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Questions more stupid than usual today in prep for another order.

Anyone know the color name for the typical interior plastic items on a 47 Custom. Is it just beige? There are various colors listed for lesser Clipper models but not the 2106. Should I assume vendors would know what is correct for the gearshift knob, turnsignal and OD lockout to match the hood and vent -- or did the below dash stuff differ from the rest.

Door lock buttons. I have remnants of one in black in what I think is petrified rubber. Another that looks to be brown plastic. That one might have been brown or maybe the same beige as the window handles and escutcheons at one time. Anyone know what should be there. Steele lists black rubber for 47. Yesterday's Radio says "colors" for their 38-54 plastic button which I think would be more appropriate. Question is should it match the window handle plastic or be closer to the darker woodgraining. What I see in collected photos seems to vary due to the photography.

Howard, my 2106 has its original interior. The door lock buttons are brown. They feel more like rubber than plastic.

(o{}o)

Howard, here are three photos of my 2106's interior. The door lock knob for the LH rear door can just be seen in two of the photos.

(o{}o)

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The silver gray color used to separate the chrome bars in the instrument panel trim has been polished away in our '47 Custom.

If I prime these pieces with DP40 the top coat will stick; should the silver gray be a metallic or solid color?

After buying four spray cans and painting coupons I find I really don't have an eye for color so what is a modern match? Thanks

For what it's worth I had the same question. The fact book is less than specific just saying the dash "is formed of a series of sparkling chrome louvers and silvery panels"

My chrome is presentable but not perfect and wasn't going to be rechromed. I cleaned and polished and made the surface a bit more shiny. Aside from a few pits, the paint was still present in splotches -- although since parts of the woodgraining was redone haphazardly sometime in the cars history I can't for 100% say it was the original paint.

I did a test piece of 3 paints. "Metallic Aluminum", "Stone Gray" and ordinary "Silver". Laid it next to the original and decided Silver was the best match and also the most pleasing appearance. Aluminum seemed to get buried with the chrome and gray was flat and dull. Right or wrong, Silver is what I went with. I can't tell from my photo how it compares to JW's car above.

One question I do still have is on the vertical strip between the instrument switches and the center grill. Mine had paint there but am not sure I ever remember seeing it on others. I went ahead and painted it again but is a question.

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Thank you Howard
To answer your question, I went over and looked at the dash on three 47 cars, a Deluxe Eight, a Super and a Custom; all three appear to have silver everywhere in the background including the vertical ends between the instrument switches and the center grill. Due to lighting I am not able to submit a clear photo to confirm the detail.

I wonder if they masked off the radio area below the center grille, painted everything then wiped off the extreme right and left edges and the face of the horizontal bars, re: the areas that were to reveal chrome. Tayloring a custom mask would not seem to be cost effective at a time when labor rates were low.

I also see that the unmolested Deluxe has a white stripe in the thin grooves of the horizontal bars.
Dan

Interesting obsdervation on the white stripe. Fact book doesn't mention the distinction on the lower end models and I haven't been that close to a deluxe to ever notice it. It must be proper because the parts book mentions 2 types of trim pieces -- paint and chrome. The Custom and Supers used the chrome so plain janes would have needed to look different by comparison. White seems like an "in your face" choice though. Does it coordinate with the interior or dash graining? I believe the lower end steering wheels were also painted instead of the translucent tenite the seniors used.

As to masking the trim, another of those questions of how they did it. So many items have to be done with what could only be called tedious methods if you refinish them today. You know that wasn't the way things were done when they were built.

I did mine with various widths of masking tape but after thinking about it, if doing again would try something different. I wonder if some of the thin adhesive backed plastic sheet material like is used to protect stainless steel or finished metal could be placed over the pieces. If one were careful not to stretch too much I'm thinking careful use of a scalpel to cut out the areas where paint would go might work and be easier than covering the small details with masking tape. Big question would be on the very thin curved chromed areas would the plastic stick well or peel away as soon as paint hit it.

...or, paint the areas without regard to the borders and wipe the excess off of the chromed part?

(o{}o)

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We'll see tomorrow. I still hadn't masked the circles around speedo and clock so left them uncovered and primed the pieces. Let the primer tack for a few minutes then used a block and pad damp with acetone to carefully remove primer from the higher chrome. Looks promising. Sort of like the technique some have used on the V8 reynolds wrap -- although the method is sometimes easier in plan than in practice on those pieces.

In rechecking with better light and a tooth brush dusting, the white stripe is a Snowshoe Hare aka dust bunny.
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