Orange undercoat

[Phil Waterman]

The use of different color undercoat or primer paint has come up in other parts of the MLU Forum even different colors on the same vehicle. While some of this can be explained as composite vehicles assembled from knockdown kits, other vehicles or repair parts I suspect that you might find this on military vehicles coming directly of the assembly line. Paint was a scares resource just like any other part of the vehicle and they used what ever was available. I'm quite sure that if somebody had 10,000 gallons of pink primer in 1942 we would be finding parts painted with pink primer now.

But it is interesting to note during a restoration what the different under colors are as it does give some indication of history of the vehicle. While one of my CMPs didn't have enough paint to give much information though it did have some paint under the rust in places. (yes I said under the rust or more exactly under the rust color where rust coloring has stained the paint)

On my other CMPs what I found more interesting was the first coat of paint on top of the primer. One truck everything matched the other many bits like one front fender didn't match though the top coats did.

Interesting to follow your detective work on your Carrier

Cheers Phil

[HUntsville Matt]

Phil,
Thanks for your reply. I also suspect that the undercoat colour may have been whatever Ford Canada had on hand during production. It was getting bronze green sprayed over it anyway.
I think maybe I'm too into the fiddly details, but if the orange colour is there by design I'd still like to know. I don't think I'm OCD.
Regards,
Matt

[rob love]

I have seen a very orange primer used, but only on the later mk2 carriers, and primarily around the fasteners and joints, almost like it was a sealant.

[HUntsville Matt]

Hi Rob,
Thanks for your input.
I noticed on your vehicle list that you have some CMP trailers - are they flatbeds or something task-specific? If you've got pictures, I'd be very interested.
Thanks,
Matt

[gjamo]

I think Jared is on the right trail with red lead. Newport Railway Workshops (just down the end of my street) is 3 kilometers from the Williamstown Naval Dockyards. Both facilities used red lead extensively as primer. In fact their moto used to be if you cant make love to it (not how they actually expressed it) red lead it. The stuff shows up around here all the time in houses . Must have been liberated from the factories by the gallon. Highly toxic and dangerous to small children so take extreme care if you are sanding it.
Graeme

[Lynn Eades]

Paints never been the same, since they took the lead out of it

[Lynn Eades]

Is this what you mean? -When I took the rivets out- steering box armour, British.