Show me your blues

[Lew Ledyard]

David K:

Do you have any pix of a Viper blue KMP or a McCluskey blue?

Thanks,

Lew

p.s. paperwork arrived today. Thanks.

[computerworks]

(Jeff's is Viper Blue, right?)

Viper Blue KMP

[computerworks]

"McCluskey Blue" KMP

[Lew Ledyard]

Ron:

aaaaahhhh, and ooooooooo.

Thanks,

Lew

[bwana50]

Mine is Ford Sonic Blue (a la 2003 Mustangs). Very similar to Ford Royal Blue, with just a hint of purple.

http://members.cox.net/bwana-cobra/finished.htm

[svobud]

Ford Royal Blue

[CobERA]

Lew,

I know you have already seen these pictures, but I thought we ought to get as many blues as we can in one posting.

Indigo Blue:

[pderouss]

Lew.

Mine is in BMW Mauritius Blue. There are quite a few photos of it in my gallery. Its reg no EDC47C and has the steering wheel on the wrong side.

[BULLITT]

When people are asked about the Cobra, they usually think of Guardsman Blue & White stripes.
If you want to see a Gardsman Blue Car rent or buy Gumball Rally, there is a Beautiful Guardsman Blue CSX 427 S/C with no stripes.

[computerworks]

The movie car(s) were a GREAT blue... but it wasn't really 60's Guardsman, but rather a darker shade...

[Phil Manro]

Some pics I took of my car yesterday. It is '97 Viper Blue. There are a LOT of Viper Blue Cobras out there so you won't be different, but almost everyone that approaches the car comments or asks about the color...







...Oh and did I mention it is for sale on Ebay right now: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2425100789

(What a shameless plug. )

More pics here

Phil

[hdheritage97]

The way I look at it, when you think Cobra, you think Guardsman Blue, at least that's the car that always caught my eye anyhow. So, when the time came to paint, I knocked my head against the wall and I finally said to myself, why debate, you know what you like, and I went with the original Guardsman Blue, you can't go wrong !!!

Cliff

[65 Blur]

Ford royal blue with some black added to darken - no stinking strips



Roy

[Edley Rondinone]

Roy: Looks great! Any pics of the car in the sun?

[65 Blur]

Here is one taken at Laguna Seca last August (pre-hood scoop and front overriders).


Roy

[CSX 4027]

I know I will get $hit for this but, oh well...
For the most part we are all re-creating what Shelby did in the 60's right? So why mess with the single most recognizable detail to take away the look.
Viper Blue is too modern of a color and it was made for a Chrysler.
SPF Blue was made for a SPF.
The car in the Shelby ad with the yellow rookie stripes is not a 4000 car. It is Bruce Meyers original S/C. I believe 3025 but don't hold me to the number. It is McClusky Blue. This is where the East and West coast differ in terms of the restoration of 3000 series cars. McClusky likes the brighter Blue. If you go to the best East coast guys like Geoff Howard or Bill Kemper, they might just turn down a job to paint one an un-original color or do their best to convince them otherwise.
When I was caught up in the Color war, I was told that I should brighten up the Blue ala McClusky. I then got samples from all over the planet. I went to show them all to Tim Donovan who owned 3002 at that time. He said; Why go through all that effort to get all those original nuts and screws that took so long to hunt down and then paint the car a color that it never was?
I went with Guardsman from DuPont and was always glad I did. It just looked right......period

[Lew Ledyard]

Steve:

You make a very good point. However, I have seen so many different shades of Guardsman Blue, that I am not sure that I know exactly what it is any more. I am not sure if the differences are due to faded paint, faded photographs or faded memory. Does anyone have any recent pictures of a recent paint job of an accurate Guardsman Blue?

Thanks

[CSX 4027]

DuPont still has the original mix they used in the 60's. It is on the money. #4483. I would go with Chromabase. That's as good as it gets. The white is GM truck White 817.

The other more modern companies like spieshecker and ppg will all have their rendition but that is where you will see variation. If you go on Ebay you will ocassionally find a 1964 ford color chart which I have. When we shot the DuPont, it was on the money.
***Also, the primer color is very important. We actually painted the car white first to get the meatballs and stripes done and painted Blue over that then cleared the whole car. Ask any that had seen the car before the new owner re-painted it. It is still Guardsman but not DuPont and not the same.

[Lew Ledyard]

Steve:

Any pix of your car? I looked to see if you had any in your gallery.

Lew

[Turk]

To add to the drama of color selection, I have to take issue with the choice of Guardsman Blue being the "correct color" for the Cobra because it was historically correct.

Last year at SAAC some of us met with one of the original painters for Shelby. Teety, I believe was his name. The story has been repeated since and maybe even before that event.

According to the painter "Tweety", Guardsman Blue was the correct name, but hardly a color you could hang your hat on. They took whatever paint was left over and added more and made a new batch, only to have no two cars painted the same way.

In other words, you couldn't show up at the factory and have them paint a door or the hood with Guardsman Blue and expect the car and the door to match.

The inconsistencies from car to car was substantial.
The name was the same, but the color was NOT.

TURK