Skip's Messy Workbench Presents

My Research for the:
1941 Chevy Pickup
1941 Plymouth Coupe
B-24D Liberator Bomber
Project(s)

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While looking over my small stash and doing research on a possible project, I started researching the 1941 Chevy Pickup and found a lot of very interesting information and history about this particular year truck. This is why I picked it for my next project. As I continued researching this pickup I expanded my next project to not one, but three models...

WHAT AM I THINKING???? Three projects at the same time!? Shocked dog

The three projects are:

A Brief History

1941 was a significant year in car and truck production because of World War II (WWII).

The Japanese attached Pearl Harbor on December 07, 1941, "A day that will live in infamy" . Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) addressed congress on December 08, 1941 and congress declared war on Japan that same day.

One month after the attack, FDR established the War Production Board (WPB) that would convert peacetime industries into manufacturing plants for military equipment and weapons along with conservation of metal, rubber, paper, plastic and petroleum. The WPB remained in effect until October 1945.

In February 1942, under WPB, the U.S. Federal Government ordered U.S. auto makers to stop civilian vehicle production. The impact of the WPB on the auto manufacturing industry reduced vehicle production from 3-million vehicles in 1941 to a total of only 139 civilian vehicles during the entire war.

Auto makers would now start building guns, trucks, tanks and aircraft engines. Following are a few examples of manufacturers and what the produced toward the war effort:

The 1941 Chevy Pickup

In 1942, there was a very short run of 1942 vehicles. The 1941 models were essentially the last civilian vehicles prior to the U.S. entering WWII. the 1942 models were really the same as the '41's. It has been said that the 1941 Chevy trucks were built stronger, on purpose, because the smell of war was in the air.

In 1941, Chevy produced 65,500 pickup's. The following year production was only 23,700; however, after the war, in 1948 the number of pickup's produced were over 69,000.

While researching body colors and color schemes available in 1941 for the Chevy 1/2-ton pickup, there were a lot of variations depending on the website viewed. Following is a table of color chips found at Auto/Truck/Fleet Paint Cross Reference @ PaintRef.com Chevy Truck Paint Cross-Reference .



Chevy Pickup Body Colors
Color Chip Dupont or (Nason) Paint Code Notes
Cream Medium
234, T210
246-6596
93-530
T-Code for two-tone
Bordeaux Maroon
251, T240
93-1859M Tarrytown & Baltimore
plants only
Swift Red
255, T185
93-1863R
Apple Green
257, T200
93-1650
Brewster Green
267, T260
93-2015
Boatswain Blue
269, T195
93-2063
Hollywood Tan
301, T230
93-2948 Oakland plant only
Airedale Brown
307, T235
93-2588 T235 upper body
Circassian Brown
308, T235
93-2536 T234 lower body
Amour Yellow
312, T312
93-3421
Export Blue
314, T215
93-3430
Omaha Orange
626, T220
93-082
Sun

(234)
Seacrest Green (524)
(365 Combination)
Marine Blue (521)
(363 Combination)
Windsor Blue (522)
(364 Combination)
Export Blue (314)

Cape Maroon (520)
(362 Combination
Channel Green (532)
(369 Lower Body)
Fathom Green (533)
(369 Upper Body)

Researching the factory engine color for the 1941 Chevy 1/2-ton Pickup found that there is no information available; however, several websites state that the original engine color was a blue/gray. I will most likely paint the kit engine a color that comes close to the blue/gray shown in the image.

41 Chevy Possible Engine Color

Image borrowed from: Car Revs Daily



1941 Plymouth

Plymouth was in the same situation as Chevy. The '41 Plymouth Coupe was one of the last civilian vehicles produced until after WWII. Although there were a few civilians vehicles produced during the war, they are very rare. Jay Leno's Garage has a good video of his '41 Plymouth .

The following table of body colors was transcribed from: p15-d24 Mopar Cars & Trucks 30's to 60's Flatheads to V8s Stock to Custom


Plymouth Body Colors
Chip colors accuracy will change depending upon your monitor settings. Always check a factory chip chart for accurate color selection before painting
Color Chip Modern PPG Paint Code Notes
Black
101
9000
Sumac Red 603 70004 Convertible Only
Airwing Gray 501 30003
Charlotte Ivory 50003 Convertible Only
Cruiser Maroon 601 50003
Marine Blue 201 10017
Chevron blue 203 10319
Battalion Beige 401 20005
Plymouth Gunmetal 503 30004
Balfour Green 301 40004
Kenwood Green 303 40162

Additional Plymouth Paint Information
Silver Black (Semi Gloss) Gray Unpainted
Block
Oil Pan
Head
Water Pump
Oil Pump
Front Engine
Mounts
Manifolds
Clutch Housing
Transmission
Oil Filler Tube
Dipstick Tube
Front Pulley
Thermostat
Housing
Heater Bypass
Hose












Starter
Generator
Distributor Body
Wire Loom Holder
Coil Holder
Coil
Air Breather
Air Cleaner
Air Cleaner Steady
Breather Brace
Valve Chamber Vent
Valve Chamber Tube
Fuel Pump Shield
Fan & Pully
Oil Filter
Filter Brace
Steering Box
Entire Frame
Brake Master Cylinder
Brake Lines
Inner Front Fender
Shields
Radiator Side Shields
Engine Dust Shields
Hood Lock Plate Brace
Horns and Bracket
Bumper Supports
Radiator Support
Radiator Cross Bar
Under Body
Inside Floorpan
Underside Of Hood
Underside Of Trunk Lid
Front Stone Guards
Rear Stone Guards
Front Fender Center
Panel
Grille Panel
All Fenders (Inside)
Inside Trunk Area
Trunk Hinges
Trunk Wheelwells
(Trunk Side)
Backside Of Wheels






Fuel Pump
B&B Carb
Fuel Lines
Oil & Vacuum Lines
Accelerator Linkage
Shift Rods























B-24D Liberator

Ford Motor Company built an 80-acre manufacturing plant at Willow Run, Michigan. Contractors broke ground in April 1941 and by September the facility was complete. To accommodate employees, dormitories were built on the site and a commuter rail line was extended to the plant.

The plant got off to a slow start while the assembly line manufacturing style was adapted to produce airplanes.

By the summer of 1943 the plant employed 42,000 employees. In the first months of production, the plant built 230 B-24s per month. By the winter of 1944 the plant was producing 650 bombers per month. When production ended, in April 1945, the plant had built over 8,600 B-24 Liberators.


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Skip's Messy Workbench ⇔ Last updated: December 06, 2022