Mail truck olive green paint

[Deluxe Delivery]

I was at the Meyersdale, PA Maple Festival Sunday and saw a Model A pickup in a beautiful olive green color, just what I was thinking of for my huckster. The owner only knew it was "original" and did not know the name of the color. I know anything was possible for commercial bodys, but does anyone know of mail truck green being on another body...or what color I might have seen if it was not the olive green shown in the paint chips. No others seem close.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Man, ....what you are asking is much akin to saying can you give me a color code for the blue color of the sky right now. Yep, it's Sky Blue but the shade variations would be endless.

If THAT pick-up has the color you are desiring, it may be best for you to pay him to drive his pick-up to a paint jobber with a Color Analyzer (spectrophotometer) where they can pull the exact color and mix to that. It likely would be much cheaper to pay him to do that vs. you paying the paint store to mix & tint until you find the color you are seeking.

.

[Steve Wastler]

Not a direct answer to your question, after exhausted efforts by Aldie Johnson, to find the original paint color for mail trucks, his research lead him to the conclusion that the official U.S. Government Olive Green was the paint color of all model A mail trucks.

[Deluxe Delivery]

I guess, specifically what I am asking, is "Does anyone know if the olive green known as the mail truck green was ever used on other Model A's ?" Or was it effectively
" owned" by the government for it's vehicles only. I want to use an officially recognized model A color and have never seen a mail truck "in person".

[Steve Wastler]

I would have to say, the mail truck green was not used on any other model A's. The bodies for the mailtrucks were constructed and painted to match all specifications supplied by the Post Office Department by independant body manufacturers. The postal garages married the bodies to the chassis. There is evidence that ford supplied the chassis with a black cowl and hood and the postal garages painted over the cowls with the matching olive green. I would guess that the official government olive green was not sprayed by Ford at the time of the model A.

[foxfire42]

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Did you have a paint chip book with you so you're sure it was the Postal color? I have a Bell System pickup truck that was factory painted the Bell System green. (the color is noted in Service Bulitans but does not appear in the Chip Book. Not having a side by side to compare perhaps that color could be mistaken for Postal Green. I always thought they were close but finally got to park next to a Postal Truck and the Postal color is darker.

[Deluxe Delivery]

I love the industrial look of the mail truck. I am planning on the black hood, commercial lights and cowl trim, and a black radiator shroud if I can find one. No flash, just all business. Thanks for the input, Steve. Anyone else ever used the olive green shown in the paint and finish guide? I think it has just the no-nonsense utilitarian look I want to schieve.

[Deluxe Delivery]

Foxfire, That was my original thought...Bell telephone green ! I really think that might have been the color I saw. It was lighter than the color chip for the mail truck...I would say it might have had more yellow in it, but very, very close. Not seeing any other chip in the paint guide, I gravitated towards the mail truck color. Anyone have a vehicle done in Bell Telephone green out there ???

[2sailors]

If I attached the photo correctly, this may be the "original" color.

[Ron in Quincy]

There was a Telephone Truck in fine point judging at MARC National in San Diego; it scored 460 points. There is a photo in the Model A News magazine that shows all the winning vehicles.

Ron

[Marco Tahtaras]

Originally Posted by Deluxe Delivery

I was at the Meyersdale, PA Maple Festival Sunday and saw a Model A pickup in a beautiful olive green color, just what I was thinking of for my huckster. The owner only knew it was "original" and did not know the name of the color. I know anything was possible for commercial bodys, but does anyone know of mail truck green being on another body...or what color I might have seen if it was not the olive green shown in the paint chips. No others seem close.

Didn't you know nearly each time a particular Model A changes hands the stories and "certainty" improves?

[2sailors]

Last night on Velocity channel, "Millon Dollar Car Colection" Jim Taylor's collection was featured. In the background several camera shots included the A Postal Truck.

[jterps]

Hey guys I just joined the barn. I have a 1955 P350 Ford Vanette Parcel Delivery truck. It originally was a Bell Telephone repair truck from Kansas. I'm restoring it and would like to paint it the original Bell green/gray color. Any advice on how to get the paint code?
Thanks

[foxfire42]

You might try contacting Bill Cote in Corvallis, OR. He restored my Telephone truck and may still have the paint informtion. The color was matched to hidden places on the truck that did not suffer from fading. The color also matched exactly a stir stick from an original can of Bell system green paint from the 1950's.

[jterps]

Thanks,I will contact Bill.