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What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 1:43 am
by Martin Bruechle
My 53 coupe came Black (501 Schwarz) with Reddish/Brown ? (Cords./K' Leder) per Kardex.

Trying to figure out the original dash, garnish's color. What do you guys think ?

Tried to feather edge the grayish and black color more but was unable, seems it is very thin.

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Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:59 am
by Martin Bruechle
Read the thread on the Radium Green post.

Appears it may be Maroon by the chart James posted.

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Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 11:00 am
by John Brooks
From the factory it is the maroon over the black layer. If it has yellow on the body also, see if the car was in the DC area. I might have some history on it.

Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:56 pm
by Martin Bruechle
Not sure where it came from prior to 1995 when I bought it in So Cal. It does have several sticker residue spots from plaque's on the dash.

Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2018 6:34 pm
by Jim Liberty
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Maroon, just like the '54 I'm just finishing. …………….Jim.

Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2018 10:03 pm
by Martin Bruechle
Thanks Jim, Getting ready to swap dash's out and thinking about having the dash and garnish's painted.
Thanks, Martin

Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:06 pm
by James Davies
Hi Martin,

Cool paint archaeology!

As you can see, Reutter sprayed the whole car, including the dash, with a red oxide primer, then the body color, black in your case. They then painted the front of the dash maroon in your case.

By 1953 they had started doing cars in batches of colors. So they would do a batch of black cars that would all go through the spray booth at the same time. So they would all be black. But each may have had a different interior, so maybe one would get a maroon dash and 2 would get green dashboards. All the coordinate with the interior upholstery and carpet. So this layer of body color on the dash (front and back) then the dash color (front) is typical throughout the pre-A period.

This only applies to coupes. For cabriolets, the cars needed to have not only the dashboard painted a different color from the exterior, but also the whole behind-the-dash area and interior window frame. So it was more involved to paint those. I don't know if they did exterior color first over this whole area then the dash/interior color afterwards.

Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:41 am
by Martin Bruechle
Thanks for the info James. I got a correct dash from Adam, he has my old dash (probably for sale if someone wants it).
Rather than try to fix this dash that had a welded up area and 2 gauge holes drilled at the ashtray and glove box drilled along with the far left side drilled for a gauge (4 gauge holes total drilled) along with several small toggle switch holes I opted to just replace it.

Split case trans being rebuilt in San Diego by Jaques will be done in a couple days. Paid $2500 for the core tranny.
He said it looked pretty good. Ring/pinion was replaced before, dated 1957. Had a bad pinion bearing and the 4th gear cage was broken.
Dodged a bullet since it only needs a couple hundred in parts and $1000 labor.

Steering wheel at Koch's being restored in black for $350

Took the 10/52 Veigel gauges to N Hollywood Speedo. Speedo seized, they said they could install a early VDO guts with a new dial, glass, chrome.
Re-gearing the tach with a new dial, glass, chrome and the gas gauge. Estimate was $4000.

In decided to pass on restoring the gauges due to the cost. Found a guy with a restored speedo for $750 in MPH. Wanted KPH since it is a Euro model but oh well. Just building a driver for now. no restoration.

Does anyone make the bladder for the pump style gas sender ?

Thanks again, Martin

Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:54 pm
by James Davies
Cool Martin.

I should have mentioned that the very thin white layer you see between the the red oxide primer and the black exterior color is the guide coat. You can see it being sanded off in the photo below at Reutter in 1953. The car in the booth has it mostly sanded off. Imagine that car being almost completely red oxide color (primer) with splotches of white. The car they are currently sanding has most of the guide coat still intact. Notice that the doors, lids and dash are all removed but sitting next to the cars so they can be sprayed separately.

Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 2:21 pm
by Jim Liberty
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Right on James. I worked part time in my dad's body shop in the 50s.The red primer was very thick, and a pain to feather out. I do the same process with body filler (Skim Coat) on the entire car, over metal. Guide coat on that, then primer, again guide coat, then paint. Although others may criticize this method, my paint jobs last for as long as I have been doing it,
.

……………………………….Jim.

Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:27 pm
by James Davies
Cool 1953 coupe in primer Jim! Which one is that?

Re: What Color Is This Dash ?

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:02 pm
by Jim Liberty
I am working on a '56 EUROPEAN, and a '52/3 Glaser in the paint shop now. Have a '54 coupe moving over there when the '56 is painted. …..Jim.