Speaking of using "left-over" parts, my 1st '55 Crown with 272 engine had a crank damper pulley which still had the hand-crank tabs as original factory!!!

No hole through radiator, though.

And a '63-1/2 Galaxie I had still had a "sideways" Edsel radiator with external expansion tank above the 390.

JLB

55 Ford Crown Victoria Steel Top

Thanks Charlie. Another thing to remember is Ford often used up parts from previous models on the next model year. That'll mess the "purists' up for sure every time.

Roger.  My experiences with Ford manufactured '50s cars echo yours.  There WERE variations in the production of vehicles depending on the assembly plant, time of production, availability of hardware components used, material suppliers, and WHO performed the assembly task when the vehicle / component / sub-assembly work was done.    

As a fellow Forum member, I so appreciate your continued submissions to this web site, Roger  Thanks for what you share, and how you do it!

Your submission to this thread should provide some levity to those of us that get caught up in 'trying to do it right'.  God Bless the professional restoration shops and the Concours Judges, BUT . . .   

Regards,
Charlie Brown


NoShortcuts
a.k.a. Charlie Brown
near Syracuse, New York

I have a 56 Country Sedan that had about 63000 miles when I got it. Everything on the drivetrain of the car was original and untouched. While cleaning it up I found paint on the engine in protected areas where the color looked to likely be very close to what it would have been when new. The Dupli-Color Ford Red matched that color very well. I'd say dead on.

That said in the eighties I was involved with the Mustang Club of America for a while. These guys can be pretty picky about every little thing as you might expect. Now some of them would sit and argue about every last detail. Take carpet for example. It MUST be like this and this and this to be concours correct. HAS to be. No exceptions. Points off if not exactly like what we say.

Then a man who had worked in Ford management comes along and says, "Well to keep up with demand there were six different suppliers of carpet for the early Mustangs. Not all exactly the same. Each plant may have used different stuff than the other and each may not have used the same stuff all year."  So none of y'all are "right". Or all you are. Or (my opinion) it doesn't really matter anyway. 

Also in the 80s for several years I worked at Bayliner at the original plant in Arlington, Washington. I can tell you positively that each boat of each model was not going to be exactly identical to the other. Many little details were simply what one person on the line did that day on that shift, maybe even on just that boat. Somebody restoring one those boats would think they were all that way, like the one they have.

Todays manufacturing principles have taken away probably most of these kind of things. But surely in the 50s it was happening. Ever look at the welding on a 56 Ford frame? Atrocious. Like it was the guys first day on the job, first day of of welding, and he showed up drunk. Then again that's on those that I have seen with my own eyes and stories I have heard from other guys that have seen the same thing. That leaves more than 99.99% of all the other Ford frames which none of us saw that may have been expertly done.

Anyway I will not be using any orange tinted paint on anything I have. I have a nice little early 283 that is actually supposed to be orange of course. It won't be when I'm through with it. Ford Red would be a good bet. With no orange tint.

I have don judgeing on early Birds for a number of years and all the 55-57 Birds used the orangy-red color.  I assume the sedans were the same.


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Pretty sure any Ford red engines with original paint are going to be faded to the point of being unrecognizable by now. Up until modern paints came along red was always a color that would fade, sooner than later. 

I have used Dupli-Color Engine Enamel on several engines. DE 1605 Ford Red. Seems to be the right red. No orange tone at all. Have used the Dupli-Color engine enamel in other colors as well, my experience it is very good paint. Follow the instructions. Clean. Light coats followed by a medium wet coat, on the schedule they suggest. No need for primer. Holds up real well. 

Been using it close to 20 years. All good results. DE 1635 Ford Semi Gloss black and DE 1615 Aluminum are staples in my shop as well.

Commonly available.

 Edit: My understanding is that VHT and Dupli-Color are owned by the same parent company. Have been several years. Dupli-Color used to have 1200 degree paint that was very good also. Their aluminum color was nice and bright. Looked exactly like fresh bead blasted aluminum and would stay that way. When I could no longer find it I eventually found that VHT had taken over the  real high temperature part of Dupli-Color. VHT is real good too but their aluminum isn't quite as bright as Dupli-Colors was. Oh well. Dupli-Color engine enamel is good for 500 degrees which is plenty for most parts. 

As far as I can tell, my engine still wears the original paint. It has a an orange tint that the rattle canned parts I've swapped in doesn't.
Original paint. The heater valve has since been returned to the intake.


57 manifold painted with spray paint


~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles

I’ve found that the VHT Ford Red on top of grey primer comes reasonably close to the original Ford Red without spending a lot of money.  It does have that orange tint to it while many of the other Ford Reds that are available in rattle cans do not.  I find the VHT brand at the local Auto Zone.
 

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Thanks Pat, but some of the touch up is in chassis & a spray gun isn't an option. The manifold & valley cover are already painted with the original #206 (real) Red & ready to install, but now I need to find a substitute Red to complete the touch up, due to the change in paint formulae..Will keep looking. 


Paul

I personally like to use the Rangoon Red Code "J" that ford used on pickups in the mid sixties for a good substitute for the original Ford Engine Red. 

I have it mixed in a single stage urethane with hardener and spray with the gun.

The Catalyzed Urethane paint will not rewet, soften, or stain like a spray can paint will.  Often even a small fuel leak or a shot of brake cleaner melts the rattle can paint.

Using a high quality urethane is a little more effort but will look perfect for years.    It's just a more professional way to make a Y-Block stay looking beautiful.



Pat Fleischman