New paint for a '37 C-17 sedan
Now that we've driven our C17 sedan on a 6000-mile trip to Minnesota, had an engine and transmission rebuild and a bunch of cooling system work done, we decided it deserved a paint job. It's not a restoration -- this car is a driver. The car's original color was Polo Green Poly. We decided to change it to a less common Skytint Poly, used for some Airflow model years, including 1937. The original code 353 taupe interior was used on both colors, so coordination was easy. Even though this car is a driver, we decided to redo a view other elements, including the original running board mats, which were in bad shape. Steele Rubber sells replacement mats for the 1936-1937, 133-inch wheelbase, Imperial-style Airflows, and I got a pair. The original mats appear to have been vulcanized to the steel boards, and I worried some about how to get them off. Heat applied to the underside of the boards loosened the rubber, and after a frustrating hour with a small propane torch, I found a larger one for about $20. Much larger. This one throws a large, spread flame for many feet, and it's fed by the 20-pound tank off my gas grill. It took less than an hour to do both boards with the large torch. Click the photos below for an expanded view and to see the brief descriptions. The new paint appears a bit green in the photos, but it's closer to blue in sunlight. In fact, this color was used as Aleutian Blue, paint code L, in 1968 Pontiacs. Ellis Claar's "modern paint equivalents" chart in the Airflow Club Quick Reference Guide was helpful in making the paint selection.