VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Trucks and Vans 1955 1st series Chevrolet Truck paint options

I need some help with some decisions regarding the correct paint on a 1955 1st series Chev pickup for the following items:

1) Are the running boards painted black or body color? The truck is a deluxe 5 window cab. Did the running boards come with some type of protective step to keep the paint from getting scratched when someone stepped on them to get in or out?

2) The Chevrolet letters on the tail gate, are they painted body color or white?

3) Are the rims painted body color and do they have a stripe on them? The body color will be painted Ocean Green so I believe Bombay Ivory is the stripe color

Thank you for your help

Walter

Deluxe cab came with body color running boards. The 1955 accessory list does not show a step mat for the running board.
Ocean Green is listed as having a black stripe.
If it is a Deluxe cab the wheels will be body color and striped.(16" wheels only)
The letters on the tail gate were not painted.

I agree with all but the body colored running boards. I have seen info and documentation both ways but as many others, this is a much contested question. If you want to check out a great source for 54-55 1st info, check here. http://www.1954advance-design.com/

Walter,

1) Are the running boards painted black or body color? The truck is a deluxe 5 window cab. Did the running boards come with some type of protective step to keep the paint from getting scratched when someone stepped on them to get in or out?

I think that the running board step plate is shown in the 1954 Truck Data Book as an accessory but it is not shown in the accessory list (I'll check tonight; and, I'll also check the 55-1st TDB). It was installed by the dealer/owner/etc. Whether or not the step plate shown below was lised for 54/55, the dealer/owner most likely could have bought that item from GM.


There are more than one ways that a 5-window cab might have been ordered in 1954/55. Different 5-window-cab RPOs might have come with different colored running boards. I'll check the 55-st Truck Data Book tonight. But, as Greg posted, it seems that the two-color-exterior option might have come with (lower) body-colored running boards. We have seen GM documents showing two-color trucks with black and with colored running boards (GM documents contained artist renditions - some artists might not have been careful with some details). Nonetheless, some 5-window cab RPOs came with black running boards.

2) The Chevrolet letters on the tail gate, are they painted body color or white?

As stated above, the letters on the tail-gate were not painted white (they were same color as the bed).

3) Are the rims painted body color and do they have a stripe on them? The body color will be painted Ocean Green so I believe Bombay Ivory is the stripe color

Normally the wheels were black, but some RPOs (RPO-390 for sure) came with (lower) body-colored wheels - RPO-390 (at least) came with 3-stripes on wheels on 3100 trucks. As posted above, Ocean Green body-color had black stripes (in 1954; I'll check 55-1st tonight).

The 1955 1st series info in the Chevrolet restoration pac listd the 16" wheels on 1/2 ton trucks with Deluxe quipment as have body color wheels and the striping is in black. Colored wheels were option for other models.
The list of accessories in the same pac do not list anything for the running board protection. Therefore it would be considered incorrect for VCCA judging unless you could provide documentation to the contarary.

I would suggest youo rder the restoration pac for your documentation.

Chevgene,

In what GM document did you find information that the running boards came in body color in some RPOs?

The documentation that Greg mentions (above), that refers to body-colored running boards, is a 1954 DUPONT after-market (non-GM) document that has instructions for damage-repair painting (am I correct, Greg?). We have seen GM color sales illustrations of two-tone deluxe 54 trucks with black running boards and with body-color running boards.

Regarding body-color wheels being "options for other models": what would be those RPOs?

Thanks,

1953 and later Truck Data Books do not show or list the accessory Running Board Safety Tread Plate (Pair). I do not have a 1952 TDB but the Running Board Safety Tread Plate (Pair) is listed in the 1951 TDB.

I would also like to see a GM document that says the running boards were painted body color... Maybe Gene can enlighten us on that.


I am showing the running board safety treads { GM part # 986328 } offered as a truck accessory from 1949-1951.



The deciding factor will be when we hear back from Tim to see if he was able to locate these tread plates in the '54 or '55.1 truck data book.


I can find no reference to these plates in any 54/55.1 truck documents I searched &
I don't see them on the original dealers accessory POS display peg board
( although I also do not see a spotlight on the display board & they were an accessory for those years also}.


Thats not to say that the dealers didn't install the tread plates on 54/55 trucks.... just that they were not technically offered on those models as far as I can tell.

Hello MT,

Sorry that I was not clear in my earlier follow-up post (or, maybe our posts "overlapped". I could find no reference to the safety treads in the 1953, 1954 (three versions, including a Canadian version), and 1955-1st Truck Data Books.

I found it and edited my post, MT - sorry

I'll delete this post in an hour or so.

I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been mentioned other than my 54 with deluxe cab option (two tone exterior, two-tone blue interior with chrome vent window frames) appears to have always had black running boards.

OK fair enough.

We are still waiting to hear back from Chevy NUT regarding the GM documentation on those body color running boards.

At present I am waiting for the documentation from the person that I know has it.

Everybody thanks for yor patience as I have been doing my household duties and taking care of my wife.
I will have to type this out as I am too dumb to be able to post this. If anyone wants a copy send me a stamped self addresed envelope.

DoPont Advanced Automotive Color Information - Bulliten # 17-A, 2-17-54

1954 Chevrolet truck colors
This will supplement information givenin advance of bulletin #17 as of Dec 22,1953

Two-tone combinations are being released for both exterior and interior surfaces of the 1954 Chev Deluxe series trucks. On cab exteriors, the upper color will always ee Shell White and the body stripes will be the lwer body color - except on Pure Whiteee and the body stripe will be Black.
Wheels and running boards on the Deluxe cab will be the lower body color - except on Pure Whie and Cream medium, when the running boards will be black.

Gene,

That seems to be the document that I referred-to in a earlier post in this thread (see below - thank you Greg Hill)). That is a DUPONT Refinish Sales Office document. Is that sufficient documentation for VCCA "grading"?

I have GM sales documents that show illustrations of two-tone paint combinations with black running boards. Also, some of the two-tone cab illustrations that I have show the lower-body color ending above the belt-line (with belt-line stripe being the normal striping color used on one-color cabs). Some of the illustrations do show the lower body color ending at the bottom of the belt-line and the belt-line stripe being the lower body color (as described in the DUPONT Refinish document).




Would the VCCA mark-down a truck painted to match a GM illustration or would the VCCA rely solely on the description in the DUPONT Refinish Sales Office document?






Additional illustrations from 1954 sales documents are available.

The Dupont document would be the "offical" information for judging....just as the Dupont material is offical for earlier years.
The 2 tone did not come out until Feb. of 1954. I believe at that time the Deluxe interior was also up-graded.
At this time there is probably only one or two VCCA members (that would be judging) that would know what is correct or even question running board colors, etc.
NEVER - NEVER use sales literature for "correctness" of detail.
I presented the document as proof of what I was saying to eleminate doubt.
To see a correctly painted Deluxe cab pick-up see the May G&D. That owner researched the restoration facts completely and has documentation for all features.

Gene is now saying that we should ignore GM sales documents & instead,rely on non GM documents from an outside company to verify correctness on a GM vehicle.

Don't sound right to me.....
I question the validity of that poorly printed non GM info. on the running boards which was generated by the Dupont "Refinishing" division.

I have never seen an original truck that came from the factory with anything other than black running boards...
Someone may have typed up an obscure bulletin at Dupont about repainting trucks after they have left the factory but,the bulletin was never read by anyone at GM.

The info. Gene posted would be more applicable to paint & body shops that did repairs after the trucks were already sold by the dealers.

The fact is that many Chevrolet sales brochures and other literature contain errors. Some are due to the fact that they were approved and sent to printers before the final assembly configurations were set. Others due to artists retouching photos and illustrations to be artistically pleasing no mater what was actually produced. Then there are just plain errors.

In fact documents by creditable suppliers have been found to have fewer errors than official GM literature. I always caution restorers and judges to use three separate pieces of literature to verify a fact. Even with that caveat you can't be 100% sure or accuracy.

I was taught to question the words "always" and "never"

I have greatly enjoyed pictures of Roger and Mary James' truck that they were kind enough to share with me. This is the truck that Gene mentioned as the cover on May 2010 Generator and Distributor magazine. Roger is also the one that shared the Dupont document in question. That being said, I questioned him about the color he painted the hub behind the steering wheel on his truck. Based off of my interpretation of his Dupont document as well as my own unrestored interior two-tone blue interior 54 deluxe cab truck, the hub should be the same color as the steering wheel. He insists that he repainted his truck parts exactly as they were when he tore it down. I believe him but I also know that my truck which most likely came from a different assembly plant gives conflicting evidence. Now the day that my truck completes a restoration, and assuming it would show and be judged to VCCA standards, if I were docked points based off of his truck or the Dupont document, I am afraid that the arguement would begin. This one may never be solved!

I think you may find that vehicles with limited production may not always come out of the factory 100 percent the same on some minor details. Would be intresting to see what others have found on their original truckss.

____________________

Walter's question is about the color of running boards on a "deluxe" 5-window cab.

There were at least four 5-window options available in 1955-1st series:

RPO 387 - Rear Corner Windows
RP0 390 - De Luxe Equipment
RP0 430 - De Luxe Cab Equipment (two-tone interior - but no two-tone exterior)
RP0-438 Two-Tone Cab Exterior (and interior) Color Combinations for De Luxe Cab

The reference in Advance Bulletin 17-A (2/17/1954) regarding running boards being painted the lower-body color refers to instructions relative to RPO-438.

Perhaps someone can come up with DUPONT Advance Bulletin No. 17 (12/22/1953) - it might have painting instructions for all RPOs, including the other RPOs that provide 5-window cabs?

Walter,

What "deluxe" features does your truck have?
__________

I have seen an all-original 1954 1/2 ton pickup RP0 430: 5-window cab with one exterior color (Juniper Green) and two-tone interior (green/green). It has less than 50,000 documented miles on it. If it was to be VCCA judged, should it have green running boards or black running boards?

Tim, my truck is the two-tone two-tone truck that should be the option spelled out in the bulletin but I am certain that it rolled off the assembly line with black running boards. I'm still befuddled.

I do not agree with either of these claims & I think both are rather clumsy comments.


If we are to believe this....
We can dismiss any & all GM documentation as " in error ".


While there may have been a few errors in GM documentation...
We shouldn't write every GM document off as incorrect & suspect information.

Outside information is great when it comes to verifing GM info. but, to rely soley on outside {non GM} documents only without corroborating GM documents to back it up is irresponsible.

I will trust any GM documentation over any unsubstantiated documentation from an outside company.

I believe you, Greg.

As Gene posted: "I think you may find that vehicles with limited production may not always come out of the factory 100 percent the same on some minor details. Would be intresting to see what others have found on their original truckss."

What do you think you would receive as point-deductions for keeping your vehicle original?

I am not really concerned about what people think is original. My 54 Hydra-Matic with yellow/white exterior (black body-stripe), and black running boards (black mirror arms and rear lamps), and maroon/beige interior will be close enough to cause interesting discussion (especially with the Maroon/Beige upholstery on the Ride-Control seats). I like the idea of resembling a yellow-jacket. I'll be be able to show documentation for everything except the Ride-Control seat with the two-tone upholstery (it supposedly only came in cabs with standard upholstery).