Am in thr process of painting all dash parts on the stock '52 build . Need pic of color , color code or name of color of the glove box , ash tray and speaker gril . Seems to me by memory it was a grayish silver color , Had the man that matches color for me make up a color off from an old sample but it is to much on the brown side . Maybe it was the argent color ? Thanks in advance for all the replies .

Attended the Rod run a Daytona last fri. Only seen 1/2 of it .Did not make it to the east end of the infield and we walked for 7 hrs. Way cool trucks there . The best part is after 4 pm . and most of the hot rods are loose on the steet . Mega sensory overload . I suggest everyone try to attend once in their life . I could retire on one days gate admissions . Figure 35,000 people at $15 a head . Do the math

Will try to post some pics of this one off red truck .One could look at it for hrs . Too many mods to count . A cross between a full cab truck & indy car .Hemi powered !!!!

 

Here's a picture of the dash in my all original 51. The color appeared to have been of argent nature. Not sure on the exact shade though.



Hope this helps.

 

My dash was largely intact, and the accent color is indeed argent. Duplicolor sells a Truck, Van, & SUV spray can "T154W Light Slate (M)" that is a very close match.

 

Just FYI, for the folks who aren't familiar with "Argent," it's a dark silver - almost like Pewter.

The Front Grille on the 51 Five Star Extra Cab was advertised to be Argent. But I believe the interior dash glove box, ash tray and speaker grill were "Silvertone Gray" could be wrong

I have a beautiful picture of one that's a BMP file. If someone can tell me how to save it as a jpeg, I'll post it.

Here's the paint specs for the Bonus Builts from the salesmans handbook:





See th epaint color chart in "Earls World" for both Argent and Silvertone Grey at:

http://www.clubfte.com/users/earl/Re...aterial_2.html

 

From what I remember, early 51 models had the Argent colored grille. The late 51 and all 52 had the off-white colored grille.

 

This gets tossed around alot, and correct me if it sounds wrong, but I think they went from "Off White" on the 51 to "Sungate Ivory" on the 52 Standard 5 Star Grilles; and Argent on both 51/52 Five Star Deluxe Cab Grilles. I read that in the 51 paint specs and the 52 paint specs, plus the sales brochuere

 

The argent to ivory grille color was a 1951 mid-year change on all models. In his book, Ford Trucks Since 1905, James K. Wagner says of one pictured 1951 truck "..the grille was painted metallic ivory as were all of them following the switch from plated to argent finished headlamp bezels, hood nose mouldings and V8 insignia. The revision resulted from defense imposed restrictions on the materials required for chrome plating". The ivory color was then carried over into 1952.

As for the dash color, here's a pic of a Dearborn Award winner. Looks like argent to me.

 

Your right Stu - looks like Argent to me too.

But the picture I have of the other truck which is also an award winner and pictured in many publications has a dash that's Silvertone Gray - the "Light Grey" refered to in the Ford Salesmans Handbooks Paint Specifications for the interior color of the panels. If you've got other facts then I accept that - data is very inconsistant because standardization was VERY inconsistant in manufacturing at Ford during this period.

There is no mention of changing colors mid year for grills on Extra Cab models in 1951 - I have all the updates to the Handbook. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

If I had a dollar for everytime I picked up some modern day book where some "expert" said "this engine was this color", or "this jack fit in this truck", or this was done for this reason or that - and found it to be contradicted by some other expert in another book - or here, I'd have my restoration paid for.

Best source I have found is Fords published specifications from the Ford Salesmans Handbook (the proverbial "horses mouth" if you will) which was the "bible" in those times, and other pubs - like the original sales brochures, from the people who built the truck.

And even there I think most of us realize at this point that there was very little consistancy or standardization on these trucks at the time between dealers and factory vs dealer installed gear.

My advise: paint it what ever of the two colors that suits you and if someone gives you a hard time about it, make the expert produce an acceptable source document (ie manufacturer specifications), that tells what is really is, and post it here to straighten us all out.

 

James K. Wagner is the Early Ford V8 Club's technical advisor for commercial vehicles. No better resource lives.

Your '51 Dealer's Handbook, like my '52, is authoritative only as of the date of publication. Mine is dated March 1st, 1952. I assume yours has a similar publication date in '51, which would mean that any mid year grille and chrome changes wouldn't be reflected. My '52 color page, though, is silent about the interior panel colors, so your book showing Silvertone Gray is clearly the authority. Stu

 

I'm certainly not the definitive expert, but I always thought the dashes were a metallic silver, like argent, not a solid grey. The link below is from the PPG (Ditzler) color library, showing the commercial colors for 1952. It shows engine colors, grill ivory, and a "miscellaneous" argent silver, number 8568. Your local PPG paint jobber should be able to mix a small quantity using that number for a correct match. Probably even put it in a spray can, if needed.

AutoColorLibrary - Color Chip Selection

 

LOL, I just got a QUART of paint mixed for some touch-up on a different car. $80. Another $20 to have some put into a spray can. I paid $5 for the Duplicolor, it will have to do...

 

There is no more authoritative source than the people who manufactured the vehicle.

There is a long process that goes into manufacturing a vehicle and it involves designing and developing engineering and manufacturing drawings (blue prints).

Those drawing dictate, exactly, how the truck is to be built to each and every last nut and bolt. And unless Mr. Wagner ownes or has seen a set of those drawings, his research and opinion are just that, and may not be supported by the facts that the manufacturer has established. Although objectively, as i stated earlier, neither is anyone elses.

In that light, during the design and manufacture process, the engineering and program offices of the manufacturer designate that there will be specific technical publications developed to support the vehicle. Those publications are kept current by the ongoing release of change packages and revisions. So the documents are "living" documents and do not become "nulified" when they walk out the door of the printing office. I have all (4) of the 1951 change packages inserted.

My point here is not to be argumentative (although it's fun sometimes). My point is in reference to the underlying question that the original poster asked, ie what is the correct paint color.

The most correct (but not only) answer is: the main part of the dash is painted the color of the body. On the Deluxe Cab models and some of the regular Five Star Cabs, the dispatch compartment door, ash tray, and speaker grille, were painted with a second light contrasting color. That color in most cases was "Argent;" however in some cases it was know to be a light gray such as "Silvertone Gray" OR in other cases could be ordered in the Ford Two Tone paint schemes designated for that years models of automobiles. Custom color "SS" were also available."

In other words - no hard and fast one color rule - but most of the time Argent.

BTW I stand corrected on the grilles. I found the May 1951 Salesmans Handbook Change sheet that designated the change from Argent on Extra Cabs to "Cream" color for ALL models for late 1951 - which was probably Sungate Ivory through 52 and switched to Snowshoe White in 53.

Denny! Paint it Argent. If you do, I'll probably be the only person to tweek you on the end of the nose if I see your truck at a car show.

Besides, Argent does look really nice.

 

Your May '51 info answers a question I've had on when the grille change from argent to ivory occurred. I've got a '51 waiting its turn that has "#9 March 12, 1951" scratched into its firewall. Knowing to do it argent rather than ivory is helpful.

 

Well, that's when the pub change package was released anyway.

I mean wow, how could you tell with which serial number truck did each plant make the switch? I think that would be almost as tough as finding the 49/50 serial number cut off.

I would venture to say if the change package came out in May, the Ivory grilles probably hit the dealers June 1! And that might make sense since back then June 1 was the start of the new fiscal year.

There would have been a service notice sent to each dealer outlining the change and saying "be prepared for this change on this date - manual and handbook change packages will be delivered on May 1st for Model changes to be delivered June 1" or the like. That would have pre empted both the Handbook Change Package and eventually the different trucks.

Number Dummy Bill would be the guy who's the expert on documentation releases.

 

I'm glad I'm safely inside the argent time frame with that truck. Unfortunately its front end was smacked during its life and replaced with '52 pieces judging from the "FORD" logo over the grille and ironed out fender. So this is the only way to know what the original grille color would have been. Thanks. Stu