Original color

[wolfman]

My bird is painted blue and the white vinyl roof is painted black by the previous owner but I’m thinking about restoring it to his original state.
At first I did not want to paint the car back in its original color but I have been thinking about it and changed my mind. What helps is that it maintains its value in the long run. And it’s a color that goes with a 1978 Bird.

I’m sure my Bird used to be beige. The inside of the doors and trunk and hood are beige. This has to be its original color. The vinyl roof is showing white under the black paint that comes lose on some places.

I would like to know if beige with a white vinyl roof is original.
I can’t find pictures on the net of a beige Bird with a white vinyl roof. If someone has a picture of a beige Bird with a white vinyl roof I would love to have it.

Regards
Paul

 

[Tim Cole]

Original Paint and Roof, 1978

Paul:

My Dealer Brochure for the 1978 Thunderbird indicates that the exterior color of pastel beige (Code 86, see sticker inside your driver door jam) came with one of three color options for the vinyl roof: Russet metallic (deep red), chamois glow, or dark brown metallic (Code 5Q).

That's all I can find for pastel beige.
Regards,
Tim

 

[wolfman]

Thanks Tim i will look for the sticker.

 

[wolfman]

There is no sticker in the driver door jam.
Is there any other way to see what the color code is?

 

[Tim Cole]

Finding the paint codes

If the sticker is gone from the door jam, the other place to look is the build sheet or the original bill of sale. The build sheet can be found (if it is still there) in a number of places:
1) under the back seat bottom in the springs
2) under the back seat carpet.
3) I found one under the fire-blanket (the pad under the hood)

That's about all the places I can think of. Tim