What Original Color Is / Was Your "A"?

Bob Bidonde

Bob Bidonde

Well-known member
I have 2 Model A's. My 1931 45-B Coupe was originally a Thorne Brown Standard Coupe with a Straw pin stripe and black wheels. My 190-A Victoria Coupe was originally Ford Maroon & Black with a Vermilion Red pin stripe and Black wheels.
A good place to see the original body color is on the firewall behind the gas tank. Another place to see the original color is behind the patent data plate or body number plate.
 
My "A" was a mish-mash of several other cars. It has lots of bondo under the seat risers, but everything else is factory steel. It is a '28 but was painted Rose Beige and I want to repaint it Arabian Sand ....someday after I win the lottery.
 
My 400A was originally chickle/copra (now aqua green), my deluxe roadster was originally black (now stone brown) and my 180-A was and still is washington blue.
 
I got in contact with the man who hauled my Model A off a farm. I asked him what the color was when he found it: "Rust" :rolleyes::D
 
My 30 coupe was chickle/copra but now black; the 30 tudor was chickle/copra and is now navy blue/black and the 30 cabriolet was bronson yellow/seal brown and will return to that color hopefully soon. Good question, Bob.
 
My '30 Town Sedan was originally all black with a vermilion pinstripe. Somewhere along the line it was (very poorly) repainted - again black over black - and re-pinstriped. You can see the original upper black paint and pinstripe on the front window stanchion under where a rear view mirror was once screwed on. They obviously didn't bother to remove the mirror to repaint, just mask it and go. Lower black paint is visible on the firewall.

'31 Town Sedan is Kewanne over Elkpoint Green now, it's been repainted and I have no idea what it was originally (everything appears to have been sandblasted during the "restoration").
 
My 1931 82-B Closed Cab Pickup was originally Rubelite Red. Now it's a more vibrant red which I think is closer to Aurora Red.
 
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Hello, on restoration of my 31 roadster, as I have mentioned before, Frankstine flea market special, I found dark blue on the lower sill area also retainers for a trunk that leads me to believe it was a standard roadster when new , possibly Lombard Blue with Hessian Blue stripes. When this car was put together maybe late 1970,s a deluxe Roadster was in high demand, so many rough roadsters bodies were “restored “ for quick turn over.
 
My 1931 Victoria has not been repainted. It was painted Black at the factory with apple green stripe and black wheels. I changed the wheels to apple green.
My 1930 coupe was painted black at the factory and I repainted it black. It has red stripe and (I believe) the dealer painted red stripes the hood louvers. I may do it to the hood again someday.
 
Who knows? I've looked in every nook and cranny. I even took my little borescope to look in places. Today it's Balsam Green with Rock Moss trim.
 
My 28 Fordor was originally rose beige/ seal brown. When my dad restored it 30 years ago he repainted it the same way with a straw stripe. My 31 town sedan was originally all black from what I can tell, it went back Washington blue/black with a Tacoma cream stripe and wheels. My 30 Tudor was a hodge podge of rusted parts. It is now Niagra blue/Hessian blue with yellow stripe and wheels. Not original but it was built as my "fun" car.
 
Upon acquisition, layered chicken crap on yellow. After removal of chicken excreta, yellow upon blue upon red upon black. It appears the car was all black when original. Never know what you'll find when the layers are peeled away.
 
Bob Bidonde said:
A good place to see the original body color is on the firewall behind the gas tank. Another place to see the original color is behind the patent data plate or body number plate.
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Never thought of original colour of my '31 CCPU, I suspect black, will have a looksee
 
katy said:
Never thought of original colour of my '31 CCPU, I suspect black, will have a looksee
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Were the factory colors available to customers in the U.S. also available to customers in Canada and other countries? I'm very curious....
 
31 deluxe roadster, liked Brewster green for the paint, pulled patent tag B green was orig paint. Car was like a robins egg blue when i got it.
 
BButturff said:
Were the factory colors available to customers in the U.S. also available to customers in Canada and other countries? I'm very curious....
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Ford Canada used some Ford USA colors plus some of its own colors.

My Canadian made 1930 Standard Fordor lower body had "Classic Blue". This is very dark, and in certain conditions looks like Black. The upper color is Black like the fenders and wheels.

The Canadian Sport Roadster that was only made in August 1929, offered;
Mount Vernon Green
Nankeen Brown
Henna Red
with Black Mouldings and Rear Deck; stripping of Cameo Cream.

Canada produced cars and trucks with Canadian and US colors to the British Colonies (India, Malaysia, Africa, Australia etc).

I don't have all the Canadian specific colors at hand but maybe someone hear can list them.
 
in 1965, my '31 coupe was (guess what) black. No stripes. Solid steel 15" wheels with Baby moons. Drove it everywhere.
 
Model "A" Fords said:
Ford Canada used some Ford USA colors plus some of its own colors.

My Canadian made 1930 Standard Fordor lower body had "Classic Blue". This is very dark, and in certain conditions looks like Black. The upper color is Black like the fenders and wheels.

The Canadian Sport Roadster that was only made in August 1929, offered;
Mount Vernon Green
Nankeen Brown
Henna Red
with Black Mouldings and Rear Deck; stripping of Cameo Cream.

Canada produced cars and trucks with Canadian and US colors to the British Colonies (India, Malaysia, Africa, Australia etc).

I don't have all the Canadian specific colors at hand but maybe someone hear can list them.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info!
 
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