1936 PU original colors, purple and yellow?

[SSsssteamer]

I am restoring our 1936 Ford pickup and the original purple like blue and the yellow paint is still showing under the hood on the cowl. What company used these colors for their trucks in 1936? Good year? We would like to know it's heritage. We purchased the pick up in Ritzville, Washington state.

[SSsssteamer]

The lower half of the body was the golden yellow and the upper half was the purplish blue. The blue fenders and the yellow bed is also well represented.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by SSsssteamer

I am restoring our 1936 Ford pickup and the original purple like blue and the yellow paint is still showing under the hood on the cowl. What company used these colors for their trucks in 1936? Good year? We would like to know it's heritage. We purchased the pick up in Ritzville, Washington state.

In '35 and '36, Ford painted these trucks this way at the factories to be used as dealer 'Demonstrators'......documented stuff! Two different examples here. DD


















……….

[nelsb01]

Most likely a fleet color paint job.
Ford was known to paint special color combinations for fleet orders (5 or more). Anything to assist with a sale.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by nelsb01

Most likely a fleet color paint job.
Ford was known to paint special color combinations for fleet orders (5 or more). Anything to assist with a sale.

THESE had nothing to do with "fleet orders"! These were built at The Ford Rouge Plant under a Ford program where certain dealers allowed potential customers to 'try-out' these trucks as "DEMONSTRATORS" in real-life situations. DD









……….

[corvette8n]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

It would be cool if you restored it with the DEMONSTRATORS colors.

[34pickup]

That makes me wonder about my 34 pickup truck. It was painted yellow from the factory but I thought it was a fleet color since it used to be a Connecticut power company truck. Did they also paint demonstrator colors in 1934?

[GB SISSON]

Revenski here has just completed a concourse restoration of a 38 tonner dealer demonstrator . By '38 the blue was replaced with black, with the yellow fenders. James Wagner's 'Ford trucks since 1905' has some good photos and description of these demonstrator trucks. They also had some chrome plating where the regular models did not. 10 years ago I saw a '37 ton and a half dealer demonstrator in Edmonds Wa. That was the blue and yellow. SSS, I would love to see more pictures as you go.

[SSsssteamer]

Wow! 1936 Demonstrators? I had never even thought of that. Above the belt line our 1936 pickup was painted the purplish blue. Below the belt line it was yellow. The fenders were blue. It would be an interesting pickup if it were repainted back to it's original colors. I think that it would stand out in a parking lot like a colorful circus wagon. I will have to think more on this one, on which way to paint it. I have already purchased gloss black acrylic enamel for it.

[DavidG]

V8COOPMAN,
I think you jumped the gun in pouncing on Bruce's comment about fleet paint colors. Demo Yellow was an RPO color choice on '36 commercial vehicles and big trucks. Its presence therefor on the subject vehicle does not necessarily mean that it was one of the special "Demonstrator" vehicles.

[Don Rogers]

S Steamer...Your statement that the upper half of your truck was painted purplish/blue leads me to think that you may not have a demonstrator truck painted by Ford. Ford was pretty strict when it came to their factory authorized promotional vehicles. Keep rubbing on the upper half of the truck to see if there is yellow above the belt railing. If not, your truck may indeed have been a fleet vehicle. If that's the case, then any color combination was possible.

[SSsssteamer]

Originally Posted by Don Rogers

S Steamer...Your statement that the upper half of your truck was painted purplish/blue leads me to think that you may not have a demonstrator truck painted by Ford. Ford was pretty strict when it came to their factory authorized promotional vehicles. Keep rubbing on the upper half of the truck to see if there is yellow above the belt railing. If not, your truck may indeed have been a fleet vehicle. If that's the case, then any color combination was possible.

I will keep sanding. I believe that so far I have found nothing above the belt line other than the blueish original color. SSsssteamer

[SSsssteamer]

Finally I finished changing the purple and yellow paint to a very presentable gloss black. The truck runs, rides and looks about like a new one. Today, the gas gauge started working on its own. Wonders!

[Lawson Cox]

Originally Posted by SSsssteamer

Finally I finished changing the purple and yellow paint to a very presentable gloss black. The truck runs, rides and looks about like a new one. Today, the gas gauge started working on its own. Wonders!

You have 35 wheels on a 36, or a 36 hood on a 35, one or tuther. Nice truck

[SSsssteamer]

Lawson, I have 1948 hydraulic brakes and drums on my '36 PU. Stops good! The '35 wires came with it, so I used them. Any better suggestions? I was thinking of apple green 1940's wheels and the closest matching to 1936 dog dish V8 hubcap that I can find?

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by SSsssteamer

Lawson, I have 1948 hydraulic brakes and drums on my '36 PU. Stops good! I was thinking of apple green 1940's wheels and the closest matching to 1936 dog dish V8 hubcap that I can find?

Here are a '46-'48 Ford 4-1/2"-wide 16" wheel (left) and a 1940-'41 Ford 4"-wide 16" wheel (right). As can be seen, they'll fit anywhere from 5.50 X 16" tires, all the way up to 7.50 X 16" tires. You can easily run tubeless Radials, such as these Excelsior Stahl radials, and they'll bolt directly to your '48 brakes.





And the 1940 "Standard" Ford has these slick "V8" dog dish caps that snap right on. DD

[Jeff/Illinois]

Originally Posted by SSsssteamer

Finally I finished changing the purple and yellow paint to a very presentable gloss black. The truck runs, rides and looks about like a new one. Today, the gas gauge started working on its own. Wonders!

NICE

Love your '36!

We have one also and the factory gauges all work fine, even our gas gauge. Actually pretty accurate.

Speedometer reads a bit slow we're running 650/16's but no problem.

[al's28/33]

Trucks are the BEST, I get more lookers on my '33 than the Model "A" Phaeton...… they were workhorses and beat up no wonder there are any left.

[SSsssteamer]

Some more photos of our 1936. The vote has been to keep the red wire wheels.

[Jeff/Illinois]

Originally Posted by SSsssteamer

Some more photos of our 1936. The vote has been to keep the red wire wheels.

Lookin' good!!!