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Hi Everyone, I have a 1973 corvette and I believe it to be an original black car. Does anyone out there know how to verify this? It has been repainted, several times (currently black). One person told me to take off the I.D. plate (says SPEC PAINT on tag) in the door jam and check the color under that. He said most people don’t bother taking that off during a paint job and it looks to me like the first paint job is black.
Thanks to anybody who can help!
Look on the plate inside drivers door:
910 - Classic White
914 - Silver
922 - Medium Blue
927 - Dark Blue
945 - Blue-Green
947 - Elkhart Green
952 - Yellow
953 - Yellow Metallic
976 - Mile Miglia Red
980 - Orange
For '73 Black was not a factory color. But a SPEC tag would indicate a non factory color. But from my understanding, most SPEC cars came from the factory in primer. Then the receiving dealer painted them whatever the buyer wanted. Here is what the NCRS Judging Guide says:
"Chevrolet built very few Corvettes in special colors or in primer only. If the color is not designated for regular Corvette production, the paint code if different fro those listed below. If the car is built in primer or special color, the area of the tag before the word PAINT may read PRIME, SPEC, SPECIAL or some other indicator of non-standard paint finishes. The owner is responsible for documenting such deviations from standard production. A car with SPEC or SPECIAL for the paint code, and without documentation, is assumed to have been delivered in primer. A car produced in primer must be judged in gray primer....."
They go on to state: "In 1973, approximately thirty (30) cars were painted black. The paint code used for these black cars is unclear at this time. One is reported to have a SPEC code. All need to be carefully documented by the owner."
The key here is documentation. Without that, and if you are going to have the car judged, then it will need to be judged in primer. If not being judged then it can be any color you want
A car with SPEC or SPECIAL for the paint code, and without documentation, is assumed to have been delivered in primer. A car produced in primer must be judged in gray primer.....
[QUOTE=Tom73]... A car produced in primer must be judged in gray primer....."[/i]
They go on to state: "In 1973, approximately thirty (30) cars were painted black. The paint code used for these black cars is unclear at this time. One is reported to have a SPEC code. All need to be carefully documented by the owner."
This could be the biggest problem I have with NCRS. It is ludicrous to think someone kept their ride in gray primer for 33 years. Okay, strike that, my car was in primer the entire time I was in school. But not 33 years
Hey wouldnt gray primer be incorrect for the year though? Didnt they come with a dark red primer? NCRS would tag you bad on points for that one. Makes you go hmmmmm
I could just see someone rolling up to the NCRS shindig with a primered car. "I'm telling you Carl, thats not 'The General's' shade of primer gray". "Look at the overspray, Lord that can't be correct".
In some perverse way this car would probably get all the attention I bet.
Hey wouldnt gray primer be incorrect for the year though? Didnt they come with a dark red primer? NCRS would tag you bad on points for that one.
The Judging Manual says gray primer. But it does go on to say "Two coats of primer, the first red oxide and the second Gray, are applied to all cars. Centain colors required a third primer or sealant coat; e.g. white cars require another Gray coat and maroon cars red oxide.'
... A car produced in primer must be judged in gray primer....."[/i]
They go on to state: "In 1973, approximately thirty (30) cars were painted black. The paint code used for these black cars is unclear at this time. One is reported to have a SPEC code. All need to be carefully documented by the owner."
This could be the biggest problem I have with NCRS. It is ludicrous to think someone kept their ride in gray primer for 33 years. Okay, strike that, my car was in primer the entire time I was in school. But not 33 years
Nobody said that it had to stay in primer for 33 years. If you choose to enter your car in NCRS Flight Judging (not Bowtie/Star) then you can choose to restore it to the state in which it left the factory to minimise deductions. If you want to paint it the following day, that's your business.
If you don't like the concept or the rules, don't go.
That would be so unique and cool to see a SPEC car restored
to primer. NCRS is about preserving history ... not making a car look good.
If this ain't your mug of beer, then move on to the soda stand.
For the original poster, I would check under the door sill plates.
Even when a car is painted and 'jambed', the sill plates are rarely
removed to paint underneath. Both of mine had original paint under
these ... despite many complete and sketchy paint jobs.
Someone was hiding a black 73 at Mt Wachusett near me in MA ...
could it be another ??? Nah, it was originally med metallic blue.
It figures, the batteries in my camera are dead, I'll get a pic of the "spec" tag for you. I have black paint under the sills, Carpet and under the trim tag I took off.
Does anyone think a special colour makes a car worth more? The reason I’m asking is I have been into British cars for so long colour didn’t make much difference as long a the car looked good. I know what you guys are thinking, but hey I had E Type Jaguars. You can’t get a car much more beautiful than that. Anyway I have seen the light and come back to American sports cars. I have this C3 and am looking for a C1.
I read somewhere that several cars were painted black for a dealer in the midwest. VIN 5492 has SPEC on the trim tag and 'to be painted black' on the build sheet. The car was shipped to a dealer in Iowa.
Can you post the last five numbers of the VIN for me. Also can you access the build sheet?
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