1939 Plymouth colors

Started by rick55, November 09, 2022, 02:37:38 PM

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rick55

Yes, everything is maroon.  I was able to contact the previous owner that restored the car.  He was very helpful and provided photos of the car prior to and during the restoration.  The car was painted light yellow when he received it. The photos of the car in a state of disassembly revealed the original color.  The car was painted Aviator Blue from the factory. All of the blue was covered by maroon paint during his restoration. There were only six colors available for Plymouth from the factory in 1939.  It seems that a lot of restored cars have been painted non-original colors.  My car appears to be painted 1939 Dodge Air Cruiser Red.  Thanks.
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    The following users thanked this post: Bill Davis

Bill Davis

rick,
Is the firewall on your car also maroon ?  Door jams ?  Have you looked behind one of the door panels ?
Are there any other colors in the trunk ?  If your car did not have a frame-off restoration, where every nut and bolt was removed and replaced, there should be some evidence of a color change.  Was there such a thing as "special order colors" back in 1939 ?
-Bill Davis, Killen,AL
1951 Plymouth P-23 Cambridge 4 door
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rick55

Thanks for the information.  I've already contacted the Chrysler Historical Collection.  They have a backlog due to covid so the reply will be a while.
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TodFitch

The "build card" for many, maybe all, of the 1930s Plymouth cars assembled in the US are available from the Chrysler Historical Collection. The build card shows, among other things, the paint and trim codes.

I believe that the definition of the paint and trim codes from about 1934 and newer are known.

So if you get a copy of the build car that will help you on the way. To get the build card you will need the car's serial number, proof of ownership and a little money all sent to the Chrysler Historical Collection. Last I heard they started doing these lookups in the last few months after having closed down during Covid. The last address I had for them is:

Historical Services
12501 Chrysler Freeway
CIMS 410-11-21
Detroit, MI 48288 USA

But you may want to do a web search to verify that.
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rick55

I have a '39 that is painted Burgundy. This color is not listed as an available color for '39 Plymouths.  It looks like a '39 Dodge color.  Is there any way to determine the color of this car when it was new?  Are there any numbers or paint codes on the data plate that will tell what is the original color?  I've examined the car thoroughly in an attempt to find a trace of the original paint.  No luck so far.  Was it possible to special order a color that was not listed on the paint charts?  It looks too nice to repaint.  I'm just curious.
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