The tinwork is what tells you which Dexta you are looking at. From late 1963 Ford launched the New Performance range, and the New Performance Super Dexta arrived with more power and a new livery — blue with a silver-grey bonnet and grille, in place of the earlier all-over blue. That livery is where this project takes its name.
Getting it right matters more than it might sound. The paint split, the grille mesh, the position and style of the badging and the decals are all part of the model’s identity, and a well-restored machine wearing the wrong scheme is a permanent small disappointment.
What gets checked first
- Straightness of the bonnet sides and the state of the leading edge, which takes the worst of the corrosion.
- Grille mesh and surround — dents here are easy to see and hard to hide.
- Any surviving original decals, photographed in place before stripping, for reference when the new set goes on.
- Rot around the fixing points, which is usually worse than it looks from outside.
Notes
Reference photographs of known-correct machines are being gathered before any paint is ordered; the colours themselves are recorded on the paint and livery page. Where a small trim piece turns out to be unobtainable, it is a candidate for measuring and reproducing, and it will get its own entry here with a model attached.