Re: [Chrysler300] 1957 300C Steering wheel color

Ray,

With little effort I think I could come up with a code for the desert beige on the dash of my car, which I think ended up pretty much a dead-on match to the original shade.

That said, I don't think the original beige of the plastic used for for the '57 steering wheel was all that close to the dash color. It always looks a little off to me when I see a steering wheel restored using the dash color. The steering wheel beige, from what I have observed, is roughly of the same color depth, but it seems to have a more yellowish tint to the beige than the dash does.

I will send you a couple of photos in an off-forum email which will show you what I mean.

Keith Boonstra

On Thu, Nov 17, 2016 at 3:00 PM, Ray Melton rfmelton@xxxxxxx [Chrysler300] <Chrysler300-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hello -

I am having the steering wheel on my late father's 1957 300C restored by a fellow in New Jersey named Bob Monetti - his website is www.steeringwheelbob.com      He has repaired the cracks and recontoured the finger grooves, etc., and it is now ready for paint. He wants me to tell him a PPG paint code for the "Desert Beige" color recommended in Wayne Graefen's 300C Restoration Handbook - the color that is used on the dash panels and the upper part of the steering wheel. However, Wayne's book does not list a PPG code. The Handbook shows the following manufacturer codes for "Desert Beige":

DITZLER     21281                   COOK     832-N-103    DUCO 2629          ACME 22-8272

The only automotive paint place here in Las Cruces carries only "Matrix" paints, and since PPG is a competitor, he doesn't have across-reference to the PPG paint code that Mr. Monetti needs. (Apparently M. Monetti is only comfortable painting the wheel with PPG acrylic enamel)    The PPG dealer 45 miles away in El Paso was singularly uncooperative and angrily snatched the books of color chips away as soon as he found out that I only wanted to FIND the appropriate code, and was not planning to actually PURCHASE the paint there!   He said he was there to sell me a product, NOT to give away his expertise for free! - absolutely the worst attitude I have encountered in this extensive four-year restoration process!

My subsequent online research indicates that Ditzler and PPG paint codes are the same, as PPG apparently acquired Ditzler Color Company in 1928.

Can any members please help me confirm (or refute) that the modern PPG paint code for the 1957 Chrysler 300 color called "Desert Beige" is the same as for Ditzler 21281?

Thanks for the help.

Ray Melton

Las Cruces, New Mexico

1957 Chrysler 300C convertible    White/Gauguin       S/N 3N572517