What red used on 50's wheels

[CrestaMan]

Hi,

Ive been told that the same colour red was used for the wheels accross all makes of GM in the 50's.

Is this true and if so does anyone know the name and/or paint code of this red?

Regards

CrestaMan

[Centurion]

I cannot vouch for the other GM car lines, but I understand that Buick used 1955 Buick "Cherokee Red".

(I guess this would be true only in 1955!)

[Guest imported_MrEarl]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I cannot vouch for the other GM car lines, but I understand that Buick used 1955 Buick "Cherokee Red". </div></div>

Ummmm, I wonder what they used in 54. Or is it, that in 55 they used Buick Wheel Red...

theres always a smart_ _ _ out there eh ol' Centurion

[The Old Guy]

From th 40s through the early 50s , the color was called" Dante Red"

[Budd]

I'm not sure if this is applicable to other years, but my 1956 Factory Order sheet lists the wheel color as "DUCO 253-58785 Seminole Red", which also happens to be one of the orderable body colors (code= M) for that year. Seminole Red was the optional wheel color for that year, standard being Black (with wheel covers) and painted to match center body section if the car was ordered without wheel covers.

Budd

[Guest my3buicks]

1940 - 1951 Dante Red

1952 - Appache Red

1953 - 1954 Matador Red

1955 - Cherokee Red

1956 - Seminole Red

1957 - Tangerine

1958 - Seminole Red

That's the end of the red wheels as an option

This is printed from the BCA Judging Handbook

[Budd]

Keith... where can the common man obtain a copy of the Judges Manual on these subjects? You know, for those late night burning questions about what color to paint the snorkel support bracket or what metallic finish to use for the washer jar lid cap.

I find it very difficult to track down information on "what was supposed to be painted what color or finish" information for my '56 Super. I find myself getting excited when I see a photo of an engine compartment on eBay that states "unrestored" by the owner. I start scrutinizing what was painted apple green, what was satin black, etc... It's not like the owner manuals or repair guides document such things. I just can't imagine I'm the only one that would aspire to correctly restore my car (or at least make a attempt to get the varying colors and finishes correct).

Regards,

Budd

[Guest John Chapman]

Budd...

Great website and wonderful story.

There's a '76 Vette in my history that I should get busy hunting down...

Cheers,

JMC

[Guest my3buicks]

Robert, you can contact the BCA office for a copy of the Judging Handbook, I believe there is a small fee. The handbook does not go into the detail that I think you are hoping it might. Body/top colors etc, wheels and tires, etc.

[Budd]

Cool! Thank you, I'll do just that. The more info the better, even if it doesn't go into as much detail as I'm looking for. A very good place to start, none-the-less. I'll keep seeking out the unrestored originals and taking good notes.

Cheers,

Budd

[thepartsman]

example 1956:

There were 2 color reds for the wheels.

In 1956 body color coded wheels were Claret Red and Seminole Red.

Optional wheel color for all 1956 models Seminole Red.

1955 2 reds=Titan Red & Cherokee Red,optional wheel color=Cherokee Red

1957 2 reds=Seminole Red & Garnet Red,optional wheel color=Tangerine

1958 2 reds=Seminole Red & Garnet Red,optional wheel color=Seminole Red

1959 2 reds?=Tempico Red & Tawny Rose,optional wheel color=Sable Black

Just my 2 cents thrown in..

David

[Guest my3buicks]

I think what he was after was the optional color red for the different years.

[55 SURVIVOR]

WAS CALLED CHEROKEE,WAS ACTUALLY MORE ORANGE THAN RED KIND OF BRIGHT,SPECTRAMASTER CODE RS626 FUL URETHANESS MIXED BY AUTO FINISHERS SUPPLY CO. OF ROCHESTER NY.

[Booreatta]

Robert, you can contact the BCA office for a copy of the Judging Handbook, I believe there is a small fee. The handbook does not go into the detail that I think you are hoping it might. Body/top colors etc, wheels and tires, etc.

You dont even need to contact the BCA office, that information is available on line at buickclub.org you will find it under the tab that is labeled documents.

All of the information is there.

Good luck

Chuck Kerls

booreatta@cox.net

[Barney Eaton]

Here is a quick link to the Judging manual located on the BCA home page

http://www.buickclub.org/BCA%20JUDGING%20MANUAL/BCAjudgingrev2.pdf

[Guest nailheadnostalgia]

To Budd especially.

What color is your Buick center body painted or what was the original paint code, was it Cherokee red?

It seems like it is taking forever for my computer to download the Buick judging manual but i  remember from another website that lists various factory and dealer options available that the Roadmaster came with wheel covers as part of a package. So, you could not not get colored rims other than black if it was a Roadmaster  and you could not get rims to match your center body color other than black and have wheel covers on any other models at least in 1955 and some other  years. If you have non-black rims and wheel covers it was because you paid the dealer to add them on after it was delivered to their stock or someone bought the wheel covers separately or had the dealer or a paint shop change the rim colors. I believe only the outer side of the rims were painted a body color and the rest of the rims were black, glossy or satin or semi-gloss i dont know. Maybe look at the spare tire rim and see the original color finish as many restorations dont bother repainting the spare tire rim.   I am not sure that all the body colors were available for rims , i think it was only a handful of colors.

While on the subject of rim and body colors i would like to add my story about a 1955 Buick Century i saw for sale here in South Florida. It was painted the Titian red by the dealership after it was in the showroom. I forgot the original color code that it was painted but i did see the original factory color on all the door jams which the dealership did not bother to paint. It looked kind of like an amateur paint job even though the dealer did it. The seller did not have the original build order or dealership papers to prove the original color change and the seller was asking close to a concourse price so i passed. Another note on that fine Buick was the dual exhaust and factory power brakes it had. I did not crawl under the car to see how the dual exhaust was routed but it was definitely and option available that year as well as the power brakes but i have been told you could not get both options together because of the location of the power brake master cylinder interfering with the exhaust manifold. The dual exhaust was  standard on the rare 1955 Skylark so it was possible to order it from the factory as an option on other models. They must have opened a hole in the frame with a torch or welded in a patch. If anyone has a photo of this option on a 1955 Buick please post it. I doubt that the local dealerships would have done the dual exhaust modification because of the stress engineering involved and the complication of the location of the brake master cylinder.

Okay, my computer finally downloaded the 85 page  pdf format judging manual, the delay was because my computer is running a de-fragmentation. Here is a copy paste of page 30 in the appendix XIII. The judging manual seems to contradict some of the info i read about the 1955 Buick options. 1936- 1954 Steel wheels were painted body color of the car as standard equipment according to the judging manual below and then in

1959 the Black rims were optional and the body colored rims were standard unless of course you had factory wire wheels, so what happened between 1955 and 1958 with the wheel colors?

STEEL WHEELS

a. 1933-1935 Steel spoke wheels were introduced to have

the appearance, but not the problems, of wood wheels.

They were mostly painted lower body color, but not

always, and were two-tone, with a pinstripe separating

the colors at the drop center ridge. There was also a

scalloped pin-stripe reminiscent of wood wheel striping.

color were coordinated with the body color and

pin-striping.

b.

1936-1954. 1936 was than last year for steel spoke

rims. Steel wheels were painted body color of the car as

s

tandard equipment . Stainless steel trim rings are

available as options. Pin-striping on the 1937-1954

model years had the conventional 3-stripe concentric

pattern, with the center stripe being slightly wider that

the outer.

c. 1938-1958. Optional red wheels. Dante red was used

form 1938-1951. From 1952-1958 different hues of

r

ed, each typical of the year, were used.

d. 1959-1962. The optional wheel color was black.

e.

1963 and later. Standard wheel color was black with

standard wheel covers. With standard hubcap, and no

factory trim rings, wheel color continued to be

body

color.

f.

1956 and up. Wheels delivered with standard hubcap

and no trim rings have no pinstripes.

[Guest Apollo]

You do realize the last "Bud" posted on this thread was 12 years ago, there is also so much incorrect information in your post that I don't even know where to start.  This statement alone makes me cringe 

"1959 the Black rims were optional and the body colored rims were standard unless of course you had factory wire wheels, so what happened between 1955 and 1958 with the wheel colors?"  

 

There was no such thing as factory wire wheels in 59

 

 

Edited October 2, 2016 by Apollo (see edit history)

[retirednow]

And "the rare 1955 Skylark"??

Edited October 2, 2016 by retirednow (see edit history)

[sean1997]

Here is a list taken from the 1937-1966 Buick car order forms.

1937-1966 Buick Optional Wheel Colors.pdf

[50jetback]

I like your work Sean - always a definitive answer that satisfies everyone.

Keep up the good work.