Detail painting on Watsons

[2lapsdown]

I'm getting ready to start my Watsons from Lance, 63 & 64. What color were the frame rails on these cars and what color do you guys paint the inside of the body panels. Thanks

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Jun 30, 2008 18:48:01 GMT -5 2lapsdown said:

I'm getting ready to start my Watsons from Lance, 63 & 64. What color were the frame rails on these cars and what color do you guys paint the inside of the body panels. Thanks

Since I asked this before, I will chip in with what I was told! ;D

A.J.'s '64 car had a *plain white* frame. (the car was pearl white)
I have been told to paint the inside of the body panels aluminum.

IIRC, the '63 winner also had a white frame.

Mongo

[2lapsdown]

Thanks Mongo, I didn't know AJ's car was pearl. I knew the Parnelli car was pearl but thought AJ's was plain white. I'm expecting to here from Russ on this one too. He's unbelievable isn't he?

[Deleted]

Mongo........


The frame on the 1963 Winner was metallic blue, the same color as the roll bar. Rule of thumb is, what ever the color of the roll bar was the color of the frame, except the 1959 winner which had a white fame and the roll bar was white, with part painted day-glow red.

Best to you

Russ

[2lapsdown]

Hey Russ, since I'm checking paint colors. Were both cars pearl white? What is the correct nose color for each? Thanks.

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The best thing I can say is look at the picture. I got all my information from Bob Clidinst who saw both cars run and win! The 1963 Winner is Pearl White all over, metallic blue nose and red scallop behind the metallic blue. Indycals does GREAT decals for this car.

Foyt's 1964 Winner is Pearl White with a Candy Apple Red Nose and a blue scallop behind the red. Indycals does decals for this one, the kit in the photo is Lance Seller's complete 64 winner and I used the kit decals which were great! Now he does a conversion kit which makes the old AMT Watson look great.

The thing I do, when building a car, is check all the race day photo reference I can and watch actual films from race day to makes sure I get it as correct as I can. Race day photos and films are the way to go!

Best to you

Russ

[Deleted]

Thanks, Russ. I had a brain fade on the '63 car. I did know the *outside* colors, though. ;D Hugh sent me some great pictures from the Indy museum of Super Tex's '64 and '61 winners.

Mongo

[Deleted]

HEY MONGO!!!!!!!!!!!

Be careful on the cars in the Indianapolis Hall of Fame Museum. Sometimes, like in the case of the 1961 Winner, those cars have "changed" the way they looked on race day. In some cases, they aren't even the cars that ran.

I know for a fact, that the 1964 in the way it was on race day. That car finished the race at Trenton and was shipped to Indy the next day. According to Bob Clidinst, nothing on that car has changed since 1964. The 1963 Winner, "Old Calhoun" went through an extensive rebuild after 1964 to put it back the way it was on race day when it won in 1963. In 1964, it was the Agajainian Bowes Seal Fast Special and was painted red, black and Pearl White with a HUGE nose scoop on the nose and caught fire in the pits. I also know that the cars that are supposed to be the 1960 & 61 Winners have been rebuilt to look like those cars. Ward's 1963 Winner is the way it was. Check your photos and get films from Doak Ewing as to your reference for race day. Or come here and ask questions....Someone here will know what it was.

Best to you!

Russ

[Deleted]

Don't worry, Russ, I will always ask. ;D

I knew the '64 Foyt car in the Museum is the real deal, because you told me! LOL!! So, I know it is *fairly* safe to go by those pictures. As to the '61 winner, I will check here when I get near that build. Anyway, I know that the correct answer will show up here if anything is wrong. ;D

I shouldn't have even said anything about *oldcalhoun* since I am not as interested (and as such haven't dug into them as much) in Parnelli's cars as I am the Foyt cars, no offense! LOL!! When I get ready to build Parnelli's '63 winner from Lance's kit, I will be digging into that one big time.

Thanks,
Mongo

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I can verify that Foyt's '64 car was pearl white as i have a piece of the car taken from the tail, in a frame with a photo, that i personally removed from the car after the'64 Milwaukee wreck that injured'Herk' so bad. I have a piece of Herks car too. Foyt's numbers were gold leaf "swirled" with red outlines. Cadys first set had black outlines,don't know if he ever corrected them.

[Deleted]

Hi Rick,

The story on A.J.'s '64 winner in the Museum is that it was loaded on the trailer after the Trenton race and towed directly to the Museum. So it is exactly the same today as the last time it raced. I understand there has been no restoration on it at all.

Russ (oldcalhoun) told me that the '63 winner has had a resto job on it to date it back to race day when it won. It had a new sponsor and paint job in '64

BTW: when Russ sees this (where is he??) he can hook you up with Bob C.'s contact info, they're buddies.

Mongo

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From what i know the tail of Foyt's car was changed after the Rex Mays wreck, If you look at the car in the museum you can see that the tail is a different shade from the rest of the car, pearl being hard to match. I think Dean Jeffries painted the car,but i'm not positive. Man. those roadsters were gorgeous! Makes you wonder how something so brutal and deadly could be so beautiful and colorful. A real piece of art that could maim or kill you in a split second. Took a real man to drive one.