Info needed: 1950 Ford Flathead V8 Engine Paint

[KirkF]

In 1950 all civilian Canadian Ford Trucks (F47, F68, etc) were delivered with a 239 V8 flathead motor and full flow oil filters to meet the Canadian Military Specification at the time.

They were also delivered with a unique cream/beige engine paint which I believe was also part of the military specification.

Despite my best attempts I've been unable to find out exactly what this paint colour is. This colour was used on all Ford Canada engines shipped worldwide, including Australia and New Zealand.

I contacted Ford Heritage Canada and they were unable to answer my question.

So my research has led me here, and I'm hoping someone here might know the answer.

Once I determined the colour might be due to the military specification, I started looking at standard colours used by the British Military, as I believe Canada hadn't moved to the USA military paint spec in 1950.

Standard British camouflage colours such as Light Stone No. 61 or Pale Cream No. 52. look like possibilities, but I've only found reference to them being used in the 1940's. I'm not sure if they had changed at all by 1950.

Attached are pictures of a transmission with original paint still showing. The really clean area might be 'too clean' as I used a shot of brake clean on it which reacted with the paint more than I expected.

If anyone can positively identify this colour, or has a copy of the military spec Ford used at the time I would really appreciate it.



Its become of a bit of an obsession with me to figure this out.

Thanx,

Kirk

[cletrac (RIP)]

I've been around a lot of flatheads and have never seen one that colour. Of course, by the early sixties maybe they were all rebuilt engines.

[KirkF]

At this point I know it was definitely used on years 1950, 1951, 1952 Fords.
Attached below is a comparison from a 1952 block to Dupli-color engine enamel Cummins Beige CDE1638 courtesy of an F47 owner in BC, and a second random example I found on the internet.

Regards,

Kirk

[Jordan Baker]

Ive seen talk on some plastic modeling forums about a "Coronado Tan". It appears to have been used on American built trucks headed for British use in North Africa.

The following has some info on the colour, including a link to this site
http://www.network54.com/Forum/47208...07/View+Thread

[cletrac (RIP)]

That looks like light stone.

[chris vickery]

Correct engine colour for this period engine should be Ford Bronze if I recall correctly. Perhaps the paint you are seeing is washed out bronze/?

[Keith Webb]

Back in the 1970s I worked at a place where one of my jobs was to disassemble flathead Ford motors. I saw that light grey colour a lot, it seemed to be the colour of choice when repainting reconditioned motors in the late 50s and 60s.

[Lynn Eades]

Keith, what about the creamy off white beigey colour that Kirk is asking about?
Is that different to the light grey you are talking about, or is that the colour you refer to?

[Jacques Reed]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Back in the 1970s I worked at a place where one of my jobs was to disassemble flathead Ford motors. I saw that light grey colour a lot, it seemed to be the colour of choice when repainting reconditioned motors in the late 50s and 60s.

Hi Keith,

That's interesting. Just had a look at my spare '46 block and it has grey paint over what may be the original Ford Blue faded paint. This is the second '46 engine I have that was painted grey. Both engines are truck engines with the twin row pulleys on pumps, crank, and genie and with the PCV system.

Cheers,

[Harlé Sylvain]

Hello
I dont know if it could help ,but on my FAT only the transfert gear box was sand color painted, the gear box seems to be kaki painted.

Cheers
Sylvain

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

Keith, what about the creamy off white beigey colour that Kirk is asking about?
Is that different to the light grey you are talking about, or is that the colour you refer to?

The one I was referring to was pretty much as Jacques posted for his 1946 engine. I remember we also used to get the occasional crated GMC 270 reconditioned engines from disposals, they were painted the same colour.

[KirkF]

Thanx for all your input guys.
This is definitely a beige / ivory colour. The bronze colour was used on some of the US engines I think.

It looks like my best bet will be to try and clean up some part of the transmission and take it into a paint shop to get the colour read by a spectrophotometer.

Unfortunately that won't tell me what the name of the original colour was, and I don't know if there is an easy way to reference the numbers from a spectrophotometer back to original paint names like "light stone"


Kirk

[Harlé Sylvain]

Hello
finally, If I understand ; all the transmition was painted sand color on Ford CMP trucks, (engine, transfert, and engine) even with a kaki green body and frame?
Is that right?

Cheers
Sylvain

[KirkF]

Sylvain,

The information I am looking for pertains to 1950/1951/1952 Ford Canada Flathead engines.
These were produced after the end of CMP production, but I believe they were built to the Canadian Military Specification at the time. (Possibly due the escalating situation in Korea)

I think the Ford engines that went to North Africa during the war, may have also gotten this beige engine enamel, but I'm not sure.

The Canadian military spec was that all engines were V8, and all of them got larger oil filter assemblies. I also believe the beige colour was part of that spec.

Which is why we have no straight 6 ford trucks in Canada from that time period.

Kirk

[KirkF]

A restored 1951 engine.