VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 Origional paint for a 28 chevy?

Soon I'll be repainting my 28 chevy coupe and I want it to look like it would have looked back in 28. I've heard that back then paint jobs did not look like the fancy 20 coats of lacquer paint jobs you see today on restored old cars like Model A's in car shows. Someone said they practically brush painted their cars back then? I'd like to paint the chassis and fenders with that black Por-15 stuff. Would Gloss or satin be best if I want that route.Whats the best way to make it look like a everyday car back in 28?

Scott

Scott, the gloss black would be the way to go early Chevrolets were painted with a high gloss black, someone here should have the paint codes for 28 along with the combinations for the diffrent modles. I don't know how much you have read on the Por-15 system, but it is a multi coat process and provides a hard finish with a high gloss. This is ok on the frame and would help with rock chips and the like but on the exterior of the fenders I think I would find a good gloss Acrylic lacquer or enamel to keep the finish as close to OEM as possible.

Kirk

[ January 03, 2002: Message edited by: 29chevy ]

If you read further on the POR-15 literature you will find that the gloss is not stable under long term exposure to UV. It will dull and turn toward a gray color. :( Therefore any parts exposed to direct sunlight over a long time will suffer that fate. By '28 the bodies were sprayed, hand sanded and polished lacquer. The fenders and chassis sheet metal were dipped. They were glossy but not as high a gloss as is normal today.

POR-15 does have a version now that is resistant to ultra-violet rays and won't fade.... but using this is still not a good idea. I've used it on my gas pump and was very satisified with it...

But on a car fender, you really want to go with a lacquer or other "normal" gloss black that most any body shop would use today. Even an enamel would be a reasonable coating for your apparent intended use.

My prediction: You'll never be sorry that your car is bright and shiny! :)

---Bill, Seattle

Hi Scott,
If you are considering a color other than black I show three combinations for 28 and 29 Coupe.

Body - Moulding - Stripe - Wheels
Faunce Green-Black-Golden Yellow - Dunsmuir Gray
Paul Revere Green-Black-Pewee Green-Dunsmuir Gray
Coolie Blue-Budda Blue-MtAsh Scarlet-Budda Blue

These are hard to show in this space but I'll try to show a link to a full page soon.
Herb

Thanks everybody for the great answers! My 28 has black fenders and is sort of a turquois( or however you spell it?)green body and wheels. I don't know if it origionally came that way but I like the combination.If you send me your e-mail address i can send you a picture of it and maybe you can tell me if the color is origional?

Scott
sdakss@aol.com

Hi Scott,
If you click on www.cybersurfers.net/~herb/meleo1.htm this is the first automobile owned by Tom Meleo. I'm not sure which green this is but a couple modern matches are.
Yorktown Green - 75 Ford Truck - Holly Green Duco 4694A
Faunce Green - 55 Nash Green - Island Green
If you click on my profile I have a 28 Roadster which is a modern Olds SUV dark metallic green.
I would further check on the wheels as some body styles do list matching color wheels as yours are.
Herb

Let's see how much trouble I can get myself into here. Entsminger stated that he wanted his '28 coupe to look like it did back in 1928. According to the January and August issues of the 1928 Service News, for coupe bodied Chevrolets from start of production until April 31st, the primary body color was Faunce Green, and from May 1st until the end of production the primary body color was Paul Revere Green. If Entsminger would show the vehicle identification number, it can then be determined what month the vehicle was assembled and the color it was most likely painted when new. At that time we can get into the nitty-gritty of what colors went where on the body, i.e. upper body, wheels, fenders etc.. I'm not sure I can provide modern paint codes, but at least he'll be headed in one direction rather than several. I also have a '28 body striping guide that has the Chevrolet Logo that I purchased from Brad Schaeffer in Hershey many years ago. The striping layout is different between some body styles.

The vehicle ID # on my 28 Chevy coupe is S38715 . Does this help find the origional paint color?

Scott

entsminger-

The number I'm looking for should be located on a tag affixed to the seat frame, right side. The tag should read NATIONAL and the number should look like 3ABXXXXX.

Well I looked for that tag but can't find one. It's possible that it could be under a piece of carpet or was removed? Would it be on the side of the piece of wood that the bottom of the front seat sits on? There's a piece of carpet on that. I guess I could remove it up and look?

Scott

entsminger-

Yes, on the outer vertical seat frame, visible when you open the right door. At least that's where it was on on '27 coupe and where it is on my '28 roadster. The number, S38715, you posted earilier looks like it's from the body tag and I believe it to be the Fisher Body sequence number. "S" standing for St.Louis. What does your title read? Probably the engine number, but it could be the VIN, you never know.

Well the # s38715 is on the same on the firewall plate and title? I'll pull off the carpet soon and see if there's a number there? How can I tell if my car is a Imperial Landau or just a coupe? I saw a Landau on a site and it looks just like mine? What is the difference? I just got a 28 owners manual and am having fun figuring out things@

The Imperial Landau is a four door vehicle identifiable by its solid panels and Landau irons behind each rear door. The National 4-door sedan had quarter panel windows where the Landau irons were located on the Imperial Sedan. The Coupe is frequently called a Landau Coupe because of its Landau Irons, but I don't think Chevrolet refered to it as such. I suggest you try to locate a copy of "75 years of Chevrolet" which will answer alot of your body designation questions.

Getting back to your original question about the original color on you '28 Coupe. Although the Fisher Body, body build, numbers were not identical with the VIN numbers, my guess is that your vehicle was assembled sometime in March of 1928. This would make its original base color Faunce Green and if your serious about your original statement, that's the direction I suggest you head toward. According to the Duco Color Specifications listed in the January 1928 Service News, the colors break down as follows:

Body Color = Faunce Green
Body Stripe = Golden Yellow
Body Moldings = Black
Hood = Faunce Green
Hood Stripe = Golden Yellow
Disc Wheels = Dunsmuir Grey
Disc Wheel Stripe = Black
Wood Wheels = Natural
Instrument Panel = Faunce Green w/ depression cut in Dunsmuir Grey
Garnish Moldings = Dunsmuir Grey
Window Offsets = Dunsmuir Grey
Door Opening Facings and Scuff Plates = Faunce Green

I neglected to mention that the fenders, running boards, and splash aprons were Black on all '28 passenger vehicles reguardless of the body color.

I took off the carpet but no tag was there? THanks so much for all your help, I really apreciate it!! I guess I'll see if can find what Faunce green looks like and see if it's like what's on the car now and go from there!

Thanks Scott

entsminger-

If you are not already a member of the VCCA, I'd like to suggest that you join. This would put you in contact with folks in your general area that have similar interests as you do and there's a world of help and information out there for the asking. The VCCA has a tech adviser assigned to paint who surely could help. Don't give up on your desire to paint the vehicle like it was when new. Keep asking questions. I haven't given up, but I reached the limit of my knowledge and reference material on your particular paint question.

Hi Scott,
Looks like you are having a hard time finding any meaningful numbers on your 28. There is another way to do this, ASSUMING YOU HAVE THE ORIGINAL DRIVE TRAIN. Take a look at the engine, head and transmission and post the dates on this forum. If you don't know how to read the dates, post what you find and we will decypher it. This may help determine if you have a an EARLY or LATE car.