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1940s Cessna interior colors
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2026 2:36 pm
by 8164
I know there have been many questions asked about the original exterior colors (I've read all those threads). I am looking for what THIS color is (see my photo). What is this maroon-red that Cessna used for their red-trimmed airplanes in the 40s? There are many of our 140s and 120s with this knob and yoke color. Does anybody have a paint code, color name, or even a close match of it in a rattle can from a hardware store
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Re: 1940s Cessna interior colors
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2026 11:56 am
by 6898
Hi Marc, 50 years of automotive and Marine restorations along with last 20 years of digging into aviation (some 70 sets of yokes as of now) let me give you my take on that color. Its not paint, but it it a type of plastic ,the knobs being molded and the yokes had a type of maroon base color most likely a primer than several coats of plastic. Never could find out how the yoke process was done? definitely not dipped no runs and evenly coated . Possibly sprayed ? for sure they did not have the shafts attached at that process because all the tubular rivets are not coated with that color. Than they were most likely silk screened with the logo and assembled. So that being a type of plastic the only thing any of us can do it try to find or mix a color close to matching them , but most of the time its very difficult to match paint to a other types of material. Its like trying to match a automotive color to a piece of colored leather. The other part of it is the chemicals and materials used in the 30's to 60's are sometimes long gone and unable to use or even know what they were or n longer safe or compliant. If your trying to get close to that color, find a automotive paint jobber that will mix something close, or to your standards to refinish them or use for touch up. Contact if needed
Re: 1940s Cessna interior colors
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2026 2:42 pm
by 8164
6898 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2026 11:56 am
Hi Marc, 50 years of automotive and Marine restorations along with last 20 years of digging into aviation (some 70 sets of yokes as of now) let me give you my take on that color. Its not paint, but it it a type of plastic ,the knobs being molded and the yokes had a type of maroon base color most likely a primer than several coats of plastic. Never could find out how the yoke process was done? definitely not dipped no runs and evenly coated . Possibly sprayed ? for sure they did not have the shafts attached at that process because all the tubular rivets are not coated with that color. Than they were most likely silk screened with the logo and assembled. So that being a type of plastic the only thing any of us can do it try to find or mix a color close to matching them , but most of the time its very difficult to match paint to a other types of material. Its like trying to match a automotive color to a piece of colored leather. The other part of it is the chemicals and materials used in the 30's to 60's are sometimes long gone and unable to use or even know what they were or n longer safe or compliant. If your trying to get close to that color, find a automotive paint jobber that will mix something close, or to your standards to refinish them or use for touch up. Contact if needed
Thanks Jeff. I took your advice and took it to an automotive paint shop and they matched it. If it's of any use to you, it matched very closely to a 1941 Plymouth color. the code is
603 (1941) - Sumac Red. I'll try it and report back. But it looks really, really close. And close enough for my purposes. Im not making a show plane. The Morris' use a custom mix as well. This will work. Thank you!