Cabriolet questions

M

mrfirebird73

Member
I need to know what color the rear floor pans, seat risers and curtain pan need to be for an early 30 cabriolet. Do they go black or body color. Thanks.
 
I am restoring my June 1930 Cabriolet (has the fixed seat) and I have done some research on the painting and have settled on the following. My car will be the Bronson Yellow (upper body, belt, molding color) and Seal Brown (lower body color) paint scheme.
The rear floor pans (in the rumble seat area) and the rumble seat riser are gloss black on top and painted semi-gloss black on the underside in the interest of preservation (originally they may not have even been painted on the underside). My car still had the original paint on these pans - so I could verify it was black. Also I was able to verify that my car had been originally the yellow/brown paint scheme.
The curtain pan and front seat riser are satin seal brown (to simulate un-buffed lacquer).
Good luck. John
 
Just a question from another Cabbie owner. Why would a Cabriolet have curtain pans since the Cabbie has roll up windows?
 
I need to revise and clarify my earlier response.
For curtain pans - I was thinking of the package shelf in my earlier response - which I have painted a satin seal brown color.
For curtain pan - assuming this is the pan beneath the front seat riser - I have painted it the satin seal brown on the top side and semi-gloss black enamel on the underside in the interest of preservation. Fortunately the top side is not usually visable, nor judged - so it can be finished however suits you.
 
Being "in process" on a 68A, it is my understanding that the Cabriolets were painted upper body color on the inside, including door jambs, fuel tank, and dash. I would then assume that there would be overspray of the upper body color on everything else inside the car. In my case, with Cigarette Cream and Seal Brown, the inside will be entirely Seal Brown and the lower body color will be painted as "trim". This method of paint application is addressed in the Judging Standards. Many people paint the fuel tank lower body color but that is not correct as I read the current standards.

Also, I assume that Wilky has inadvertantly reversed his colors. I believe the upper body should be Brown and the lower body Yellow. Gar Williams
 
Last edited:
Hmmm.. In the case of yellow and seal brown, I assumed that the dash on the gas tank was painted yellow.

My cabriolet which was painted in the Mid-50s and not to fine judging standards because they left the trunk yellow, they painted everything inside the car yellow. Then added the brown over the yellow. Should the brown be painted first and then the yellow? Seems like yellow is used more throughout the entire body so that would go on first, requiring less masking for the brown.
 
Having painted small airplanes, both fabric and metal, for a very long time, it has been my preference, whenever possible, to spray the lighter colors first. For example, spraying white lacquer or butyrate dope over red ends up with pink wherever there is red under the white. As a result, I will spray my 68A cream first and, once masked, over spray the brown. It may not be necessary to be that careful with the PPG acrylic urethane that I use, but it is hard to change my habits. Gar Williams
 
I don't believe that I have the colors reversed. My car is a June 1930 car-- a 68-B - and based upon my best efforts I think what I have stated is accurate. The Upper body color is indeed the seal brown and the lower body color is the Bronson Yellow.

However, the Cabriolet can be a different breed, particularily when using these 2 colors. I have found that the Model A Ford Paint & Finish Guide - 3rd Edition is a helpful source of info. It states on page 5, in the section under the heading of "1928-1929 Closed Cars': With the exception of some Town Sedans, the interior portion of the body was painted the darker of the two colors. ........ Cabriolets are an exception to this rule. Although most of the interior was painted the darker color, the inside of the firewall and the gas tank was painted lower body color."
The next section of "1930-1931 Closed Cars" continues to discuss the colors for the Cabriolet stating: "The inside of the Cabriolet and the Blindback Sedans continued to be painted the darker of the two colors in 1930. Some Three Window Fordors and Town Sedan were also done this way. In mid 1930, this was changed so that by late 1930, all bodies (except Bronson Yellow Cabriolets) were painted the lower body color on the inside."
The interior colors of the car can be difficult to figure out but I believe it to be correct for the gas tank and the inside of the firewall to be Yellow on a Cabriolet. (I suspect we may see the Judging Stds. reflect this more up-to-date info in a future Stds. revision.) By the way, I was able to find the original Bronson yellow on my Gas Tank surfaces inside of the car -- under a brush coat of black paint.
 
Last edited:
"I am restoring my June 1930 Cabriolet (has the fixed seat) and I have done some research on the painting and have settled on the following. My car will be the Bronson Yellow (upper body, belt, molding color) and Seal Brown (lower body color) paint scheme."

The way I read the Standards on page 14-3 (mine was last revised in 1994 so I very well may be out of date) for both the 68A and 68B show Bronsen Yellow for "Lower Body and Revels" with Seal Brown for "Upper body, deck, belt, quarter and sill moulding". Page 23 of the copy of the Paint and Finish Guide shows the same combination. That is how I am painting my 68A using Cigarette Cream as the lower body color. I hope that my reading is correct.

I have heard a lot of comments that the Standards may be wrong in regards to painting the fuel tank (your car may very well document the error) and it should be lower body color. Right or wrong, I will follow the Standards even though the car will not be entered in fine point judging. In the case of my 68A, it appears that the tank was upper body color (Brown). Gar Williams
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top