Transmission Push Button Colors '61 '63

[Brooks Harkey <vm.dude@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I haven't seen this topic discussed yet, so here we go.  Maybe it will 
make its way to the technical pages.

I have a 1961 Imperial custom and a 1963 Crown convertible.  At 
different times, I've removed the transmission push-buttons and put them 
back.  The '61 was a couple of years ago, but the '63 was last night.  
On both cars, I discovered if I pulled hard enough, worked them back & 
forth, finagled, etc., I could work the chrome piece off the end of the 
lucite (is that what it is?) buttons, in order to better clean.  I now 
have some observations and a question.  And I'll loosely call them 
"buttons" for this discussion, though they're about 5" long each.

On the 1961:  In the very end of the buttons, where your finger hits, 
each button had had a dollop of color added to the end, which appeared 
to penetrate about 1/8" or 1/4" (it's been awhile since I did this)  
into the length of the button, to give them different colors when lit.  
I believe (thought I haven't looked) that the letter itself was then 
painted white (R-N-D-2-1). 

On the 1963, it is an entirely different story.  The buttons are clear 
all the way to the end.  It appears that the only coloring is in the 
paint.  Some of the red remains in the letter "R", but that's the only 
paint I have left. 

So anyway -- that's an interesting observation on the '61 and '63 
pushbuttons.  And now my question:

On the 1963, which has some remaining red paint left in the letter "R", 
what color is the paint supposed to be for all the other buttons?  I am 
enough of a purist that I would like to paint the "green one green, the 
blue one blue, the red one red" -- but not so much of a purist that I 
would try to match the exact factory paint codes for this.  (:-D)     
Also, what kind of paint would you use for this?  Some kind of brush-on 
model paint?  Or spray paint?  Or what?

So any help?  What color are the other letters supposed to be?  There 
does not appear to be any trace of any other paint on the end of the 
'63's buttons - I guess their "backlight" is all whatever comes out thru 
that panelescent panel -- with the letter "floating" on that background.

--Brooks in Dallas
PS:  If I don't get any answers, I'm going to make up my own colors and 
paint Reverse red; Neutral white; Drive green; 2 blue?; and 1 pink??.  I 
plan to accomplish this by painting the whole end of the button, then 
wiping the raised surface clean, leaving the paint in the depression of 
the letter.  Unless somebody's got a better idea.




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