Original color blues
Thread Starter
Florida turtle advocate
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 4,280
Likes: 6
From: Gulfcoast Salvage Englewood, Fla
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
Original color blues
I'm on my second C3 the first was a low mile numbers matching 68 vert bb 4 speed, I had no choice but to repaint with original corvette bronze
...OK now I have this Awful(has to go) purple 71 coupe bb 4 sp car with small block now it's original color is war bonnet yellow( sounds cool but looks ) SO...Am I better off to put something like sunflower yellow so it's close or just go with something cool like red??? Interior is black so my options are open..
...OK now I have this Awful(has to go) purple 71 coupe bb 4 sp car with small block now it's original color is war bonnet yellow( sounds cool but looks ) SO...Am I better off to put something like sunflower yellow so it's close or just go with something cool like red??? Interior is black so my options are open..
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,026
Likes: 3,343
From: Omaha NE
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
I usually say go with what you like on this one....
But I think you did the right thing the first time......
But I think you did the right thing the first time......
Thread Starter
Florida turtle advocate
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 4,280
Likes: 6
From: Gulfcoast Salvage Englewood, Fla
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
That's the problem.. I always end up selling sooner or later.. All I know is that the purple sucks and the WB yellow looks like it should be on a minivan..This car is not that original that I'm stuck with the ugly stock color like the 68(That one had the ugly burnt orange interior too)
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,026
Likes: 3,343
From: Omaha NE
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Ya know, this is definitely one time that going from purple to war bonnet yellow would be an improvement, no question....
Everybody likes red. Resale red, Corvette red, redheads.........
..
Everybody likes red. Resale red, Corvette red, redheads.........
..
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,353
Likes: 72
From: Graceland in a Not Correctly Restored Stingray
IMHO absolute correctness is a bit overrated when it comes to the "run-of-the-mill" C3. The value derived from the ownership experience can most certainly be influenced by one's satisfaction level with such significant items as paint color. Unless you have a truly collectible specimen and you intend on relieving some fat wallet speculator of his money any time soon, you needn't be so anxious over exercising your freedom to change the color for something you find preferable, including modern paints.
Should you find yourself putting it on the market down the road, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that having a good color is more important to many a perspective buyer than having the correct color. Case in point: I wouldn't have looked twice at the '69 L71 I once owned had it been correctly Riverside Gold. Not that there's anything wrong with gold; it just doesn't suit my tastes. Bottom line: most of us own these things for our own enjoyment, so enjoy...
TSW
Should you find yourself putting it on the market down the road, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that having a good color is more important to many a perspective buyer than having the correct color. Case in point: I wouldn't have looked twice at the '69 L71 I once owned had it been correctly Riverside Gold. Not that there's anything wrong with gold; it just doesn't suit my tastes. Bottom line: most of us own these things for our own enjoyment, so enjoy...
TSW
Thread Starter
Florida turtle advocate
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 4,280
Likes: 6
From: Gulfcoast Salvage Englewood, Fla
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
If I was sure I was gonna keep it
I might go with Hugger orange like I did on my C4.. But I want to keep my options open. How about white??
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,026
Likes: 3,343
From: Omaha NE
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,353
Likes: 72
From: Graceland in a Not Correctly Restored Stingray
Thread Starter
Florida turtle advocate
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 4,280
Likes: 6
From: Gulfcoast Salvage Englewood, Fla
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
Kind of a cross between "Ghetto" and "Trailer park" purple.. Looks OK on an old mopar ONLY if it came that way or was some crappy gold or brown color.Does not belong on a stingray. I'm just trying to come up with a choice that I can live with as well as keeping my resale option open..I'm thinking it's down to white,red or yellow.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,259
Likes: 2
From: MS
White looks great on 70-72 but many buyers would rather have the correct WBY rather than the incorrect white. Can't go wrong with red and I agree with skunkworks in post 7. For every person that will only buy a correct color car, there is another one that will buy a red corvette and don't think there is a price deduct for this type of buyer. Since you like red, I think it is your best bet. If your gonna change colors, at least go with a color that most like, red.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 6,400
Likes: 1,226
From: Tampa Florida
Good point! When the Prowler came out I loved the purple color and was ready to buy one. Chrysler/Plymouth refused to sell me a Prowler for sticker price...I tried 3 times.
They said they don't need my business because they sell too many cars and make a lot of money. Screw you Chrysler.
If I were you I would paint it black. It looks like the interior is black and with that hood it would look great! Second choice, red.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 23,419
Likes: 22
From: In limbo
St. Jude Donor '13-'15, '17 thru '22
That's the problem.. I always end up selling sooner or later.. All I know is that the purple sucks and the WB yellow looks like it should be on a minivan..This car is not that original that I'm stuck with the ugly stock color like the 68(That one had the ugly burnt orange interior too) 
Anyway, if the thing was originally a bb car and now has a small block in it, I am guessing that NCRS judging does not interest you. Once you get over that hurdle, the "correct color" thing doesn't mean squat. Paint it whatever color you like and enjoy driving it.
A couple comments on colors:
1. That purple isn't bad IMO. I wouldn't want to drive a car that was that color, but if my wife said she wanted her car purple, that looks like a nice shade.
2. War Bonnet Yellow is a cool color. I'm not sure if I had ever seen one in person until Carlisle last year, and they were very cool. Looked very yellow in some light, other conditions it looked a very nice gold. Pictures do not do that color justice, so I would recommend seeing one in person before writing that color completely off. Kind of like Steel Cities Grey, it can look grey, silver or even green depending on the light conditions, and it is difficult or impossible to capture all of that in a picture.
3. Sunflower Yellow: not making any connections in my brain. I never liked the "washed out" yellows like Daytona Yellow, but the bright ones are cool.
4. Black always looks good on a C3 IMO.
Have fun!
Instructor
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 154
Likes: 3
From: Indiana
Well now it's starting to look like a vote for the new color. With black interior you can go in any direction. If you must change the color (and I am not saying you should) I would go with Red (looks fast), Black (everyone likes black but hard to make it "look" clean) or blue (my personal favorite)
