I am just curious, what colors were used on the FORD letters on the tailgates of 53-56 pickups? I am thinking black and white. But was it a pure white or an off white like sun gate ivory perhaps for 53 and 54 to match their grilles or a Colonial white to match the grilles of 55 and 56?

And on what color trucks were the letters painted white (obviously the dark colors) and what colors were the letters painted black, again probably the lighter colors.

Has anyone seen anything definitive on this in Ford literature? I haven't and so I am asking guys with untouched original tailgates to respond. On my 54 Meadow Green truck the paint on the letters was gone when I bought it from my grandfather. When my truck was painted in 1999 I had the body man paint the letters Sungste Ivory but he did a poor job. Later I had to repaint the tailgate so I bought white stick on letters and it looks much better.

 

They were never painted from the factory. They remained whatever color the rest of the body was painted.
Chuck

 

I just dug out some of my brochures and my factory photos show red trucks with white letters.


I know you have a library of literature, its in there. I was able to find it in a 55 clues showing a red 55 with white letters and in my "test track" book shows a red 56 with white letters as well


Also I have owned a one owner 56 and it had painted letters, it was a light green with white letters


With the info I have I say they were painted White

 

So you are saying they were all white? I think I have seen some black.... What about a white truck? I will look at that Ford TV ad again. The one where the 53 F100 is driven on the military site. I will look at my Clues magazines too. I have seen pictures but nothing in writing in literature.

 

This is news to me. I went through this debate many years ago when I restored a '53 F-100 for somebody. I couldn't find any evidence of painted letters anywhere. When he got his Dearborn award from the Early Ford V8 club, there were no points deducted for it.
However, by 1956, Ford may very well have started to paint the letters. Factory photographs of trucks that were actually sold to the public would be the way to prove it. Color ads with photographs might show something as well. I looked through all of my 1955 and 1956 mailers, several of which have photographs, but none show rear views. That's the biggest problem. Very few, if any, publicity photos show a rear view! I also looked at the painting specs in the data books, and there is no mention of it.
Chuck

 

Brochures and advertisements are not good indicators or evidence of production details. Many times the photos are retouched, enhanced, or of prototypes that may or may not include final production items or details. There's also the distinct possibility of running changes where one day the assembly line guys are, for example, putting on stainless trim, the next day it's pot metal due to cost savings, supply or availability.

Unless one can find a photo of a line of trucks on a dealer lot when they were new, anything else is hearsay or the rely on 60 year old memory.

 

this photo of a 56 panel has them black
http://www.ebay.com/itm/COCA-COLA-COLOR-PHOTO-FORD-DELIVERY-VAN-1950S-/271602965232?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f3ccc5af0

this brochure although cartoon has the top truck with white letters
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1956-Ford-Truck-Sales-Brochure-Literature-Dealer-Advertisement-Options-Features-/360469980334?pt=Motors_Manuals_Literature&hash=item53edaf64ae&vxp=mtr

 

That's why I said "Photos of trucks that were actually sold to the public". Brochures would be the last place I would look, since it wasn't until 1966 that they contained actual photographs. Even then, it's back to the problem of prototypes and enhancements. Some of the mailers from that vintage, however, did have photographs, many of which are of trucks in actual use.
Chuck

 

Well not quite the correct year, but pictures are from Ford

Looking Back: 1961-63 Ford F-100 "Unibody" Pickups - PickupTrucks.com News

 

Sure, but now we're comparing apples and oranges, two things that are not the same at all. There were lots of production changes between 1955 and 1963. Back in the 70's my dad had a '63 F-100 that I eventually learned to drive in. It was all white with red painted tailgate letters. But that doesn't mean that the earlier trucks would be the same.

 

My '56 f100 is unmolested and is red with white letters.

 

I looked at my Ford Truck Clues from 53, 54, 55 (will check 56 tonight) and found several pics of painted tailgate letters, some in color. I will hopefully have time to scan some and post them here.

 

I really think thats proof enough because the trucks pictured are trucks that have been sold and are in the work field. Not some doctored up advertisement

 

Not 53-56 but my untouched 1951-52 tailgate has white letters.

 

I would suggest that this might have varied from plant to plant. It would also have been a logical choice for a cost cutting measure perhaps on the lower end vehicles. Does anyone have access to the engineering drawings? Even that is not full proof as I have seen plants paint things that the engineers forgot to specify only because it was the right thing to do.

So if you have a marketing brochure that shows them painted I would think that judges would have a hard time deducting points. Likewise if you can find a brochure showing no paint.

It looks like we have had this discussion before?
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/487176-ford-tailgate-letters.html