Pat0366 Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 Just went to see my newly painted dash at the body shop and what a surprise I got. They painted the lower panel in the primer color of the back side of the glove box door. Really disappointed after giving them the DuPont Code number (202-55944) that Al (1953Mack) had provided me. The color is described as Light Grey or Petrel Gray Metallic. Said their supplier couldn't cross reference the code so they decided to match what I had given them. I gave them my original glove box door which I had already meticulously stripped the FACE paint from. What they matched was the base coat/primer on the back side which all glove box doors were probably sprayed. It almost looks like battle ship gray....rather dark I would have to say. Has anyone had their 53 Special lower dash panel painted? If so, can you please give me the name of the supplier you used and maybe a current paint code number that can be referenced. I was really looking forward to the dash with it's instruments installed being the final touch on my restoration. Hopefully it can still happen. If someone has a "survivor" glove box door I would like to buy it in case I need to use it for color matching. Would appreciate your help if you have one lying around the garage. Pat BCA #45771 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 Are they going to make it good if you can get the paint? They never should have proceeded on something like that without checking with you first. Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim65 Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 My panel matches body colour , glove box interior same. Surprising mistake , unsettling for further work. good luck hope you sort it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpotato Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 Attached are pictures of the lower dash of my '53 Special 41D. I, too, took the glove box door with the original color to my local Dupont paint supplier. He matched it electronically and it visually was, in my opinion, also a near perfect match. The color is a metallic Ful Cryl (Nason). It has a very slight green cast to it. The number on the can is 334371. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat0366 Posted November 13, 2017 Author Share Posted November 13, 2017 There's an expression you hear every once in a while that says: All's well that ends well. My body/paint shop took full responsibility for the mistake, if you could call it that, and told me they would make it right. Fortunately I have a parts car. The area behind the glove box door, what I would call the dash panel/glove box frame, was in pristine condition having never been exposed to sunlight in the car's 64 years. They took their paint scanning device to my house. In order to get a good scan the device needs a flat surface with and area of about two square inches. This allows the device to seat properly so that all natural and artificial light is blocked out. As luck would have it, they were able to use the area behind the glove box hinge on the underside of the dash to make three successful scans. Their computer takes the average of the three scans and comes up with a match. They mixed up two samples, once per the computer recommendation and one that they had tweaked and then sprayed two panels for me. I took them home and had five people compare them beside the dash panel. The consensus was that the computer scan was the closest match. It was the sample that I had already chosen as the best match. Saturday morning (11/11/17) the dash panel was stripped and in the afternoon I was called to come down to give my approval. I took my son with me who worked in the paint department at The Home Depot for six years. We were very pleased with the final result. There are a bunch of variables that have to be taken into consideration when trying to match paint that was applied at the factory 64 years ago. The paint used by my shop for the dash panel is a water based product. I'm told that water based paints are a two part system and must have a clear coat over them for protection otherwise they will degrade from UV exposure and general cleaning/polishing. How spray guns are set determine whether there is orange peel in the paint and the glossiness of the clear coat. Other factors (mixing, gun distance, speed, etc.) that experienced painters know also contribute to the final product. The official Buick color for the dash panel in 1953 was Petrel Grey Metallic. It was also described as Light Gray. I've had my grandfather's car since I was 15 years old and I'm now 61. I always thought the dash panel had a green tint to it. The computer assigned the color name GREEN MIST METALLIC to the paint match. Regardless of what the color is called I'm very happy with the final outcome; color, texture & sheen. Sweet Potato you were right on with your comment on the slight green cast. Your dash looks sweet! If I had gotten your reply sooner I would have gone with your selection. Thank you to all for chiming in. Pat BCA #45771 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpotato Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 Glad you got it resolved. Can you post a picture of the final product? Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 11 hours ago, Pilgrim65 said: My panel matches body colour , glove box interior same. Surprising mistake , unsettling for further work. good luck hope you sort it Convertible dashes do match body. Closed sedans do not. Ben 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1953mack Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 8 hours ago, sweetpotato said: Attached are pictures of the lower dash of my '53 Special 41D.....The color is a metallic Ful Cryl (Nason). It has a very slight green cast to it...... Bob, The upper part of your instrument panel looks like a dark green to me. Am I correct in saying that or is it black? I'll hold off on my comments until I hear further. Thanks. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpotato Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 No, it is black. I repainted it as original. I live in the tall Ponderosa pines of Eastern Arizona. Maybe they are reflecting off the dash. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat0366 Posted November 14, 2017 Author Share Posted November 14, 2017 Here are some pictures of my painted dash. The car is supposed to be delivered to my house tomorrow. The reassembly process will begin soon and continue over the next several months. If all goes according to plan I will be back on the road in 2018. Pat BCA #45771 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpotato Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Looks great Pat. The color appears to be very close to mine. I believe we both, separately, probably got it about right. I think your grandfather would probably recognize that color as close to the way it looked out of the showroom. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1953mack Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 Bob, Thanks for the clarification. The reason for my asking whether your upper instrument panel was the dark Verde Green or Black was because I knew Pat's was Black and to me, your picture looked like the Dark Green that was available only with a Light Green (not Light Gray) lower instrument panel. Pat was looking for information on the Light Gray paint. According to Buick papers for 1953 Models 41D..... ♦ Buick did not offer a Dark Green upper with a Light Gray lower instrument panel combination. ♦ A Black upper instrument panel with a Light Gray lower panel was standard with either the TRIM #40 (Light Gray pattern cloth) or a TRIM #41 (Light Gray pattern cloth with a Dark Gray pattern cloth); ♦ A Dark Green (Verde Green) upper instrument panel with a Light Green lower panel was the standard with TRIM #42 (Dark Green nylon pattern cloth with Light Green plain cloth). Just saying that it's hard to believe that both the Light Gray and the Light Green would have a hint of a Green-cast to them like you mentioned. Typically when you see Green, it means that a splash of Blue and Yellow colorant was added to a Black and White mix. In addition, I agree with Pat saying that the backside of a 1953 Buick OE glove box door was painted a non-metallic Battleship Gray look that was different than the front side of the glove box door.....different than what your picture indicates. Both look good though and judges nowadays couldn't tell right from not right. Thanks. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 For what it is worth, my '50 Special is an original black car. The dash in the Special's , I believe, were all the same color. Black, or a very dark grey. When polishing the dash, the residue had a green cast to it. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 3 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: the residue had a green cast to it. I guess that is possible too. When buffing black, I have noticed brown or blue on the pad when starting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 On 11/13/2017 at 1:02 PM, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: Convertible dashes do match body. Closed sedans do not. Ben Station Wagons too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 On 11/16/2017 at 9:24 AM, Bill Stoneberg said: Station Wagons too... Didn't know that. Learned something today. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpotato Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Thanks Al for all the paint info. The paint no. on my i.d. plate is 72 which I think is Carlsbad black top and Matador red bottom. Is that right? When I got the car the old, apparently original, colors were black top and red bottom. And when I stripped/sanded the car I didn't see anything different. The trim no. on the plate is 41. According to your information the lower dash should be the light grey if the upper dash is black. I don't think any part of the car was ever repainted and the upper dash was black. The original lower dash definitely had that green look so I'm wondering if there could have been some cars that didn't follow that rule. This car was built in Kansas City. Thanks, Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1953mack Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 On 11/18/2017 at 10:30 AM, sweetpotato said: .....The paint no. on my i.d. plate is 72 which I think is Carlsbad black top and Matador red bottom. Is that right?..... .....The trim no. on the plate is 41. According to your information the lower dash should be the light grey if the upper dash is black. I don't think any part of the car was ever repainted and the upper dash was black. The original lower dash definitely had that green look so I'm wondering if there could have been some cars that didn't follow that rule...... ♦ You are correct on the 1953 colors for Paint Code #72. In addition, Matador Red wheels were standard and Carlsbad Black wheels were an option with Paint Code #72 according to Buick papers. ♦ I don't know the answer whether there were exceptions to the standard lower instrument panel paint colors. Thanks. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1953mack Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 (edited) On 11/18/2017 at 10:30 AM, sweetpotato said: .....The paint no. on my i.d. plate is 72 which I think is Carlsbad black top and Matador red bottom. Is that right? When I got the car the old, apparently original, colors were black top and red bottom. And when I stripped/sanded the car I didn't see anything different.....I don't think any part of the car was ever repainted..... Another puzzling tidbit that I found while going through my files for 1953 two-tone paint colors on 40-series Buick SPECIALS only. This Buick document shows that paint code 72 was available on the 40-series SPECIAL Model 45R two-door hardtop and not as a standard two-tone choice for all other 40-series Models 41D and 48D. Do the top two lines of information on your BODY BY FISHER NUMER PLATE show the correct Buick Model Number and Fisher Body Style Number for your Model 41D or was the plate swapped out? Any weird letters or numbers on any other part of your number plate that might indicate a special order? Thanks. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint" Edited November 25, 2017 by 1953mack (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpotato Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Here is the plate. I removed it to paint and reinstalled it with screws. I don't remember if it was originally installed with rivets or screws but I don't think there was any evidence that it was swapped out. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1953mack Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 17 hours ago, sweetpotato said: Here is the plate. I removed it to paint and reinstalled it with screws. I don't remember if it was originally installed with rivets or screws but I don't think there was any evidence that it was swapped out. Bob Thanks for the Fisher Body Number Plate picture. It was attached with two P.H. sheet metal screws just like your picture shows but it was originally painted body color to keep people honest and avoid confusion later on when shooting for authenticity on a re-spray. I re-cropped the picture in my Post #19 above to show the November 12, 1952 document date. It's obvious that this Buick document wasn't inclusive.....the specs for the later-production 1953 Buick Special 46C convertible are not given. In addition, in the Spring of 1953, Buick discontinued two paint codes and added one more that are documented. Availability of Paint Code #72 on additional Models as a standard choice could have been another change that I do not have any further information on. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpotato Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 I do remember that the plate was painted over with the body color when I removed it. In fact you can see a small residue of red in one of the letters that I missed when I put it on the wire wheel before I put it back on. Do any of the numbers indicate what time of year the car was built? Maybe the engine S/N would show that? Anyway, thanks for all that info. I'm always amazed at the amount of information you have on our Buicks. Carole and I had a great long Black Friday tour in the Buick yesterday.... lots of thumbs up and o.k's. We have noticed that small kids have a lot of interest in and appreciation of our old cars, often more than the adults they are with. Don't know why that is but I'll take it as a good omen for the future. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat0366 Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 Gentlemen, as I had already polished my body data plate as sweet as I could I went out to my garage to take a picture of the one on my parts car. I will concur with Al that the plates on my Specials were held on with screws not rivets. I don't remember a lick of paint on the plate on my grandfather's car and from what I can tell there is not a trace of paint or over spray on the plate on my parts car. Both of my cars came off the assembly line at the GM plant in Framingham, Massachusetts. Wouldn't think that both of these plates had been removed sometime in the past and had the paint removed. Maybe at that plant the plates were put on after the car was painted. As the saying goes, stranger things have happened, or maybe there just wasn't consistency between assembly plants. Just think that before the internet the sharing of this kind of information was probably very rare. Maybe it happened at car meets or club meetings. Thank you Bob and Al for keeping the information flowing. Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1953mack Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 (edited) On 11/25/2017 at 4:31 PM, Pat0366 said: .....Maybe at that plant the plates were put on after the car was painted.....Pat What's under the plate? Red oxide/Brown primer or Terrace Green lacquer? Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint" Edited November 26, 2017 by 1953mack (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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