Factory paint sequence

[TLea]

My next question is pertaining to how the cab was painted originally (66). It appears to have been primed in red oxide?
Where doors or anything else attached?
Interior first then exterior?
What is the final finish of the underside?
Mirror arms, ours were sprayed over in a repaint, were they body color or white originally? Truck has chrome bumpers
Thank you

[Keith Seymore]

Doors mounted to the cab.

Front end sheet metal on a separate fixture, either directly in front of the cab or in a totally separate part of the plant (depending on plant).

Tailgate on the box.


K

[TLea]

Excellent. Thank you

[60-66]

Is your truck a Chevrolet or GMC TLea ? On all the 1960-1966 Chevrolet and GMC trucks Ive ever owned and mostly low mile original paint trucks, The cab and doors were red oxide . Interior was painted first. Evidence of this is the fact that some have Fawn firewalls with body color overspray more common on GMCs but some Chevrolets exist this way. Bed and front clip were black primer then body color. ALL Chevrolets had body color mirror arms unless it was a 1960 which the arm was black OR if it was equipped with West Coast or other optional mirrors then either white or black. GMC however had White mirror arms standard or in 1966 were Silver arms

[TLea]

It is a Chevy. On mirror arms being body color, were they mounted on door when painted or off?
One more thing. I’m seeing people saying 66 dashes were dark fawn and rest of interior medium fawn. I don’t see any evidence of anything darker on the dash. It was sprayed over once

[60-66]

Originally Posted by TLea

It is a Chevy. On mirror arms being body color, were they mounted on door when painted or off?
One more thing. I’m seeing people saying 66 dashes were dark fawn and rest of interior medium fawn. I don’t see any evidence of anything darker on the dash. It was sprayed over once

The mirror arms were painted separately . The 3 bolts holding them down were silver zink/cad plated with a thick black paper like gasket. Heres some pictures of different low mile original paint 1966 Chevrolets with the dark fawn dash. If you are finding evidence of the lighter fawn dash , its possibly had a cab swap which is pretty common to find these days or its not actually a 1966 ? Hard to say otherwise without actually seeing your truck

[TLea]

Its definitely a 66 and has its original cab. owners father bought it brand new never even been hit and from So Cal so no rust issues. The interior was sprayed over with a gold metallic at some point so hard to tell for sure. Now that I see the subtle difference between med and dark fawn its likely the repaint is hiding it completely
Thank you

[60-66]

Sounds like a very nice truck to start with !!

[TLea]

Originally Posted by 60-66

Sounds like a very nice truck to start with !!

It really is. Farm truck so dirty but solid.
That seat in the 66 you posted, is that oem upholstery?

[cag]

Originally Posted by TLea

It really is. Farm truck so dirty but solid.
That seat in the 66 you posted, is that oem upholstery?

looking for a green one like that???

[TLea]

No, I’m just trying to figure out what the original upholstery was in this truck. It was replaced.

[60-66]

Originally Posted by TLea

No, I’m just trying to figure out what the original upholstery was in this truck. It was replaced.

Yes that's the Custom Cloth seat . They also used a fawn Vinyl seat. It would say on your kick panel tag what seat was used . The patterns are 1966 only

[TLea]

Trim says STD. It has the deluxe steering wheel

[60-66]

STD means it was not a custom nor did it have the deluxe wheel or stainless window trim etc, originally . 505 is Dark Green .

[TLea]

Thats weird. This truck other than repaint has never been messed with. It has deluxe steering wheel/horn ring and stainless on the front glass.

[60-66]

Originally Posted by TLea

Thats weird. This truck other than repaint has never been messed with. It has deluxe steering wheel/horn ring and stainless on the front glass.

All of that is easily changed and often changed over the last 59 years of its life. Especially when you repaint them. New windshield or gasket , add stainless trim. Check the brand of glass it has

[TLea]

Oh, I totally understand that and having restored probably 40 to 50 cars in my lifetime as a business although not Chevy trucks one thing I’ve learned is never say never. The word typical applies, but I’ve seen a lot of strange things happening. That aren’t the way we expect them to be. I’m not saying I can definitively say that because I have not been with this truck its entire life, but I do know the history because of having full ownership history back to the day it was new. It does have its original windshield with the original logo.
On the seat, does any company make authentic seat covers? The only thing I’m seeing is a brand named Acme and it doesn’t seem like either of the cloth or solid vinyl are as original.

[TLea]

pretty sure thats September 65

[60-66]

Originally Posted by TLea

Oh, I totally understand that and having restored probably 40 to 50 cars in my lifetime as a business although not Chevy trucks one thing I’ve learned is never say never. The word typical applies, but I’ve seen a lot of strange things happening. That aren’t the way we expect them to be. I’m not saying I can definitively say that because I have not been with this truck its entire life, but I do know the history because of having full ownership history back to the day it was new. It does have its original windshield with the original logo.
On the seat, does any company make authentic seat covers? The only thing I’m seeing is a brand named Acme and it doesn’t seem like either of the cloth or solid vinyl are as original.

SMS Auto Fabrics makes all the materials for these seats. I have used them many times . Definitely an original windshield !

[TLea]

Originally Posted by 60-66

SMS Auto Fabrics makes all the materials for these seats. I have used them many times .

I know SMS well. Do they actual make the covers or just provide the material?

[60-66]

Originally Posted by TLea

I know SMS well. Do they actual make the covers or just provide the material?

They do both , just depends how long you want to wait

[TLea]

I think wait and broken promises are the calling card of SMS lol. I am waiting for order promised February, again in April and now they are not replying. Great products but hard to do business with

[rbruno68]

I am hoping to be at this stage of my 63 build soon. I will be media blasting the interior before doing some rust repair, but then will be painting the interior the original fawn. I also plan to have the firewall and bottom blasted to repaint at the same time. Since my cab is apart, I thought I would include few pictures and confirm what Jon is saying so I understand.

This is the bottom of the windshield grove and shows the body color just going to the seam between the outside cab and inside the cab. It looks like a hard line meaning did the factory tape around the windshield as to not spray into the cab?

As you get closer to the pillar, the red covers the entire windshield area and across the top as well. It is only the bottom lip of the windshield area that shows any of the interior color on the outside. The red on the inside on the edge of the dash doesn't look like the red oxide primer. It looks like exterior color. So maybe they didn't tape it off but got a little over spray on the inside.

My cab has the fire wall painted the fawn. I scraped of some of the undercoating and can see the red pain is only from the curve down. The red does not continue on the left side of the cab support/fender bracket. The red is only seen on the right or the outside of this part of the cab. I always assumed the firewall was paint the fawn AFTER the body color and they just sprayed it straight on or maybe a down ward angle and the paint didn't stick to the part of the cab that curves down to the floor. But based on what Jon is saying, the firewall was first and they just sprayed red in the lower part of the cab and let it blend itself over the already paint fawn firewall.

Does that make sense as far as process/order of painting? I am not going for a show truck or complete restoration, but would like to do something close to what the factory did.
Rob

[TLea]

From what I'm seeing and hearing there is a mixture of firewall finishes some interior color some body color. Our 66 is all body color no fawn anywhere. Someone else can probly confirm or deny this but wasn't there several plants these were built at?