M20E Paint scheme

[Stefano]

Hello, I have just bought a good 1965 M20E. The paint is very old and I would like to make it look nice

can anyone help me find some photos of what the original paint scheme (livery) looked like?

Thank you very much

Stefano

 

[Rusty Pilot]

I like my paint scheme.  My plane was painted in 2008 and still looks pretty good.  I have owned it for 5 years, so it came this way.

[MooneyMitch]

Maybe consider replicating the original scheme from the vintage era.  Possibly choosing different colors too. 
 

I replicated the vintage scheme when my ‘63 model was repainted. 
 

Regardless, have fun with the process.  You’ll love the end result.

[Shadrach]

1 hour ago, Stefano said:

Hello, I have just bought a good 1965 M20E. The paint is very old and I would like to make it look nice

can anyone help me find some photos of what the original paint scheme (livery) looked like?

Thank you very much

Stefano

 

Stefano,

I think your paint is likely original save for perhaps the Swiss tail adornment. 
is they’re evidence of a respray in the logs or on the plane? Hard to know the precise colors but you should be able to get close with some buffing. Just be careful, if it was laid on his thin as mine there’s not a lot to buff before you’re into the primer.

[BobbyH]

Stefano,

Your bird looks very familiar.  Here is a picture of my 66' M20E.  Similar yet my colors are swapped, gray and red.  The base is white (not bright white).  There should be a list of colors in the service manual near the end of the document.  You can find it in the downloads section of MooneySpace.

Bob

[BobbyH]

And congrats on your new acquisition.  I really enjoy the Mooney and hope you get years of flying in yours!

Bob

[GeeBee]

Very popular these days to go with original scheme in a "retro look" like Mooney Mitch did. Newer paints give more brilliant look. I saw a 63' Apache the other day in original creme and brown scheme and it was stunning.

[Stefano]

59 minutes ago, BobbyH said:

Stefano,

Your bird looks very familiar.  Here is a picture of my 66' M20E.  Similar yet my colors are swapped, gray and red.  The base is white (not bright white).  There should be a list of colors in the service manual near the end of the document.  You can find it in the downloads section of MooneySpace.

Bob

Thank you Bob, your paint scheme looks exactly the same! Good suggestion! I will check the original colors in the service manual. 
stefano

[Delta]

The January 1966 edition of Flying Magazine has a Mooney Ad on Page 2 showing a 1965 M20E.  Search Google Books for Flying Magazine January 1966, if interested.  

https://books.google.com

[MooneyMitch]

On 3/7/2023 at 3:49 PM, Stefano said:

Thank you Bob, your paint scheme looks exactly the same! Good suggestion! I will check the original colors in the service manual. 
stefano

I chose metallic silver (platinum I believe it was titled) and a metallic/candy red.  We added some silver flakes to the Matterhorn white too.

The paint looked brilliant in sunlight, as it appeared to change shades from different angles. Just a thought for you if you wish to brighten up from original colors. 

 

[BDPetersen]

1965 brochure.

[BDPetersen]

Cruise through eBay for sales brochures 

[BobbyH]

On 3/10/2023 at 9:37 AM, MooneyMitch said:

I chose metallic silver (platinum I believe it was titled) and a metallic/candy red.  We added some silver flakes to the Matterhorn white too.

The paint looked brilliant in sunlight, as it appeared to change shades from different angles. Just a thought for you if you wish to brighten up from original colors. 

I really like that idea.  My time to repaint is coming soon.  Thank you!

[glbtrottr]

I chose metallic silver (platinum I believe it was titled) and a metallic/candy red.  We added some silver flakes to the Matterhorn white too.
The paint looked brilliant in sunlight, as it appeared to change shades from different angles. Just a thought for you if you wish to brighten up from original colors. 
 

As Shadrach mentioned, chances are that’s an original paint scheme with the added Swiss motif






Candies (tinted clear coats) and pearls (tinted iridescent mica in powder or liquid form, formerly made for cash currency if you can believe that) are not applied on airplanes as often given that many times the “depth” look used to be achieved with multiple coats of intercoat clear or now “nebulizer” in a brand before the final coat of clear ….which has UV protection and also which adds weight. A typical gallon of paint is about 10 plus to 13/14 gallons, with single stage being around 4 gallons on average on a Mooney. On base coat / clear coat, the number goes up. Makes you want to polish if it was not so much work

Certain brands of paint made a “candy base coat” (House of Kolor, Axalta’s Hot Hues) which is an emulated candy - brighter colors, but if not properly cleared with a high quality product, subject to color fading in the sunlight substantially over time. Thats achieved by mixing a ton of Candy concentrates and adding a lot of powdered pearl to the mix. I recently mixed 6 gallons of Red and blue for a friend in a candy Basecoat and each gallon retailed for $2800!!!

Adding flake to the Matterhorn white (or pearl, or any other thing to make it look brilliant or unique) is awesome. That said, make sure you keep at least a half a gallon of inactivated paint for touch ups just in case- most shops use exactly the amount of paint needed with little left over as a function of cost and profit, and color matching a custom made color can be a bear - not to mention fading colors in the sun.

We do use a lot of custom color tints in our shop because frankly much of aviation is boring…Matterhorn white, a couple of trim colors and goodbye. Ugh. Have some fun!

What’s awesome (and challenging) about paint jobs like the “anomaly” mooney is the sheer number of colors you’d have to save…however, the plane is first coated with a base color (like Matterhorn white), and each color applied was high quality Montana spray paint, which is easily sourced followed by clear coat provided the painter kept a paint map much respect to the artist on that job

Since I’ve owned my 252 for more than 20 years (Hi, Don Kaye - yea, it’s been that long ) I’m about to replace the recent factory paint scheme of ultras and acclaims with something more fun. We partner with a nice chap from Ferrari of Team Nemesis and relentless fame to do our paint schemes, and we’ll see what he comes up with for this project. Nothing as fun as anomaly but we will see

[Echo]

I think your plane IS in it's original livery.  I prefer the highlighted tail n the 1969-70ish livery to the mid 60's scheme.  Green and Orange were big in 60's.  I don't think time has treated the color or scheme well.  I owned an E very similar to your scheme.

[carusoam]

Nothing beats the original livery, done in modern paints and colors… 

 

Until you have seen THE Anomoly…

 

Soooooo much color… the world pales behind her.  
 

She stands out as if she is on a different layer, in a CGI world…

Original livery for my plane included the LoneStar TX flag on the nose.

-a-

 

[JonRoise]

I’m not sure if this is close to the original paint scheme or not. 64 M20E

[takair]

On 3/7/2023 at 1:36 PM, Stefano said:

Hello, I have just bought a good 1965 M20E. The paint is very old and I would like to make it look nice

can anyone help me find some photos of what the original paint scheme (livery) looked like?

Thank you very much

Stefano

 

From what I recall, either the maintenance manual or parts manual have original paint scheme and colors.

[47U]

6 hours ago, JonRoise said:

I’m not sure if this is close to the original paint scheme or not. 64 M20E

A hybrid design of the ‘64E scheme, maybe?  They took the under-body color and put in on the major area of the vertical stab.  I like it.  Pretty airplane.

 

[Stefano]

7 hours ago, 47U said:

A hybrid design of the ‘64E scheme, maybe?  They took the under-body color and put in on the major area of the vertical stab.  I like it.  Pretty airplane.

 

Also a beuty!

 

7 hours ago, 47U said:

A hybrid design of the ‘64E scheme, maybe?  They took the under-body color and put in on the major area of the vertical stab.  I like it.  Pretty airplane.

 

 

[Nstarbf]

have you gotten estimates from paint shops yet?

[Lancer11A]

I have 1966 M20C.  Just picked it up last week.  I did the same and put it back to the original paint scheme   I don't know why it attaches upside down.  Cannot figure out how to right it.  Apologies 

1966 Design.pdf

[Fly Boomer]

[Danb]

On 3/7/2023 at 1:36 PM, Stefano said:

Hello, I have just bought a good 1965 M20E. The paint is very old and I would like to make it look nice

can anyone help me find some photos of what the original paint scheme (livery) looked like?

Thank you very much

Stefano

 

First off,  WELCOME and good luck with a fast efficient plane, now make it pretty 

[M20F]

I recommend painting 2 more rear windows on and doing a little “Executive” on the cowl.  It’s like a knock off LV wallet, not as supple as the real thing but it will impress the idiots.