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Anyone ever leave the interior Zinced WWII style?

wickedsprint

Well Known Member
As the title says, I'd love to see a picture where the interior was left Zinc Chromate colored with a black panel..something like this P51. Would there be any issues to leaving it bare like this? I'm thinking leaving it like that then installing wear surfaces for the floorboards if I can find anything that sticks to Zinch Chromate well, maybe truck bedliner spray.

p-51c_cockpit_01.jpg
 
Several of the epoxy primers are zinc chromate green. Why not go with one of them, or just have your interior paint matched to the appropriate color of chromate green?

Long term, you'll probably be happier with a panted solution than a primed solution. Paint has a more durable finish than most primers.
 
That does look quite cool - I suspect there's a clear-coat over the green chromate primer though.
 
My -4 is done up exactly like that....you will have some wear and tear show on the zinc coating but that only adds to the military look.

Glenn Wilkinson
 
As others have said, you may want an actual paint that has the color. Zinc chromate primer itself does not wear well. Remember, WWII fighters were not built to last more than a few hundred hours.
 
I like the look! You'd have to go with a black leatherette cushion set to carry it off I think.

Paul
 
Zinc Chromate interior

Tony,
DR has posted pictures of an 8 near him that is done up exactly like your P-51 picture. I believe the buildier is Charlie Kerns. I have saved copies of some of those pictures because I like the look too, but because they're Doug's photos I don't feel right about re-posting them here. Maybe if we ask him real nice, he'll post them again here.

C'mon Krash, help Tony out! :D
 
I definitely dig the green interior look, maybe just stick some wing walk material on the floor wherever you need wear resistance and call it a day. I reckon it'd even be super easy to touch up. I could always paint over it with the same color paint if they make one that will actually stick well to Zinch Chromate, I really don't feel like dealing with epoxies or the like.
 
But if...

As others have said, you may want an actual paint that has the color. Zinc chromate primer itself does not wear well. Remember, WWII fighters were not built to last more than a few hundred hours.

..you go with a modern epoxy primer, the wear problem will be taken care of.

Many are the correct dark green zinc chromate color.

This one is about $75 for a 2.5 qt. kit.

Rand-O-Plate Epoxy Primer (B-6433 Dark Green)

I'm sure North American would have used epoxy primers if they were readily available in the 40's....:)
 
..you go with a modern epoxy primer, the wear problem will be taken care of.

Many are the correct dark green zinc chromate color.

This one is about $75 for a 2.5 qt. kit.

Rand-O-Plate Epoxy Primer (B-6433 Dark Green)

I'm sure North American would have used epoxy primers if they were readily available in the 40's....:)


Not a big fan of the epoxy hassle, plus I'd have to look into how well that actually provide corrosion resistance. I'm pretty well set on zinc chromate for corrosion barrier..it's proven over the long haul.
 
Hey Tony,
I have a couple of cockpit/panel pics I took when I upgraded my panel a year or two ago. I don't know how to post them here so I will send them to your e-mail address.

Glenn Wilkinson
 
Hey Tony,
I have a couple of cockpit/panel pics I took when I upgraded my panel a year or two ago. I don't know how to post them here so I will send them to your e-mail address.

Glenn Wilkinson


My email is the same screen name here at gmail.com, I appreciate it!
 
.....see a picture where the interior was left Zinc Chromate colored with a black panel..something like this P51. Would there be any issues to leaving it bare like this?........
I'd like to think that if the advanced epoxy primers we have today not available back in WW11, the military would have almost certainly specified epoxy primer instead of zinc chromate. I am a fan of Akzo epoxy primer partly because of my job experience. The "McBoeing" paint shop in St. Louis used a very close derivative of it on the C-17 Globemaster III airframe. I figured if it was good enough for my employer (and the taxpayer's dime), it was a good enough for my RV.

Without any interior or carpet installed, the only place it has worn off in my -6A after 4 years is the floor directly under my heels. I used the same Akzo again on the -8 project. If I wanted a fancy interior, I'd buy a Lexus. You can't build much lighter than that.

 
Yep, Charlie Kearns has painted his interior that color...was just over there today. Even my wife said "it looks like the inside of a P-51". So I guess he did a good job ;)


Joe
 
Thanks for the picture Rick. That is exactly what I'm planning on doing on the interior of my -8 project. Tanya makes the comment every time that I say it that the green is just too ugly for the interior of an airplane. Luckily I already built her an airplane with painted interior. This one is MINE :).
 
I'd like to think that if the advanced epoxy primers we have today not available back in WW11, the military would have almost certainly specified epoxy primer instead of zinc chromate. I am a fan of Akzo epoxy primer partly because of my job experience. The "McBoeing" paint shop in St. Louis used a very close derivative of it on the C-17 Globemaster III airframe. I figured if it was good enough for my employer (and the taxpayer's dime), it was a good enough for my RV.

Without any interior or carpet installed, the only place it has worn off in my -6A after 4 years is the floor directly under my heels. I used the same Akzo again on the -8 project. If I wanted a fancy interior, I'd buy a Lexus. You can't build much lighter than that.


That looks awesome...very smooth.
 
Rick...

I'd like to think that if the advanced epoxy primers we have today not available back in WW11, the military would have almost certainly specified epoxy primer instead of zinc chromate. I am a fan of Akzo epoxy primer partly because of my job experience. The "McBoeing" paint shop in St. Louis used a very close derivative of it on the C-17 Globemaster III airframe. I figured if it was good enough for my employer (and the taxpayer's dime), it was a good enough for my RV.

Without any interior or carpet installed, the only place it has worn off in my -6A after 4 years is the floor directly under my heels. I used the same Akzo again on the -8 project. If I wanted a fancy interior, I'd buy a Lexus. You can't build much lighter than that.
.....

... that is what I was trying to say earlier about the epoxy primers not being around in WWII....

I use the Akzo primer myself, but I mentioned the Rand-o-Plate (and there are other equivalents) because it has the same ZC Dark Green shade as the picture in posting #1.

Can anyone verify if the WWII planes used the lighter green shade in P-51's? I always thought it was the Dark Green version of ZC....

I found this on a modeller's reference site (they seem to be the best at historical accuracy)

When the P-51B came about, it was probably painted Dull Dark Green throughout the cockpit.
The June 1944 Structural Repair Manual for all version of the P-51 calls for overall Interior Green in the cockpit, in the area extending from the instrument panel to the back of the canopy. An exception from the rule was that areas not normally visible required no finish coat. Instrument panel was specified as Instrument Black.


Any one know what color 1940's Interior Green is? A P-47 I saw in Santa Monica freshly out of a Yugoslavian swamp was zinc chromated in the yellow version... some primer actually remained.

Really interesting discussion here...

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/01/stuff_eng_interior_colours_us.htm

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/02/stuff_eng_interior_colours_us_part2.htm

...and answers my previous question on what color Interior Green probably is....:)
...including a link to the Federal Standard colors...

Interesting aircraft manufacturing history.
 
Green, with envy

Hey Fellas:

I painted the interior of my F1 to match Gerry Beck's A-model P51 (yes, it's a tribute to Gerry and his amazing skills). The paint code is 29609ID (Nason Ful-Cryl). Apparently it is a fleet color?

dcp6296hc2.jpg
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Could be my cheep camera, but I can't get good photos of this color interior.:confused:

Carry on!
Mark
 
I'm going with a military theme and will paint the interior green as well. I'm going to go with something similar to this PT-23--a little more lime colored.

pt23likethegreenblackxy7.jpg
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