Slick 60's

OK, I've been able to track down the proper color codes for '61-64 Mercury pickups and am in the middle of processing these to include on the VIN decoding pages at FORDification.info. I have the '61 and '62 codes in my possession, and rest are in literature that is currently enroute to me. These codes indicate a three-digit code...a number (1, 2 or 3) followed by two letters. However, the few Merc VIN tags I've seen seem to only have the two letters. Does anyone here have a color code that starts out with a 1, 2 or 3? If so, a pic of your VIN tag showing the code would be extremely helpful and appreciated.

As of tonight, I've updated the pages with the hard-to-find Canadian-only color code information for '61 and '62, using vintage 1962 factory literature as a source.

If anyone has access to a Canadian-only paint chip sheet for any of the '61-'66 pages, I'd gladly welcome that addition.

The pages are coming along nicely...slowly but surely.

1961 Warranty Tag Info
http://fordification.info/tech/vin-cdn61.htm

1962-63 Warranty Tag Info
http://fordification.info/tech/vin-cdn62-63.htm

Mine says "2RW". It's a 62

Thanks for the information... Nice to have

My truck looks like this.


https://goo.gl/photos/HiJ1uN8TD2x4NZmv7

Near as I can tell it's original, under hood is white too.


Nic

Thank you...though that does kill my theory about the 1, 2 or 3 first digit describing the style of tutone. I was guessing that a code that started off with 2 was a standard tutone and 3 was what I called a 'deluxe ' tutone. But your truck's code starts off with a 2 and yet it has the 'deluxe' tutone...so my theory holds no water. Darn it. Ok, back to trying to figure out what that means.

FORDification wrote:Thank you...though that does kill my theory about the 1, 2 or 3 first digit describing the style of tutone. I was guessing that a code that started off with 2 was a standard tutone and 3 was what I called a 'deluxe ' tutone. But your truck's code starts off with a 2 and yet it has the 'deluxe' tutone...so my theory holds no water. Darn it. Ok, back to trying to figure out what that means.

Well... Maybe not.

My truck seems a bit different. The interior is not tu tone like most trucks I see. There is no white inside.

I have looked at it carefully and I don't see any evidence that the truck has been painted in or out.

Nic

Oh and no trim between the colours

Nic

Hmmm...OK, well for the time being I'm going to leave this info on the decoding page until we can verify it:

NOTE: The following is a working theory, yet to be verified:
1XX = single solid color
2XX = standard tutone
3XX = deluxe tutone

The 3 prefix is news to me. Pretty sure mine is 2RW as well. Identical to Nic's except mine is a Custom Cab with 2 tone interior.

I have a few pics of warranty plates and all trucks were made in Canada and are single colour. It seems that 61-63 had a numeral in front of the double letters, but the 64-65 does not. The double letter usually represents the colours so RR means the whole body is Rangoon Red. If the truck was tu-tone paint then the code would be UR which is white on top and red on the bottom. This holds true for 65 at least and I suspect 64 as well..

Yup, my '64 M350 is all one colour, a light blue metallic, and the paint code is TT.

The source for the Merc color codes is the 1962 Ford/Mercury of Canada Collision Body Parts manual, which I just posted to the Factory Literature Library. This manual shows all the '60-'62 Mercury car and truck color codes. Page 152 shows the 1961 Mercury truck solid color codes and Page 153 shows the 1962 Mercury truck solid color codes.

Page 149 shows the possible color combinations, which include the 1, 2 and 3 code prefixes. So I was theorizing that the 2 and 3 prefix denoted the style of tutone, like this, with 2 being the standard tutone and 3 being a 'deluxe' tutone:



However, the color combination chart on Page 149 DOES also include the Mercury cars, so now I'm wondering if just the 1 and 2 code prefix was used on cars and trucks and the 3 prefix was only used on cars? I suppose this is a theory I'll have to investigate too...though Merc colors information (on cars OR trucks) is so hard to find that I'm not going to hold my breath on pinning this down. However, if nobody here who's into the Merc trucks has ever seen or heard of a truck with a prefix 3, then it would seem to indicate that this is a car-only code.

At this point I'm open to any and all ideas and/or input.

Gravemetal wrote:I have a few pics of warranty plates and all trucks were made in Canada and are single colour. It seems that 61-63 had a numeral in front of the double letters, but the 64-65 does not. The double letter usually represents the colours so RR means the whole body is Rangoon Red. If the truck was tu-tone paint then the code would be UR which is white on top and red on the bottom. This holds true for 65 at least and I suspect 64 as well..

I'm assuming the UR is a typo, since there isn't a code U shown on any of the '61-'66 code charts I have, including the '60-'62 Ford/Mercury of Canada Collision Body Parts manual or in the '64-'72 MPC. Code U was used as a Medium Green in '67-'69 and a Yellow in '70-'71.

So in the case of a tutone, the first code listed would be the roof color? How would be code be listed for a truck with a combination ('deluxe') tutone, like this '62 (assuming it was a Merc)? Would there be any differentiating between the standard and the 'deluxe' tutone?

The pictured truck would have the "2" prefix, with the first letter denoting the blue and the second referring to the white.

So there would be no difference in the color codes between the standard tutone (blue/white) and the 'deluxe' tutone (blue/white/blue)?

The '61-'64 Canadian Ford/Mercury MPC I've been waiting for finally arrived today, and one of the first things I did was check on the color codes. Straight from the MPC:



So apparently the '3' code shown in the 1962 Ford/Mercury of Canada Collision Body Parts manual only applies to cars. Well, at least we know now. This information will be applied to the Canadian VIN decoding pages at FORDification.info very shortly.

{quote} assuming the UR is a typo, since there isn't a code U shown on any of the '61-'66 code charts I have, including the '60-'62 Ford/Mercury of Canada Collision Body Parts manual or in the '64-'72 MPC. Code U was used as a Medium Green in '67-'69 and a Yellow in '70-'71.

So in the case of a tutone, the first code listed would be the roof color? How would be code be listed for a truck with a combination ('deluxe') tutone, like this '62 (assuming it was a Merc)? Would there be any differentiating between the standard and the 'deluxe' tutone? {/quote}


Mine is a 64 original colours Wimbledon white and skylight blue, code (no number) UH so I would guess U to be Wimbledon White's code letter

FORDification wrote:So there would be no difference in the color codes between the standard tutone (blue/white) and the 'deluxe' tutone (blue/white/blue)?

I think the question to be asked (and I don't have a definitive answer) is whether or not the contrasting colour on the roof only was actually a factory option. I do know that my truck is a 2RW code and it is red/white/red, which matches the info Nic provided earlier. I don't think I've seen too many trucks with any other tu-tone scheme so I suspect the one we have was actually the standard.

FORDification wrote:

One thought I have is that it appears the blue uni pictured above is a '63 (judging by the side trim which wasn't available in 61-62 as far as I know) so perhaps the contrasting roof was only available for '63 and later? Or that scheme is a custom creation.

mercuryv8 wrote:Mine says "2RW". It's a 62

Thanks for the information... Nice to have

My truck looks like this.


https://goo.gl/photos/HiJ1uN8TD2x4NZmv7

Near as I can tell it's original, under hood is white too.


Nic

I have the Brother to your truck, Mine is near Identical, M250. I could use that Hubcap...any more?

The Big M wrote:I think the question to be asked (and I don't have a definitive answer) is whether or not the contrasting colour on the roof only was actually a factory option. I do know that my truck is a 2RW code and it is red/white/red, which matches the info Nic provided earlier. I don't think I've seen too many trucks with any other tu-tone scheme so I suspect the one we have was actually the standard.

One thought I have is that it appears the blue uni pictured above is a '63 (judging by the side trim which wasn't available in 61-62 as far as I know) so perhaps the contrasting roof was only available for '63 and later? Or that scheme is a custom creation.

Those thoughts were crossing my mind too. At the moment I'm not sure exactly what was available from the factory, though I'll definitely be researching this out a lot more.

CHOPPERS wrote:

mercuryv8 wrote:Mine says "2RW". It's a 62

Thanks for the information... Nice to have

My truck looks like this.


https://goo.gl/photos/HiJ1uN8TD2x4NZmv7

Near as I can tell it's original, under hood is white too.


Nic

I have the Brother to your truck, Mine is near Identical, M250. I could use that Hubcap...any more?

I'm lucky enough to have four of them. I'm going too keep them with the truck. I will keep my eye out for another set.

Nic