Original paint color help?

[JohnJohn]

This may be a dumb question but I am trying to determine what the original color was on my 1977 bronco was and I am finding two different colors as I take the truck apart.
I would assume Ford would have painted the truck before installing the windshield glass and other items but I want to double check.


First the dash is black but is pealing in some places. It is light metallic silver under the black paint.
I also just pulled the windshield and under the weather stripping it is also the light silver metallic. The rest of the windshield outside of the weather striping is dark silver not the lighter silver.
It looks like the windshield wiper mechanism was also sprayed this dark silver after installing the wiper mechanism. When I pulled the wiper mechanism off the truck you could see the lighter silver under the ground strap and other areas.
I also pulled the fresh air duct out of the cowl and under the gasket was more of the lighter silver paint.

Most of the exterior paint has been sanded off by the PO then over sprayed with primer but there are a few spots on the outside metal that also show this darker silver color.

My VIN tag's color is V. According to a historical color chart the V color is Medium Silver Poly and looks like the dark silver on the color chart I found but it could just be the way the chart was scanned.
Here is a link to the chart I found.

Should my dash be the light silver like the rest of the truck or would Ford have painted black over the light silver?

The windsheld weather striping may be original. It has the molding cuts in it. Does this mean my truck could have been a Sport or a Ranger or did regular wagons get the windsheld trim?


I am finding that the hardest part of my build is picking a color to paint the truck when I am done. I may go with the original light silver if that was the stock color but I dont like the darker silver.
Thanks

[broncnaz]

Its hard to tell color differances with the charts on the computer so I wouldnt base a comparison there. It appaers to be a Ranger model not because of the window gasket trim slot because in 77 Rangers and sports ended up with different or missing stuff from the factory because it was the end of the line and they used up parts until they were gone. The main clue to it being a Ranger would be the Dash panel being the same color as the exterior only Rangers had that. You can usually verify by the options on the Vin Tag A Ranger would have a back seat HD suspension with Trac lock rear axle color matched Dash and interior and usually a 4900 lb GVW. There are a few other things but these are the main things that should be present for it to be a Ranger.

[JohnJohn]

Thank you for the help. My truck did have the HD package according to the VIN. It is also good to know that the glove box door/VIN plate should be the one that came with the truck.
Did the Ranger package have any special name plate like the sports?

Here is a pic of my VIN plate:
http://www.ragersworld.com/VIN-plate.jpg

[JohnJohn]

I searched some Ranger posts and it looks like the Ranger may have also come with tan hounds tooth seats.
My bronco has been through so much that it is hard to tell what was original but it did come with a rear bench seat that has tan hounds tooth fabric.
It is always neat decoding these older cars and trucks.

[broncnaz]

Some or at least most Rangers would have a chrome Ranger emblem on the glove box door. There were several different colors of hounds tooth Ranger interiors not sure what color a silver one would have had. What color is the dash pad? as they were usaully the same color as the interior on Rangers
Like I said 77's are hard to follow because of the parts availiblity looking at your VIN tag the axle code (18) says 3.50 gears but a open diff which = a 2900 lb axle the J stands for power steering. A Ranger should have a trac lock rear diff and a 3300 lb rear axle. But like I said with a 77 there seems to be no consistancy in what came out of the factory.

[Blue71]

I'm pretty sure it is a Ranger. Broncnaz....just a note...the Explorers actually had the same color dash panel as the body too, but his sounds more like a Ranger since it has the slots for the chrome trim in the window rubber. Rangers were the only package to have colored dash pads usually the same color as the interior, where as othrs had the black dash pads. Does it have chrome/aluminum grill trim around the grill? Chrome letters attached on the center of the grill? Chome /aluminum anywhere else? The Ranger Emblem, or holes where the emblem would have been should be present on the outside of the glovebox door. Early '73 Rangers seemed to be the only Rangers that had missing the glovebox emblem. If you get a chance, take your door panel off and see what color overspray is behind it, or take your taillight out of the taillight housing and check for overspray color there as well. With the Lighter Silver being in all those hidden places that you spoke of..I would say color code "V" is correct. That is the only Silver color I have actually seen on an '77 Bronco from the factory. What kind of door panels does it have now? Many things could have been changed or removed over the years, but let us know what else you find. Also..the Silver rangers I have come across have had blue houndstooth interior. Not to say all of them did, that is just what I have found. Got any pics you can post? Let us know.



Blue71

[Blue71]

Meant to get you to check around the inner rear wheel housing to see if there are some mounting tabs that are around 1" or so high, and 5" or 6" or solong. and kinda "L" shaped. On a Ranger..these tabs were used to mount the rear inner quarter panel covers. No other packages had this. Let us know.

Blue71

[tsmustangs]

That's interesting, I have a 77 Sport I got from the orginal owner and it sure does not have those tabs. Why were they only on a Ranger???

Terry

[Blue71]

Originally Posted by tsmustangs

That's interesting, I have a 77 Sport I got from the orginal owner and it sure does not have those tabs. Why were they only on a Ranger???

Terry

Sports, Explorers , and Plain Janes (regular wagons) did not need or have these tabs. The Rangers had these tabs to mount the rear inner quarter panel coverings like the pictures below. Rangers were the only package that had these. If JohnJohn's Silver '77 is a Ranger...it would most likely have Ranger inner quarter panel covers, or at least the tabs there that they would have been attached to.

Blue71

[JohnJohn]

Thanks for all the help guys.

I do have the tabs on the wheel wells where the interior panels mounted to. I looked closer at the glove box door and can still see the Ranger logo outline on the glove box door where the emblem used to be.

So my original color was the lighter silver metallic with the exterior paint and dash the same color and the truck was a Ranger. Very cool!


It is very cool to discover this stuff out especially when you did not expect it. I like the silver and may paint the truck the stock color. This is my first Bronco so I did not know what to look for or even what the different packages were.

[Blue71]

Good to hear that you found the tabs, I thought that might give it away I like the Silver too, you don't see many stock silvers which is kinda cool too. Glad it worked out.

Blue71