Re: Early Packard Colors

Posted by 58L8134 On 2018/10/26 7:17:21

Any and all colors were available on early cars in general, most makers limited the choice to two colors. The painting method was a laborious sequence of priming, color coats and varnish, all with long drying periods between. Drying involved trips through baking ovens at temperatures high enough to set the paint without setting the wood framing alight. Spray enamels and lacquers were still in the future. Packard being a high-priced car could accommodate the additional expense of color choice availability.

The old saw about a Ford in any color as long as it was black came about because of a production reality. Early Model T Fords were available in a choice of colors until the massive bottleneck that the painting process became as production volumes escalated. The black japan absorbed heat more readily therefore set quicker than other colors. In order to speed production, Ford limited the color to black. This was true until the mid-'20's when improved methods allowed Ford to achieve production volumes and include other colors. Duco lacquer was introduced to the market in 1924.

The book, A Century of Style, 100 Years of American Car Design by Michael Lamm and Dave Holls has a good account of the early painting process.

Steve