1955 original white paint combination question

[Byekryam]

Hi, and thanks for the ad! I just purchased a 1955 babybird that original color was white. The owner before me stated the car was painted over and over and over again because a chip showed white, then black, then white, then red. The red is cracking all over the car, every square inch almost, but the car sat in a barn for 30 years too. Don't know how much heat it was exposed to in there. My question is this: Has the car been painted numerous times or is the white a primer, covered by a black basecoat under the final white top coat? And then the red was someone trying to change the car color over existing? If the car sat for 30 years, I can't see people painting the car 4 times in 40 years. I also have seen other older cars with thicker paint coats employing several coats for the original colors. I've even seen totally different colors applied under the final coat to make the top coat look a certain effect or shading. What are your thoughts? Thanks for your input and insight, looking forward to learning quite a bit as I bring this car back to life.

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[lcboyer]

Maco?

 

[59tbirddavid]

Check the cars data plate for paint color, remove all old paint, prime with epoxy primer, finish with color specified on data plate. The original paint and those coats applied later cracked because of drying due to age of paint.

 

[doug7740]

If you look at the data plate, the letter after 40A is the exterior color. In 1955 there were only five exterior colors; A is Ravin Black, E is Snowshoe White, R is Torch Red, T is Thunderbird Blue, and V is Golden Rod Yellow.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[Tom Alpers]

The red may also be cracking if that particular paint job was done with lacquer rather than enamel. GM used lacquer for quite a few years and by year 10 it was not unusual for the paint on much of the car to be cracked into what looked like 1/8" to 1/4" chicklets. The more sun, the quicker it cracked.

 

[Byekryam]

Maco?

Absolutely could have been......

 

[Byekryam]

Check the cars data plate for paint color, remove all old paint, prime with epoxy primer, finish with color specified on data plate. The original paint and those coats applied later cracked because of drying due to age of paint.

The data plate said it was white, which was the first layer on the car, but I wouldn't think (based on years of seeing old cars painted) that it would have had just one layer of white. There would have been a primer, and sometimes in the past there would have been a base layer. So I'm trying to identify the layers. Or do you think that it's been painted and repainted 4 times in 40 years?

 

[1957Birdman]

I think it is very possible there were that many repaints. I have heard of cars that had 7 repaints. Just do what 59Tbird suggested above. Hopefully you don't encounter any rust under those coats of paint.
Lew Bachman
1957 Colonial White

 

[Byekryam]

I think it is very possible there were that many repaints. I have heard of cars that had 7 repaints. Just do what 59Tbird suggested above. Hopefully you don't encounter any rust under those coats of paint.
Lew Bachman
1957 Colonial White

Oh, I know there's rust under there......... I'm just hoping not as much as I'm anticipating

 

[Byekryam]

If you look at the data plate, the letter after 40A is the exterior color. In 1955 there were only five exterior colors; A is Ravin Black, E is Snowshoe White, R is Torch Red, T is Thunderbird Blue, and V is Golden Rod Yellow.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
View attachment 34418

My code is E, so snowshoe white. How many layers would that have been, and what colors would the layers be?

 

[aa010175]

I have white primer under my black 1962. I know my black has been repainted at least once. They make a paint gage to tell how thick the paint is. That might help you. Dave