By any chance does anyone have any close up photos of the part or know of some with the original paint?


~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles

Mine has hints indicating the gravel shield was painted body color on mine.  Then again my frame has body color paint on it as well in areas as well.  People have told me its over spray but the body would have been painted before assembly and this car has never been painted since it left the factory.  So I honestly think it depends on what factory the vehicle was built at that determined how the finished product looked.

1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan - 292 Y8 - Ford-O-Matic - 155,000 mi

The Tbird suppliers have an argent paint.  It is used on various things including the air filter.  Not sure its the same as the splash apron


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Any T-Bird parts supplier has the correct Ford Argent in spray cans. I use it on the factory dual quad air cleaner on my '57 Bird.

Rusty are absolutely sure that no one painted it body color. Unless you've owned it since new, there's guarantee it came that way from the factory or it wasn't done by the dealer by special request.
There seems to be a general consensus that they all came in argent from the factory.
As far as it being the same color as the air cleaner, it's hard to say if they were. The argent of the air cleaner appears to have a dull finish to it.


~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles

Well my grandfather bought the car new.  He drove it till he passed away March 1986 then the car sat till I got a hold of it.  I have all records of work done to the car back to 1963 ontop of it.  The car was never repainted and no body work ever done.  There is parts on the frame even that has body color pain still clinging to the frame even though everyone claims all frames were painted black.  If that was the case then how does mine have blue paint on the frame.  Some have told me its over spray but the car was never repainted and the bodies were already painted when they were installed from all the research I have done.  Not to mention if it was just over spray with the amount of rust on the frame, there should be zero evidence of blue paint remaining but there is still and its thick enough that it was intentionally done.

I would have to say the factory did it because I know the history of the car.

1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan - 292 Y8 - Ford-O-Matic - 155,000 mi

That is really unusual about the body paint on the frame. Not to nit pick since you don't have records before '63, but were you old enough to remember anything about the car before then?
I mean the only way body color paint gets on the frame is by overspray. My 56's frame is all black where the original paint still sticks on it. There is no other color on it anywhere.


~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles

No I was not born till Dec, 1985.  But my mother and her two brothers (my two uncles) which was my grandfathers kids know the car back before 1963.  They said nothing was done to the car paint wise.  But I do agree body paint can only get on the frame via overspray.  But this does not look like overspray from how thick it is.

Below is a few pictures of the blue paint on the frame and one of the photos you can see its in an area where overspray couldn't reach.  The only thing I really wonder is if maybe the paint got on the frame via hitting a paint can in the road for instance.  But what are the odds of it being blue like the car.  Further more what are the odds that it will get on the frame but not on the gravel/splash pan that sits under the front of the engine.  I have to rule this out though and as far as how I will refinish this I might just go back black with it because I honestly do not know how I could get a durable basecoat/clear coat on the frame that will last with the abuses the frame receives from actually being drove.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s8/Rusty_S85/1956%20Ford%20Fairlane%20Town%20Sedan/1956FordFairlaneTownSedan40-1.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s8/Rusty_S85/1956%20Ford%20Fairlane%20Town%20Sedan/1956FordFairlaneTownSedan39-1.jpg

I circled the areas that have blue paint on them.  The paint does appear a little dark for Diamond Blue, but due to age and being on the frame its hard to say if the tint would have changed or not.


1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan - 292 Y8 - Ford-O-Matic - 155,000 mi

I tend to agree with others that the paint you see is not from the factory.  My vote goes for some paint and/or body work being performed to the car prior to 1963.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

It is possible, but everyone that I asked that knew of the car since new said its never been wrecked and never been in for body work/paint.  Just general mechanical maintence is what everyone has told me.  I asked a few people that goes to the reunion about it and that's what they told me today.

I would have to agree with them because if it was simple over spray why is it such a thick amount of paint.  Further more it is on the back side of the front most cross member which wouldn't have happened that thick if it was simply over spray.  I still haven't decided I am leaning towards Eastwoods Chassis black to do the frame in but I do believe some factories might have did things a little different than others.


1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan - 292 Y8 - Ford-O-Matic - 155,000 mi