They probably originally just used a stencil.

 

yeah....my tailgate paint is original and has some nice wear on it, especially in the letters. The wear has really made it evident that Ford originally used some kind of a roller or brush system to paint the letters.

That having been said, we don't have access to whatever cool system Ford originally used....so my comments are purely academic.....but it is interesting to ponder how they did it.

 

I'm posting to this ancient thread for the sake of offering information to those searching for help and finding this.

I read that the original letters were done on the assembly line with a roller, or more specifically, a printers' brayer. The information came from an Internet post by a fellow who actually did them on the Ford assembly line back then.

He related that a thick sign paint was used. I tried this method putting red letters on my white '67 Econoline pickup. It worked beautifully. Here are the details:

I tried several rollers, settling for a medium hardness rubber one used for linoleum block prints. The first I tried was too hard. For paint, I used One-Shot signpainters enamel. I poured a bit on a stack of newsprint which allowed some of the solvent to bleed off and the paint to thicken.

Then I carefully rolled each letter, touching up any bad spots with a rag dipped in solvent. Make sure your solvent doesn't disturb the original finish before you do it, and you'll be fine.

A couple of times I even removed the lettering paint completely while it was wet, but eventually, I got it perfect.

The whole job took about twenty minutes and it looks like it came from Ford.

This isn't for everyone, but with steady hand, a light touch and patience, you'll have a perfect alternative to the modern vinyl stuff.

- Eddie, NY
67 Econoline Pickup

 

That's pretty cool stuff. Some much lost info with the older folks that are moving on. Glad you captured this.

 

Very cool stuff. Eddie, could you post where you got the rollers and the pertinent ordering info for both the rollers and paint?
Working on my '65 with my daughter and she has a rare interest into how they did specific things. For instance, there are ripples in the sheet metal in the bed sides where the metal was rolled. If we smoothed them it wouldn't be a true representative of the original.(not that it will ever be original) These were farm trucks, not King Ranch F-250's.

 

When I went to strip the paint off my truck I found the hood to have a complete 1/16" of body filler on it. The entire side of the bed was also covered in 1/16' filler. I was stunned by the amount covering each inch. It all came off to exposed a few minor dings on the hood which I took care of. The bed sides had waves if you looked just right and I left them alone.

You know I have been outside on a hot day and could actually hear the metal of the bed side expand and then contract when it cooled. You would hear it pop like a can on the side facing the sun although not visible to the naked eye.

 

I'll be painting mine soon and will post photos. I plan to use a ink brayer. No masking. Once clear coat goes on you'll never know.

 

Here's a photo of my letters rolled with a brayer or ink roller. This is how Ford did the lettering on the line. If you examine photos of original lettering (there are a few on the Web), you'll often see a sloppy thick line where the roller touched down. Use One-Shot sign lettering paint, thickened a little and touch the roller somewhere in the middle of the letter. On the tall letters, they roll up and down. Bronco people report theirs were rolled sideways.

The One-shot signpainters colors are glossy. Several Internet posts claim the original lettering had a flat finish; it's possible that the gloss simply wore off or maybe their paint had a flat finish.

The first brayer I bought was too hard. Look for a medium one on ebay for making linoleum block prints etc. Acetone is an excellent solvent for the One-shot. You can touch up any edge with a tissue wetted with acetone. Just make sure the acetone doesn't harm the base color.

You can remove the One-shot paint with acetone for quite awhile, depending on the surface, after it is rolled, so you have a few minutes to work. I was able to "erase" entire letters I wasn't happy with.

The original lettering wasn't even as neat as mine. I took my time -- about a half hour.

Here's a thread from a Bronco forum that also discusses the subject:
Was the Tailgate "FORD" Body Color or? [Archive] - ClassicBroncos.com Forums

Eddie
67 Econoline truck

 

Just for reference, here's a photo of original lettering on an Econoline tailgate from the early '60's. This was the cheapest truck made, so Ford didn't put too much into it. Some would call it sloppy, and you can clearly see they were rolled.

All tailgates had white lettering on the Econoline pickups except white trucks which had red.

 

I do this method for tags


I spray the letters first, then spray the entire tag
I wet sand the letters until the have the look Im after
it leaves a soft, no tapeline edge and looks factory

 

Since this got brought back up then remember the "R" on the first page? Well here it is with the other three. I found a soft mini roller at Home Depot and I used acrylic urethane paint with catalyst three year ago. Believe me there were several tries.

 

Here's an original 1967 Econoline truck tailgate as Ford lettered it at the factory. Anyone dare say Ford didn't use a roller?

 

Both of my tailgates are brushed on. The green one is absolutely original

 

Day One take off. Stored in the loft of a barn for 50 years.





Chad