- Official Post
Hey everyone,
my ’65 K-code restoration is slowly reaching the next major step: the paint job.
The car is a February 1965 Dearborn-built HiPo in Prairie Bronze with Palomino interior, and before we start spraying I wanted to give my painter a factory-correct, concours-level guide on how these cars were actually painted at the Dearborn plant in early 1965.
Over the last few days I’ve been reading up on the original Dearborn paint process and tried to put together a summary for my painter.
I’m not completely sure if everything I found is correct, so I would really appreciate if you could take a look and let me know what’s right, what’s wrong, and what I might be missing.
Concours Paint Guide – 1965 Dearborn Mustang (Feb 1965, K-Code)
1. Red Oxide Primer (Full Body Coverage)
- The unibody (with doors and trunk lid installed, fenders/hood off) was entirely sprayed in red oxide primer – inside, outside, engine compartment, interior metal, trunk.
- Only the underside floor pan did not receive red oxide from above.
2. Underside Floor Pan – Dearborn “Batch Paint”
- Dearborn cars used a dark epoxy/batch paint on the floor pan underside.
- This was a mixture of leftover body colors + epoxy sealer.
- Real cars show very dark gray, nearly black, bluish or greenish tint depending on production period.
- Texture was inconsistent: runs, uneven coverage, soft gloss – all correct.
3. Interior Metal (Palomino)
- All interior metal that would remain visible after assembly was painted before exterior color:
- Dashboard
- Upper door frames
- A-pillars
- Interior structural panels
- Color: Palomino (Medium Palomino), semi-gloss/satin, as Ford used a low-gloss lacquer.
- These freshly painted interior areas were then masked (often roughly).
4. Gray Primer Sealer (Exterior Areas)
- Exterior surfaces received a coat of gray primer-surfacer.
- Light overspray in the engine bay is normal and correct.
- Seam sealer and deadener were applied before or after this step depending on the line worker.
5. Prairie Bronze – Exterior & Trunk Color
- Ford used single-stage acrylic enamel for Prairie Bronze in ’65.
- Exterior of the shell, trunk interior, door jambs, and edges were all painted Prairie Bronze.
- No clear coat originally – modern refinishing should match the factory gloss level (not overly wet/high-gloss show finish).
- Panels painted off the car at Dearborn:
- Hood
- Front fenders
- Front valance
- Doors and trunk lid were on the car when the body received gray primer and interior color, but Dearborn often painted the removable panels separately for final color.
Overspray – Extremely Important
- Underside should show Prairie Bronze fogged 20–30 cm (8–12 inches) inward from the rocker area.
- Rear wheel wells received heavy body color overspray.
- Trunk inside received full coverage, but deep pockets often only got mist.
6. Engine Bay Black-Out (Semi-Gloss Black)
- After exterior color, the engine bay was sprayed semi-gloss black:
- Firewall
- Aprons (both sides)
- Radiator support (engine side)
- Transition to body color was soft-edged, not taped.
- Black “falls off” lower on the firewall – fading into the dark primer or into the floor pan coating.
- The upper cowl and fender mounting surfaces remained body color.
7. Rocker Pinch-Weld Black-Out
- The lower rocker pinch-weld was sprayed semi-gloss black after the exterior color.
- No masking underneath → black overspray on the outer floor section is correct.
- Visible from the side, the entire flange should appear black.
8. Wheel Wells & Sound Deadener
- Rear wheel wells: sound deadener applied before body color → then mostly covered with Prairie Bronze overspray.
- Front wheel wells: undercoating applied after fenders were installed → resulting in:
- Undercoat on inner fender
- Undercoat overspray on springs, shocks, control arms
- Uneven texture typical of factory application
What I'm Asking
Before I hand this document to my painter, I would love to hear your thoughts:
- Does this match what you have seen on unrestored February '65 Dearborn cars?
- Anything missing or incorrect?
- Any rare Dearborn quirks I should incorporate?
Thanks in advance – your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Once the paint is finished, I’ll post photos and the final result.
Kind regards,
Niko