Notice how they run to the passenger side,

[yelmer]

Good Info Jon , On my green 66 from fremont the rear section between the tailgate and wood was painted black . That looks much better than then being painted black

[LT1 Burb]

That's amazing the paper is still there, so are the 4 rear bolts just natural zinc.

[60-66]

The cam bolts holding the bed down were put in after everything was painted and the bed attached to the frame. So yes they stayed natural or zink plated. On GMCs all or most of the perimeter bolts that hold the wood to the sheet metal were zink. Here on the Chevy you see they are painted. Notice on this truck the very front of the bed wood to bed panel bolts are on top of the paper and end up body color. Ill find some examples of GMC bolts. I believe we need some bed detail pictures from OEMforme's 66 Chevy ! Like Yelmer mentioned also there will be some differences plant to plant. I've noticed a mix of painted and plated bolts on all of these trucks. If you look at picture one of the blue inner fender the one next to the bedside is still natural while the rest are painted. This particular truck I had the chance to see in person. Original tires , original everything.

[aotte1]

Jon,

Thanks for sharing very useful information, on how the bed was painted.

Do you have similar knowledge on how the cabs, hood, doors, and fenders were primed and painted. Have found black primer on some of these parts too.

Les

[Brad54]

Sooooo glad I asked this!
I thought I've seen somewhere that the paper was staple-gunned to the top of the bed wood? Maybe it was on stepside beds, where there isn't an inner fender.
I remember that the staples were still stuck in the wood on that truck. Maybe it was that beige or fawn stepside with the aluminum camper shell. ?

-Brad

[60-66]

Originally Posted by aotte1

Jon,

Thanks for sharing very useful information, on how the bed was painted.

Do you have similar knowledge on how the cabs, hood, doors, and fenders were primed and painted. Have found black primer on some of these parts too.

Les

That's still a learning process Les. What I do know, again, is that everything was dipped in black primer just like buying NOS parts. The complete front end was painted over the black primer. Now the cab is where that changes. Every one I have seen, the cab and doors where the paint fades off of factory paint its red oxide underneath. I know from cutting cabs apart that these cabs were not dipped as there's bare metal between the layers. Doors however , I have several NOS doors in black primer. Im guessing the doors were shot in red oxide primer over the black while the cabs were being prepped, then painted in body color with the doors mounted to the cab.

Every book I have from Chevrolet and GMC states these trucks were factory painted in Enamel while the touch up paint you find from this era for these trucks is a can of Lacquer . The old saying was , " You can spray lacquer over enamel but you cant spray enamel over lacquer.

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by 60-66

I believe we need some bed detail pictures from OEMforme's 66 Chevy !

I'll gladly get some reference shots next time I have the truck out, Jon.
So weird that GMC had a totally different approach, even with trucks coming off the same line?
Just curious on some of the incredible details that blue '62 shows. With the bits of paper remaining, I'm guessing the side panel and wheel tub sealant was applied on top the masking paper before sheet metal assembly, and then torn out after completion?

[60-66]

Originally Posted by Brad54

Sooooo glad I asked this!
I thought I've seen somewhere that the paper was staple-gunned to the top of the bed wood? Maybe it was on stepside beds, where there isn't an inner fender.
I remember that the staples were still stuck in the wood on that truck. Maybe it was that beige or fawn stepside with the aluminum camper shell. ?

-Brad

I cant speak for stepsides as to what was stapled where but I can say in the blue truck above there are still staples in the wood at the rear of the floor. You can just make it out in the last picture showing the runs , just behind the one floor to frame bolt.

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by 60-66

Every book I have from Chevrolet and GMC states these trucks were factory painted in Enamel while the touch up paint you find from this era for these trucks is a can of Lacquer . The old saying was , " You can spray lacquer over enamel but you cant spray enamel over lacquer.

Yep, all GM cars were spayed with "Magic Mirror" acrylic lacquer as I remember, but the trucks got enamel. This is one reason trucks display the most killer patina from that era. When lacquer ages, it cracks or "checks" which can lead to an alligator skin look, where as trucks and their enamel paint jobs fade evenly and thin out to zero without flaking off.
I did not know that saying about painting one over the other. In fact, from my experience painting cars, I know lacquer is chemically much "hotter" than enamel, which would mean enamel can go over lacquer, but not the other way. In most cases lacquer will lift underlying enamel unless a sealer is applied first.

[60-66]

Originally Posted by oem4me

So weird that GMC had a totally different approach, even with trucks coming off the same line?

Im pretty sure Chevy and GMCs done on the same assembly lines were all done the same Bruce, those GMCs had body colored rear inner fenders. Its the GMCs with Black inner fenders that seem to be assembled in pieces already painted. My red 66 GMC has the black rear inner fenders and every bolt for the front bed panel is still zink/cad plated. many of the bolts holding the sheetmetal to the wood floor are plated and some are black against the red paint. I think we are going to find several variables on this subject from plant to plant. This is the only picture I have of the bed from the 62 GMC 1700 mile truck showing that detail.



[QUOTE=oem4me;Just curious on some of the incredible details that blue '62 shows. With the bits of paper remaining, I'm guessing the side panel and wheel tub sealant was applied on top the masking paper before sheet metal assembly, and then torn out after completion? [/QUOTE]

Yes, another thought might be they applied it to the flange of the inner fender instead of the paper ? Hard to say.