Paint!!

    One of the longest procedures in building a Cadillac of the teens, was brushing and rubbing several coats of paint. The dip painted Fords didn't shine like restorations do today and when temperature caused the metal to expand and contract, the paint quickly cracked and fell off.

    Dupont worked hard to develop a paint that dried quickly yet remained flexible enough for metal.

    If your Fisher bodied Chevrolet was built from January to August, 1925, It was not available in Black. A Roadster, Touring or Coach was painted Cobalt Blue, Sedan was Aquamarine Blue, and Coupe was Sage Brush Green. Since then, all Fisher passenger cars have been painted with Duco Lacquer and Martin-Parry bodied trux with Dulux Enamel. There are a few Dulux Enamel commercial colors available on passenger cars. Most notable are Swifts red, Brewster green and Export blue. Starting in 1936, several of the Duco colors had slight opalescence (metal flake) in them where as Dulux did not.

    Except for the cowl on all 1921 - 22 G trux, which was green,  all other truck chassis were black thru 1928. If you bought a 29 ton & half truck with cab, it was Bluebell Blue** body with black fenders.
    **Blue Bell Blue:     The modern cross over for `Blue Bell Blue` is 1959   Volkswagen, the color is `Midnight Blue`, the Mfg. code number is    L362 and the Acme Paint Number is 3317. This color is rated as an  excellent match! Another modern cross over would be from a 1971    Mazda. The color is `Polarlight Blue`, the Mfg. code number is AD,  the Acme Paint Number is 91195 and the R-M Paint Number is   MA041. This color is only rated as a `good` match.

     To the best of my knowledge, only the 1937 #218 Swan Gray Dealer demos used a Carteret Red body belt. All the rest of the passenger cars used only one stripe on the upper belt with 3 stripes on the front of the hood (bonnet). The Holdens used 2 stripes on their one belt. 38 Fisher Chevs also had only one stripe on the upper belt.

    The wheels on Fisher passenger cars were painted and striped same color as car as pictured below in black and Tokyo Ivory. The Holden (note the blue wheel and hubcap without "speed streams") had a different stripe pattern. The outer rim of the Holden wheel is supposed to be painted black.  Notice on the Paint Combination Chart that the wheel color is Deluxe (Enamel).


 

    If you have a 1937 Chevrolet with Holden body built in Australia, See <HTTP//~www.mailbox:/C|/ProgramFiles/Netscape/Users/default/mail/Inbox?id=002201bf509b%24f27b8f00%24841e65cb@steve&number=110687047&part=1.2 > for what little information is available on passenger colors.    All chassis (Passenger, Commercial, and Utility) were black. By 37 Fisher and Holden passenger cars were available with body color fenders. The Chevrolet trux were optional with contrasting color fenders. (Seepanel trux in brochure.) This was not considered "Two-tone". GMC offered Two-tone paint in 1937 meaning two colors on the body. The fenders could be yet a third garish color.

  The following colors are available to Fisher passenger cars but are Dulux Enamel paint. Their formulas are listed with the truck chips. If you find your PAINT No. here refer to the truck selection. Duco black is also listed as it does not have a chip but is different than Dulux Black.

Color …………….1935 ….1936 ….1937 ….1938 ….1939 ….1940
Swift Red ………………  .#193… .. .207 ……220 ……242 ……262
Export Blue ………………#194 ……208 ……221 ……243 ……263
Brewster Green …………..#195 ……209 ……222 ……244 ……264

Duco Black … ….#184 …196&205 …  …210 …..231&240   …251&252     ….273&274
 
 
 
 

I have a list of colors by PAINT No. and the colors from a chip book for your curiosity. Unfortunately they are not in the same order so I'll type the PAINT No. in the same order it is on the chips for the passenger cars. The trux had paint numbers but I have yet to find where it's written on the truck. I only have chips and list for 1935 - 1942.
 
 
 


 
 


For colors above^
Paint #                Color                        Year(s)
189            Admiral Blue                    1934 - 35
186            Pinehurst  Green                1935
188            Brainerd Blue                    1935
191            Regimental Blue                1935
192            Quail Gray                        1935
187 & 201    Hollywood Tan                1935 - 36
190 & 200    Kingswood Gray              1935 - 36
199           Willow Green                     1936
197            Navy Blue                         1936
204            Caban~a Cream                1936

*********************************

For Colors below v
202            Taupe Metallic                    1936
206            Frosty Green                      1936
203 & 212     Regatta Red                    1936 - 37
185, 198, 211   Regent Maroon                1934 - 37
215            Gazelle Brown                    1937
213            Danube Duske                    1937
214 & 230     Gunmetal                            1937 - 38
216            Beryl Green                        1937
217            Toronto Blue                      1937
218            Swan Gray                         1937
219            Brookhaven Blue                1937

****************************************

1938 Colors:
 Paint number                Color                        Paint Number                Color
226                   Spruce Green             214 & 230                    Gunmetal   1937 - 38
227                   Storm Gray                         224                          Yorkshire Maroon
225                  Terrace Green             232 & 233                    Indian Sun Tan
223                  Regency Blue (early)           236                          Venetian Maroon
235                  Regency Blue (late)          237                           Kashan Green
229                  Woodleaf Brown                238                           Alpine Green
228                  Brookwood Beige           241                           Pennant Blue
There is no chip for  "234    Silver Gray Green, or 239 Interlaken blue".

********************************************

1939 Colors
245        Mars gray                    255        Four Leaf Green
246        Ridge Green                256        Tusk Ivory
247        Woodash Brown         257        Yosemite Green
248        Cloisonne Maroon       258 & 260        Grainville Gray
249        Sun Beige                    259        Shoreham Beige
250        Regency Blue              261        Italian Cream

 

***********************************************

1940 Colors
265            Ridge Green                        275 & 279        Kingston Gray
266            Harbor Blue                            277               Traverse Green
267            Streamline Gray                      278                Ruby Maroon
268            Port Wine Maroon                  283               Glamour Gray
276            Maple Brown                     West Coast Colors
270            Arden Beige                            280               California Beige
271            Battleship Gray                        281               Alameda Green
272            Gulf Blue                                 282               Beach Ivory

************************************
 

1941 Colors
288        Ridge Green                        296        Admiral Green
289        Banner Beige                       298        Cameo Cream
290        Ruby Maroon                      299        Maple Brown
291        Kingston Gray                     301        Santone   (Two tone)
292        Cruiser Gray                       301        Indian Sun Tan  (Two Tone)
293        Squadron Gray                   302        Nassak Gray (Two Tone with #292)
294        Constitution Blue                303        Cimmoron Green (two tone with #288)
295        Marine Blue                        (304 = two tone with # 294 & 295)

*****************************************
 

1942 Colors
309 & 318    Martial Maroon                  316        Ensign Blue
310        Seafoam Green                    317        Maple Brown
311        Volunteer Green                  320        Scout Brown (Upper two tone  with #312)
312        Sport Beige                         321        Fortress Gray (Upper two tone with #314)
313        Santone Beige                     322        Wing Blue (Upper)
314        Torpedo Gray                     322        Fleet Blue (Lower)
315        Chevron Gray                     319 =  #311 Lower,    #310 Upper)


 
 
 

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    Please note on the second page, first  paragraph above.   On  panel trux . .  can be . . another  color . . "at no extra cost".
This was not considered two tone though the fenders, body and panel insert could be three colors.
GMC did offer  Two Tone on all their 37 models with Chevrolet bodies. Even pickups.

 I found the paint chip book face down in the greasy mud of an auto dismantlers that went out of business.  Guess what page was in the mud????    Fortunately, GMC offered many of  the same colors that can be located on the chart below.

 
 
 

Below is a photo from a Gold Book that I do not own.  If you compare the Brewster Green or Export Blue from GMC chip above and the page below,  you will notice how poorly the colors copy.  I'm not quite ready to have you take a chip to your local paint shop.  My scanner will not copy opalescent of the Duco passenger.    Hollywood tan (available in Oakland plant #6 only) is not listed below.  I see no mention of Bordeaux Maroon. Forest green wasn't available till 1941 (?).

Swift Red    Export Blue    Brewster Green
Omaha Orange     Apple Green             Black
White                Cream       Aluminum (Silver)
Boatswain Blue[Chev Emblem] Armour Yellow

 
 



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