1957 Chrysler/DeSoto Spring Specials and Spring Colors

[Guest '57ADV]

I'm researching some history on 1957 DeSoto Adventurer Colors. It appears that although the 1956 and 1957 Adventurer Gold colors are known to be different, it seems possible that the "1957" Adventurer Gold in fact was a Gold replacement color sometime after a Ditzler Advance Bulletin dated Jan 22 1957. It is listed elsewhere as a "Spring 1957 Color".

 

My question is, does anyone know when Chrysler /DeSoto would have considered "Spring" in 1957?  Was there a specific date??  I know that Chrysler often offered "Spring specials" but other than one suggestion that it was "April",  I have no idea when these specials/colors would have actually been available.

 

My Adventurer was a very early one off the line (Feb '57, and they apparently started later than the other models in late December 1956)

so I'm keen to find out whether these early '57 Adventurers were painted in the existing '56 Gold (which is confusing listed by Ditzler as a '57 color!) and it was only after "Spring '57 that they received the new, replacement color.

 

Any help or suggestions much appreciated.  

 

Regards

Mark

 

 

[TG57Roadmaster]

Mark, 

 

The place to go for your answer, if you haven't already, is the Forward Look Forum.

If the experts there don't know, then I don't know who would, short of the Chrysler's Archives.

 

TG

[Guest '57ADV]

Hi, thanks TG. Sadly I've been through the Forward Look Forum and on-one seems to know, I'm in touch with the Desoto Club '57 Technical Advisor, who is a good friend, and he doesn't know either!  I've asked the writer of probably the most  complete book on these cars ever written, and he doesn't know. I've also been in touch with Chrysler Historical and they don't know either!

 

It seems I am the only one who had noticed the anomaly if the "replacement color" and to have chased down all the relevant "chip cards" that I can find.  I'm now 100% certain that this did happen (a change of color from use of the late '56 Adventurer Gold to the replacement '57 Gold sometime after Jan 22, 1957), but I can't find what you'd think was the easiest bit of the puzzle - when did Chrysler bring out their "Spring colors"?   I'd have thought there's have been lots of people out there who'd have known the answer to that question, but it seem not.

 

Thanks so much for replying though - if/when I get to the bottom of this I will post it here in case it helps anyone else!

[R Walling]

 As far as determining the color, remember, different car  brands call the same color by different names.

 The only way to state a particular color is by the number assigned by the paint manufacturer.

 

 (or the car paint code, that could be different hues depending on the paint manufacturer)

 

 I painted a fender on a Toyota with 4 different brands of paint only to come up with the correct color by using paint directly from Toyota.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Roger Walling (see edit history)

[Guest bkazmer]

I really doubt the paint "directly from Toyota" was made by them.  The OEM's themselves use different paint suppliers, sometimes even different suppliers depending on the plant.

 

To the original problem, I take it as you know what the two golds look like (not by chips or formulae), but don't know the change-over date.  Is there any factory-dealer correspondance on this? 

[TG57Roadmaster]

'57ADV, 

 

Since you're no stranger to research, the next logical step is to track down a complete set of Automotive News issues, the industry trade publication. Things like the Spring Selling Season and the new colors were usually announced there, often with big, splashy ads. Try the AACA LIbrary & Research Center, the National Automotive History Collection (Spellman Branch, Detroit Public Library), or the Automobile Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Focus on issues from late-February to early-April.

 

Chrysler's in-house magazine that dealers sent to prospects/customers is another obvious source (Buick announced their Spring colors and the new Roadmaster 75 in a separate issue included in their monthly BUICK mailer). 

 

I found this Dodge Swept-Wing Spring ad in my collection, from Holiday magazine but undated.

 

I'm confident you'll find your answer, and won't rest till you do.

 

Happy hunting!

 

TG

[Guest '57ADV]

Thanks to Roger, bkzamer and TG, for some great thoughts and encouragement.   I have tracked down all the various paint chips and color codes - that was a minefield in it's own right and led to this quest to know the changeover date.  It's a great idea to start looking for industry trade publications and I also now have some ideas for library/collections to contact.  Not so easy from over here in the UK, but I'm sure the good 'ol internet will come to my rescue.

 

Thanks again, I'll post any updates I have.

 

Thanks again everyone.

Mark 

[TG57Roadmaster]

Mark, 

 

I'll be in Philadelphia in February for the AACA Annual Meeting, and the Automobile Collection at the Free Library always has an open house. I always go, and will make it a point to see if they have any info. I have a few March and April '57 Automotive News weekly issues in my collection, but they yielded nothing.

 

TG

[R Walling]

 57 ADV,

 

 Even if you find the correct color number and date, that paint probably can not be mixed with today's pigments.

 

 The best crossover will be 'closest match possible"

 

 The easiest way to select a color is to have a sample from a area that the sun doesn't shine, (not that area that you are thinking off, but from under a bolted on part) and go to an old DuPont dealer and look at the  "Dupont Spectramaster color atlas"and choose a color.

 Then take that number and call 1 855 6 AXALTA.  (Axalta bought out Dupont paints)

 

 You may have to try a couple of colors to get te correct shade. Even how you spray it will change the color, ie, dry spray, fast drying solvent will lighten it , wet spray, slow dry will darken it.

 

 I have a very good library of older colors and I don't bother looking at them because they can't be matched.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Roger Walling (see edit history)

[Guest '57ADV]

Hi Roger

 

Thanks for your thoughts, all of which I agree with and understand.  Only part of my problem is "getting a match", the other part is research for the purpose of knowing if there indeed was a change of the gold color and when that came about.  It now seems certain to me that there was a replacement color sometime after Jan 22 1957 ( I have the Ditzler Advanced Bulletin to prove it), but when it actually came into effect on the production line is not known.  From what I can gather there has been a lot of debate in Adventurer circles in the past over the correct shade of Adventurer Gold and I now believe most of this may have been because, unknown at the time, there were in fact two colors - early and late.   It's just something I'd like to get to the bottom of and also to know absolutely that my car is correct (or at least I'm aiming for the correct match!).

 

Finding an untouched undamaged sample of the Gold on my car might prove difficult as the gold is only on the roof and the sweep so there's not much I can think of that might have survived under anything in those areas.  It might be obvious when I get the stainless trim off but of course when it was last sprayed back int he '70's they might have removed those parts for the spray.  At the moment my hope is that I can carefully rub through the layers and see if I can reach the original paint (I doubt it was a good enough respray to have been a bare metal job!) 

 

My next problem, as you noted, is actually getting a correct mix. I doubt I can use the Dupont people you kindly suggested as I suspect they won't ship it to England, so i'll have to find someone here.  My plan is to use a combination of the original chips i have gathered and any original paint I can find to get a match done here, but unless i can find something good on the car to match ( I am not hopeful the careful rubbing down will yield anything) I'm back to square one - do I use the '56 chip for the match or the '57 replacement??  Bearing in mind it looks like the earliest possible date for the replacement color was 22 Jan, 1957 (but more likely March April??) and that my car was built on 7 February '57,  I think my car is right in the changeover spot!!  

 

Thanks so much for your help and any additional advice would be really appreciated.

[Guest '57ADV]

Hi TG

 

That would be REALLY kind of you, and if we manage to nail this down it would no doubt be appreciated by a great many '57 Adventurer owners!  I wish I lived a little nearer!

 

Besr wishes

Mark