From the VIN, truck was built at Edgewater, I don't know where that is or was.
As to the X color code. It is possible it was a mistake. Those numbers were put on by a person, not by computer as they are today.
Waterfall Blue was a 1955 color.

 

Problem I am seeing with this mistake is that no really know what color this was to be and I am right back where I started. Looking at a paint chart the color does look like waterfall blue, but.... This truck has to be politically correct for A.A.C.A. judging. Edgewater was right here in NJ. Also still stuck on the bed, if painted or not and the color. Think a rather long trip to the A.A.C.A. Museum in Hershey, may be the answer in their research department.

 

It wasn't at all unusual to have inconsistancies between plants with the Ford Plates and Serial Numbers. Serial numbers are supposed to be stamped in the right frame rail (except Canadian are on the left) but mine is on the left as are two other members here I know of.

Remember in 1955 the typical assembly line worker was a great technician and knew his job, but as a blue colar worker from youth, he probably had limited education.

1955 Paint Code "X" is Regatta Blue.

I've seen many occasions where the auto paint code was placed on the truck rating plate IF that paint color was in that years offering, car or truck. If the paint was from another year or a special color (like the Yellow the Coca Cola trucks were painted) it was marked "SS"

There's no doubt in my mind that your truck was originally painted Regatta Blue. Here's a link to the paint chart if the picture doesn't post large enough to see it. The PPG paint code for Regatta Blue is 11383:



ColorLibrary.com ColorChip Search

 

The question I have is why Code X, Regatta Blue, is not shown in any of the Truck Cataloges or the Dealer Brochure. Obviously from the above color chart it was available on cars, but what about trucks?
We may never know how Regatta Blue got on this truck.

 

Trucks were still considered a work item at the time - for farmers, ranchers, and work places. So there was less "razmataz" available for them - including paint colors.

There about twice as many car colors available (in 1955 there were only 8 truck colors offered beside Black and Primer). So as you can see there were quite a few more offered for cars.

Another interesting note is that in 1955 cars often came in a two color combination - Regatta Blue/Snowshoe White, Regatta Blue/Waterfall Blue were VERY popular - but not available on T-Birds. There were 33 two color combinations. So every once in a great white you will see an AV on a rating plate for a truck which was the Raven Black/Goldenrod Yellow color combo. This scheme was used mostly on Canadian trucks with the first color on the fenders and the later on the cab - you've seen them I'm sure. It was available in the US on Special Order Trucks.

You used to be able to go to the dealer and "order" your vehicle. Then have your car/truck custom factory built instead of searching the US by computer and having the closest thing shipped to your dealer!

This truck was undoubtedly ordered from the dealer instead of bought off the lot and the color was requested out of the car colors when it was ordered (which would further explain the "X" instead of the "SS". On the order form in the "Color" space "'X' - Regatta Blue" was typed or hand written in and that is what was put on the Rating Plate). I would venture to say that this truck also has a good number of options. Those my be a little different than the complete "Custom Cab" package.

I did that once in 1977. It took GM 8 weeks to take the order (that was mailed in) build my new Camero, and have the car to me in Corvallis Oregon!

Here is the link to the 55 color descriptions and auto combinations:

http://www.lovefords.com/tech/Vin/paint/ford/55_f.htm

 

Thanks Julie. This has been a effort and to date your answer makes the most sense. The grill is snowshoe white and even though the color that was painted of the back of the data plate is a different shade totally, we are going with the regatta blue and printing a copy of this email for reference. Now if I can find our about the bed and weather it has painted strips or whole bed area is painted and the color or not (natural) and to figure how the air cleaner bracket goes with the strap I will be in good shape. Right now we are ready for paint and have been stuck on this color mess.

 

You gotta love auto color library, but found it disheartning when the mid 50's years of truck colors for Ford were not listed.

 

The bed: after some research and a thread on this forum I am sure that the beds were painted the body color. The wood was Northern Yellow Pine. I have seen color pics of new beds that show they were the truck's body color.

 

Reviving an old thread here. Did Budsweeds ever finish his stock restoration? He asked a lot of questions, got a lot of answers but we never saw a picture of his truck, before or after.