Projects Anyone know the history of GM primers?

Hey you GM truck nuts.......Can you decipher the progression of the layers of paint uncovered as I scrape the cocoon off my truck? I'm trying to determine if the orange layer is primer or a previous top color. If it is primer, I think the original color was black.

Anyone care to take a stab at it?

 

Swift red going by the lower cowl ... the firewall usually has some paint that's never been covered. Fenders were always black.

 

Sorry, the lower cowl is cheap red oxide primer. Any idea what the orange is?

 

The primer was often a brown color.I believe there was a sort of orange finsh coat,Omaha red?

 

My dad was a big fan of Omaha Orange.

 

Omaha Orange was a common color, still is for that matter. It's still available on fleet orders.

 

GMs from the 50s and 60s used brown primer on the cab/body/doors, and black primer on the front end (fenders/hood).

Take a look at the inside and underside, and other areas that would not have been stripped if the truck had been repainted long ago.

 

Wow! Omaha Orange! Really?!?! Never would have guessed my truck used to be orange! Probably makes sense though. If it was originally in the Greensboro, NC area, it could have easily been a commercial truck instead of a farmer's truck.

Coolio, Thanks all! The HAMB is truely amazing. I knew you all could do it!

Now, the question is....Should I go back with an original-esque color, or pick something more out there....like suede brown or olive? Maybe ol' fashioned gloss black?