Basically, I think we'd all like to know what color the grill should be in terms of a modern paint code or mix sheet (from any major manufacturer), not a name. I sure would have about 6 months ago when I was looking for the exact color and all I could find was 'colonial white' and unreliable scans of paint chips online.

To the original poster, maybe see if your paint supplier has books that date that far back, that'd probably be a good start to finding the color. I know mine didn't, but if you live in a large enough city, I'm sure some place (maybe a shop that specializes in restorations) could point you in the right direction. Good luck, and if you find it I'd like to have a copy of the paint code to compare with what I guessed for mine.

 

Try faxonautolit.com for original paint charts. Ford published booklets that had actual paint chips.

Also try automotive paint supply stores, where body shops buy their supplies.

 

Sorry to get in here so late, been busy lately.

The grille color for '53 and '54 is "Sungate Ivory." I have several brochures and Ford Truck sorces that document that. The grille in '55 and '56 were Colonial White.
The rims of the '53 and '54 F-100's were painted body color. The wheels of '55 and '56 F-100's were all painted Colonial White.

Ford said they used Sungate Ivory as it went well with all body colors. It is more cream than Colonial White. Look at my gallery to see my grille. I think it is a bit too cream but is pretty close.

 

I differ with you on the rim color as Ford offered RED painted wheels as an option from 1949/56 on passenger cars, 1948/56 on trucks. A popular combo back then was Goldenrod Yellow with Torch Red wheels. Many of the Mercury Sun Valleys were painted this combo. Red was used because it defined a difference between the wide white wall tires and the wheel covers, or trim rings.


I can't argue too much about Sungate Ivory being used by Ford as a grille color, because I have little in the way of refs.

Sungate Ivory was used as an exterior color on 1952/53 Ford passenger cars.The color code was: L The part number was: M2J-68.

 

I have not ever seen anything where Ford offered Red rims on trucks in '53-'56 in my research. It very well may have been offered in Ford and Mercury cars as per your explanation, but trucks did not have the option of White wall tires and/or trim rings.

 

Here's a pic of my '53, taken in 1973. The grille had never been painted, although much of the rest of the truck had been treated to a second coat... It was definitely a yellow-white.

 

I bought a pair of NOS '53-'54 parking lights at Carlisle back in 1998. This is before I did alot of research on '54 trucks. They were painted a cream color. I then gor a paint chip from an outfit in Connecticut that at one time sent you paint chips if you sent them a stamped self addressed envelope. I asked for a chip of Meadow Green and a chip for the correct color of the grille for '54. The chip for the grille was Sungate Ivory and it matched the parking lights perfectly. So I say the grille for '53-'54 was Sungate Ivory.

 

Abe, sometimes it pays to be old. I've seen accessory brochures that list the trim rings, and when I was a kid, two local dealers both had '56 F100 parts delivery trucks, and both had wide whites. Now, being 50 years older, I figured out somewhere along the way that dealers installed darn near anything the customer desired.