The Cessna 120-140 Association Forum

Just curios if anyone has anymore detailed info on paint colors than is avaialbe from the parts catalogue? I printed it off but there are no codes only names... Google is of no help, when one googles "Cessna Sumac Red" they get unending pictures of Sumac trees...

Does anyone have a color chart or codes for our original colors corresponding to their names?

Best you’ll be able to do is find a original and color match with today’s colors, or someone in the past has done this and has the number for you.

6898 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 31, 2019 9:09 am Best you’ll be able to do is find a original and color match with today’s colors, or someone in the past has done this and has the number for you.

Where would one begin a color match? I'm not so concerned that a bit of fade or whatnot is an issue in a color match, as I'm not doing a full historical restoration, but I'm not sure anything on my plane has any original paint to match...

I'm going to do my interior in grey, was already planning that, but it appears that was the original color.

On exterior did they all begin with bare aluminum and the exterior color was the stripe, or was the base a white? The colors listed seem pretty bold, and yet I see few examples of our girls being all one bright bold color. I know some are, but most seem white/cream/aluminum with colored striping. What would have been the "original" way for the base of the exterior? As the color chart in the parts catalogue lists ALL 120s as Sumac Red, yet I believe I have only seen a couple all Red 120/140s. I'm assuming its the stripe color?

Looks like mine would have been Sumac Red or Cessna Metallic Green from factory based off year. Its currently Blue striping, its a marginal job viewed up close at best, masking tape lines are apparent. I believe this summer I am going to do it in Red, but use vinyl to do so, I have a friend who is a vinyl designer. This would be a boring job for him as he is used to doing full graphic laiden wraps, they have done some experimental aircraft that look amazing- but would look gaudy on our planes. I just think it will be a cleaner, less expensive route to go with vinyl. He can size it just a schosh bigger than the blue stripe and we just cover it, will have to get color match paint to the vinyl for the piano hinges and cowl latches area. But would like to find a vinyl reasonably close to what she would/could have been in 47...

Ray

Through more googling, I found "Sumac Red" as a paint color used by Chrysler and Dodge in 1947 with color codes, would it be likely that is the same "Sumac Red" that Cessna used?

Ray

Originally, the wings were finished through the silver coat and the fuselage was unpainted except for the striping and registration number. There's a good chance that the Cessna color and the Chrysler color are the same. I seem to recall that Sumac red was almost maroon, but I could be wrong.

Little concern with covering over the blue stripe with vinyl - may show thru as layered with light at proper angle. Suggest doing a test with getting a swatch from your friend and applying over the "bare" & stripe and observe at with different angles/lighting.
Sumac Red I believe is a red tone down with brown approaching a maroon.

Yes it shows very maroon or brownish red.

The french silk grey used in some interiors shows on same search tool as a packard color..

4004 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 01, 2019 3:49 am Little concern with covering over the blue stripe with vinyl - may show thru as layered with light at proper angle. Suggest doing a test with getting a swatch from your friend and applying over the "bare" & stripe and observe at with different angles/lighting.
Sumac Red I believe is a red tone down with brown approaching a maroon.

I will double check with my friend as he would know. I suppose i could tape them and paint em white first if need be, then do the vinyl... then still do the slight oversize so vinyl stripe completly covers the new paint and goes out onto the old just a titch, so any slight color difference in the whites wont show...

Anyone know how complicated and pricey it is to have a rudder rebalanced as their is a blue "fan" made of different shades of blue on mine that would have to go if I do the red striping...

It's not the color showing thru that's my concern. I just wasn't specific, etc. It's the "ridge line" caused by an extra layer when adding the vinyl oover the existing strip paint line. That was the suggestion to apply a test piece of vinyl overlapping the two elevations - bare then plus stripe and observing.
Hope this clears the issue - my apology for the confusion.

8322 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 01, 2019 10:56 pmAnyone know how complicated and pricey it is to have a rudder rebalanced...

The only control surfaces that are balanced are the ailerons. The only time you have to balance the rudder is after you change the muffler bearings. <JK>