That's a very good possibility. Remember that the cabs were painted prior to installation - inside and out. So it would hmake sense if a company had maintenance shops and repainted their own trucks, that they would have ordered it in a color that was the most compatible with theirs so they didn't have to repaint the interior. Many companies had paint shops to apply their company colors on the trucks after they took delivery.

Here's a few examples - your one about th eVermillion and Coca Cola is a good one. Ok lets look at Sheridan Blue on trucks ordered by the Air Force, etc.

 

Here are the two colors on the 1955 Marmon Herrington Ranger, the lighter original color 1955 truck color code "G" Sea Sprite Green which is still on the inside, and the darker one, the special ordered 1955 car color, code "Y" Mountain Green that was added over it on the outside only. The "Y" is stamped on the color code area of the glove box data plate. Ford did not make a Gray truck in 1955, so the Sea Sprite Green truck was the one most compatible with the requested special ordered exterior Mountain Green paint. Not a bad looking combination.

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1950 1952 1955 V8 Marmon Herrington Rangers

1952 F-1 V8 M-H pickup

Mark

 

Wow, Started looking for Forest Service trucks last night and found this 1955. Like mine, but not 4wd. Article said that Al Erwin had this truck at the 30th annual Ford F100 Supernationals in 2008!! Anyone know of him?? I'de like to get in touch with him if possible. Mark

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1950 1952 1955 V8 Marmon Herrington Rangers

1952 F-1 V8 M-H pickup

Mark

 

There is no Y COLOR (paint) code listed in the 1949/59 Ford Passenger Car Parts Catalog until 1957.

1957: Y = Inca Gold // 1958: Y = Monarch Blue.

Greens listed for 1955 Ford's & Thunderbird's are: COLOR code F = Pinetree Green / COLOR code G: Seasprite Green / COLOR code H = Neptune Green / COLOR code T: Thunderbird Blue (Skyhaze Green).

Y could be the COLOR code for a 1955 Lincoln and/or Mercury.

 

I've seen it listed a few places and on a couple of 1955 Fairlanes, The Thunderbirds were not available in this color. here's a link to one site 1955 Paint Color Codes - 1955 Paint Cross-Reference
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1950 1952 1955 V8 Marmon Herrington Rangers

1952 F-1 V8 M-H pickup

Mark

 

Though I have no paperwork linking it to the Forest Service, your guess is looking to be right on. I am owner #7 of this truck. I have actually talked with at length, the 3 owners before me,(owners #4, 5 & 6) which go back as far as 1968 when the truck was in California. The #4 owner, now in Ohio brought the truck to Ohio when he moved there from Riverside Ca. in the early 70s, and said that it was thought to be a Forest Service truck, by the owner he had got it from...,(owner #3) which I have not found, but have a name and old registration card from that goes back to 1963. I am very lucky that almost everything really important to this truck like the numbered matching Marmon Herrington plate, dash shift tags , emblems, data plate, title etc., was kept together, and passed on from each former owner.

 

I have a 55 I am building. Just getting started. There is no ID plate on the door post. How can I find the original build spec's? I believe it was a custom cab. I would like to put a new ID plate on it with the correct info.

 

LOL it looks like that the truck in the picture has BOTH of the colors you posted! That could be ominous!

Could be, but these sources say FORD. Might be yet ANOTHER omission in the Ford Documentation.

The "Y" letter code for Fords in 1955 was Mountain Green - PPG paint code # 41804, and is verified by this site thread:

LOVEfords - 1955 Ford Paint Color Codes

And this ORIGINAL paint color chart:



Might wanna double check your source, Bill!

 

Hi Ron!

Welcome to FTE!

The best way is to find the serial number on the frame and on certain parts like the rear end, etc.

The Rating Plates weren't terrifically loaded with detailed info: serial number/wheel base/GVW rating/HP/tranny/rear end ratio/paint color and special info like Production Codes/Domestic Special Order locations for contracts etc.

Post some pictures here - you can learn lots just from people looking at it!

PS Look on the glove box door for the Rating Plate! Looks lke this:

 

It could be a mistake at the plant. Maybe it was built on a Mon or a Friday. My plate say 'R' for the color. 'R' in 1954 means Vermilion which is a Red color. My truck is and always was Meadow Green. Meadow Green in 1954 was 'U'. My Grandfather bought it new. Thinking the dealer may have painted it before it was sold I looked for signs of red paint in all the obscure places before I had it restored and painted in 1998 and all I found was green.

I think the guy that punched the data plate made a mistake. In 1953 'R' was Meadow Green so he may have been using the 1953 codes and punched in 'R' instead of 'U'.

 

Julie, The answer about Rons' truck maybe being a custom cab is that the 55 custom cab will have the thin stainless trim on the dash and doors or at lest the small holes along the dashboard and ridge of the doors where the thin stainless trim went on if is missing, and of course the door locks in both doors, glove box lock, stainless vent window frames etc., but doors can be changed. The 55 Custom Cab also had the drip rail stainless trim. Even if it is gone, the clue is that there will be no center joining clip where the drip rail halves meet over the center of the windshield. Mark

 

Ron,The answer about your truck maybe being a custom cab is that the 55 custom cab will have the thin stainless trim on the dash and doors or at lest the small holes along the dashboard and ridge of the doors where the thin stainless trim went on if is missing, and of course the door locks in both doors, glove box lock, stainless vent window frames etc., but doors can be changed. The 55 Custom Cab also had the drip rail stainless trim. Even if it is gone, the clue is that there will be no center joining clip where the drip rail halves meet over the center of the windshield. Mark

 

Hmmm Did I misunderstand the question? I thought he was missing his Rating Plate nad wanted to replace it. Also, I thought he was looking for the specs for th ebase truck and th ecustome cab options.

Might have tricked me with a two parter question!

 

I think Ron wanted to verify his hopes that it was a Custom Cab by finding that evidence on the data plate. I don't think the data plate will tell you if you have a Custom Cab or not. His glove box door must not have had the tag on it, or was gone, because he said ''There is no ID plate on the door post"., which is not where they are found. So I listed the clues to help him figure out if he had a Custom Cab. The chassis / title vin code will tell him some of the info to put on the new tag, and as you said, there is almost always some original paint under the dash, or somewhere to tell what the paint code would be. The speedometer gears in the trans (if he has the original trans ) will tell what the differential ratio was.

 

Yep....but we might want to watch this guy. "Id plates on door posts" sounds to me like a Freudian slip indicating a previous intimate familiarity or dubious flirtation with a (dare I say it) GM or Chevrolet product!