Posted by Todd Somers [162.158.78.19] on Monday, December 17, 2018 at 18:55:18 :
In Reply to: Re: Power-Wagon for sale posted by Jerry in Idaho [162.158.106.195] on Monday, December 17, 2018 at 13:44:13 :
To my knowledge there was never an "option" for a black grill. The only time that I am aware of that a grill was painted black was when the body was black. In the mid sixties the local Dodge truck dealer here in North Carolina sold many "special order" trucks that were entirely painted Federal Yellow for Pike Electric of Mount Airy, NC.
However, the Special Equipment Group (SEG) would for an additional charge paint a Power-Wagon however the customer specified and I suppose you could get the grill painted any color you wanted. Having grown up with Power-Wagons with the grill always painted body color I fail to see the reason to paint it any other color. From a moderate distance when the grill is painted black on any truck that the body is painted a color that is NOT black, the grill appears to be missing. I have observed this "phenomenon" many times. I personally would never paint a Power-Wagon grill black, but that is my personal preference and the owner of a truck can paint it any color that he chooses. The ONLY reason that I can imagine that someone would think that the grill was painted black "from the factory" is that Dodge used BLACK primer under the top coat of paint. Thus if a WELL used Power-Wagon had worn off the original body color paint on the grill and the black primer appeared, one might be mislead to believe it had indeed been painted black. When the paint on the grill of the 1948 B-1-PW that my Dad bought new started peeling off is when I saw the black primer.
Follow Ups: