35olds

I have a March '70 production 442 W30 that is matching numbers & with docs (so the car is legit) it was detailed in the engine compartment before I bought it and I'm now going over everything. The inner fenders have been spray painted over in "Fire Engine Red" but underneath the original plastic appears more of a pinkish red. These inner fenders are very definitely original so I'm considering sanding off the F.E Red paint to reveal the original color.
Before heading down that path I wanted to check if the original plastic colour is typically "Fire Engine Red" or more "Pink- Red". I suppose its possible that the ageing of the plastic may influence the color, but there isn't another '70 W30 here in Australia to easily compare it to.
Would really appreciate thoughts from anyone who knows this topic well. Thanks in advance.
Cheers
Rohan

jensenracing77

They were red for sure. Many have faded over the years and turned a lighter color. If they were painted long ago you may find that most of the color is good under the paint. Do not sand the paint off or you will make things worse. These inner fenders are very valuable even if faded slightly. It is best to take them out and use Lacquer thinner soaked on a soft rag and slowly remove the paint. It is a long process but worth doing right.

Rocket North

Hi Rohan;
Looks like we both have porcelain white/red stripe W30s.
I believe very few white W30s came with the red stripes.
My W30 was built in November, 69 and is a 4 speed so no AC.
Your car is in AU and mine is in Canada, small world, lols.
My wells were very faded(pink) so I coated them with SEM flame red & they came out great.
Regards
Derek

Diego

Not sure where you got that idea.

stevengerard

one of mine has mostly faded to pink. The other still a lighter shade of bright red.

35olds

Hi Derek,
My W30 is actually white with gold stripes & gold interior. It spent most of its life in Missouri till I bought it earlier this year. Its been a "barn find" and then given a repaint but nothing else was done.
Many people rave about other colours but its amazing how the white cars stand out with their alternate stripes .
Cheers from Australia.

35olds

Thanks for your note Jensenracing. Your suggestion was pretty much my plan, but I was conscious that most people indicate that they are red - so thats why I was a little concerned when the color was heading toward pink. I'll carefully bring them back to life and will add a few pics once finished. Thanks.

jensenracing77

This is the correct color. This set has zero fade and have nothing on them like armorall, Just bare dry plastic. If after you clean them they are still to pink, you can spray a VERY thin coat of Sim Flame Red on the bottom side and many times it will make the top side appear a little darker. If that don't help you may have to do another very thin coat on the top side. If they are only slightly faded I would leave them like that over spraying them.

stevengerard

another trick is to heat them up but that can ruin them as well. I must admit as nice as the pair on the hard top look I like the original patina of the lighter pink ones on the convertible