Help me pick new paint
#1
Race Director
Thread Starter
Help me pick new paint
Looking for pics and suggestions. Here's my '81 as it sat right after I got it about 3 years ago. It needs a total repaint, so going with a new color is an option.
It was originally a two tone light/dark maroon car (trim tag shows three exterior colors, no idea about that) with a red interior.
What exteriors go well with a red interior? I'm especially biased toward black cars. This won't be getting too dirty, so it will always look good.
Other options that I have though of were a light charcoal grey, or just go with red on red. Not a big of white on the 80-82's.
What do you think?
It was originally a two tone light/dark maroon car (trim tag shows three exterior colors, no idea about that) with a red interior.
What exteriors go well with a red interior? I'm especially biased toward black cars. This won't be getting too dirty, so it will always look good.
Other options that I have though of were a light charcoal grey, or just go with red on red. Not a big of white on the 80-82's.
What do you think?
Last edited by nate99; 03-03-2011 at 11:47 AM.
#2
Burning Brakes
Nate, I'm in the same place. It's time for paint, here's mine when I got it, I've got red interior too:
I've got an L88 hood on now:
I'm leaning towards black with some red pearl in it, and maybe some small ghost flames (gold pearl with red candy top coat under the black) off the hood and side vents, and maybe and a couple small "Jake Skulls" ghosted too. I also like the new GM color "Black Granite" on a friends new Silverado. Some of the new maroons look good too. You might also look at the new Harley Davidson colors...
I've got an L88 hood on now:
I'm leaning towards black with some red pearl in it, and maybe some small ghost flames (gold pearl with red candy top coat under the black) off the hood and side vents, and maybe and a couple small "Jake Skulls" ghosted too. I also like the new GM color "Black Granite" on a friends new Silverado. Some of the new maroons look good too. You might also look at the new Harley Davidson colors...
#3
Race Director
What exteriors go well with a red interior? I'm especially biased toward black cars. This won't be getting too dirty, so it will always look good.
Other options that I have though of were a light charcoal grey, or just go with red on red. Not a big of white on the 80-82's.
What do you think?
Other options that I have though of were a light charcoal grey, or just go with red on red. Not a big of white on the 80-82's.
What do you think?
I love charcoal on the 80-82 body (might be because I have a charcoal 81) and I had seen one with a red interior once, but this was a St. Louis car. You could order a St. Louis 81 in charcoal with a red interior. The St. Louis red interior was a slightly lighter/brighter red. When production switched to Bowling Green, the charcoal and red combination was removed from the recommended color combinations. This was probably because the red being used at BG was darker.
A lighter charcoal, something like 1970's Laguna Gray, might look good with the red. 71-72 Steel Cities Gray is one of the best colors ever put on a Corvette, but it has a green tint to it that wouldn't work well with the red interior. Cadillac offers a beautiful charcoal on the new CTS, It's one of their ChromaFlair colors "Thunder Gray", it's worth looking at, but again it might be a little dark to use with the red. With all the silvers and charcoals offered today, especially on foreign cars, you should be able to find something to work.
What about a solid (not metallic) light to medium gray, something like a Dove Gray? Chevrolet had a very nice solid gray in 1980, it was paint code 85 Gray. It was offered on the Caprice/Impala, Monte Carlo/Malibu, Citation, Monza and Chevette. In the end, it might look a little like white with red, but this combination would still be different, than what just about anyone else has.
Last edited by gbvette62; 03-03-2011 at 10:07 AM.
#4
Race Director
Thread Starter
If the car was originally medium red metallic over dark red metallic, the trim tag was coded 80I 98L 98U. This is typical of all Bowling Green trim tags. If it had been a solid color car, say all dark red metallic, it would show the paint code as 80I 80L 80U.
If the 81 had a bright red interior, I'd say try a dark blue for someting really different. I know it sounds a little strange, but it can look good with the right shade of colors. I know a guy with a 64 convertible painted Daytona Blue (Daytona is almost black) with a red interior, and it's striking. I think the 81 Bowling Green red interior may be a little too dark, to work well with dark blue.
I love charcoal on the 80-82 body (might be because I have a charcoal 81) and I had seen one with a red interior once, but this was a St. Louis car. You could order a St. Louis 81 in charcoal with a red interior. The St. Louis red interior was a slightly lighter/brighter red. When production switched to Bowling Green, the charcoal and red combination was removed from the recommended color combinations. This was probably because the red being used at BG was darker.
A lighter charcoal, something like 1970's Laguna Gray, might look good with the red. 71-72 Steel Cities Gray is one of the best colors ever put on a Corvette, but it has a green tint to it that wouldn't work well with the red interior. Cadillac offers a beautiful charcoal on the new CTS, It's one of their ChromaFlair colors "Thunder Gray", it's worth looking at, but again it might be a little dark to use with the red. With all the silvers and charcoals offered today, especially on foreign cars, you should be able to find something to work.
What about a solid (not metallic) light to medium gray, something like a Dove Gray? Chevrolet had a very nice solid gray in 1980, it was paint code 85 Gray. It was offered on the Caprice/Impala, Monte Carlo/Malibu, Citation, Monza and Chevette. In the end, it might look a little like white with red, but this combination would still be different, than what just about anyone else has.
If the 81 had a bright red interior, I'd say try a dark blue for someting really different. I know it sounds a little strange, but it can look good with the right shade of colors. I know a guy with a 64 convertible painted Daytona Blue (Daytona is almost black) with a red interior, and it's striking. I think the 81 Bowling Green red interior may be a little too dark, to work well with dark blue.
I love charcoal on the 80-82 body (might be because I have a charcoal 81) and I had seen one with a red interior once, but this was a St. Louis car. You could order a St. Louis 81 in charcoal with a red interior. The St. Louis red interior was a slightly lighter/brighter red. When production switched to Bowling Green, the charcoal and red combination was removed from the recommended color combinations. This was probably because the red being used at BG was darker.
A lighter charcoal, something like 1970's Laguna Gray, might look good with the red. 71-72 Steel Cities Gray is one of the best colors ever put on a Corvette, but it has a green tint to it that wouldn't work well with the red interior. Cadillac offers a beautiful charcoal on the new CTS, It's one of their ChromaFlair colors "Thunder Gray", it's worth looking at, but again it might be a little dark to use with the red. With all the silvers and charcoals offered today, especially on foreign cars, you should be able to find something to work.
What about a solid (not metallic) light to medium gray, something like a Dove Gray? Chevrolet had a very nice solid gray in 1980, it was paint code 85 Gray. It was offered on the Caprice/Impala, Monte Carlo/Malibu, Citation, Monza and Chevette. In the end, it might look a little like white with red, but this combination would still be different, than what just about anyone else has.
Also, I couldn't figure why the interior looked darker, but there wasn't a corresponding color in the catalogs and whatnot that looked just right, this being Bowling Green red not St. Louis red, so thanks for that info as well. I actually just ordered my replacement interior, so we'll see what it looks like when it shows up. The trim panels and other stuff that will be reused need to be re-dyed in any case, so that's not an issue.
Does the Dove Gray look like this?
#5
Race Director
The red you need to order would be the 82 red. Unfortunetlely, not all vendors list, or even know that there are, 2 different reds for 81.
It's a little hard to say if the Chevette is painted the 1980 gray. It appears that it may be a metallic finish in the photo, though.
Here is the 80 gray as it appears in the 1980 Chevrolet dealer color folder. That charcoal shown above it, was only available as a solid color on the Camaro in 80, but was used as a two-tone accent color on most other 80 Chevrolet car lines.
By the way, where the heck did you get a picture of a Chevette?
I don't know if I can top a picture of a Chevette, but here is a 1980 Citation in the code 85 Gray, two-toned with the charcoal lower.
It's a little hard to say if the Chevette is painted the 1980 gray. It appears that it may be a metallic finish in the photo, though.
Here is the 80 gray as it appears in the 1980 Chevrolet dealer color folder. That charcoal shown above it, was only available as a solid color on the Camaro in 80, but was used as a two-tone accent color on most other 80 Chevrolet car lines.
By the way, where the heck did you get a picture of a Chevette?
I don't know if I can top a picture of a Chevette, but here is a 1980 Citation in the code 85 Gray, two-toned with the charcoal lower.
#6
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This one happens to be silver over dark blue. 33L indicates silver on the body below the belt line; 33U indicates silver on the body above the belt line. As we see it, this car was one color - silver all over - but GM continued with the L and U codes. 38N indicates the second color to be applied on the lower surfaces of the car after it had been painted silver.
Speculation is the E probably stands for enamel to remind dealers/repairmen the paint was BC/CC enamel and not the acrylic lacquer which had been used through the 1980 model year.
#7
Race Director
Thread Starter
My trim tag looks like this:
B 07A 101005
741 80L 80U 98N E
CHEVROLET
The 741 might be 74I, not sure about that. Thr exterior codes make sense given that they might first paint the whole car the upper color and then follow up with the darker lower coat over the bottom portion.
B 07A 101005
741 80L 80U 98N E
CHEVROLET
The 741 might be 74I, not sure about that. Thr exterior codes make sense given that they might first paint the whole car the upper color and then follow up with the darker lower coat over the bottom portion.
#8
Race Director
Thread Starter
The red you need to order would be the 82 red. Unfortunetlely, not all vendors list, or even know that there are, 2 different reds for 81.
It's a little hard to say if the Chevette is painted the 1980 gray. It appears that it may be a metallic finish in the photo, though.
Here is the 80 gray as it appears in the 1980 Chevrolet dealer color folder. That charcoal shown above it, was only available as a solid color on the Camaro in 80, but was used as a two-tone accent color on most other 80 Chevrolet car lines.
By the way, where the heck did you get a picture of a Chevette?
I don't know if I can top a picture of a Chevette, but here is a 1980 Citation in the code 85 Gray, two-toned with the charcoal lower.
It's a little hard to say if the Chevette is painted the 1980 gray. It appears that it may be a metallic finish in the photo, though.
Here is the 80 gray as it appears in the 1980 Chevrolet dealer color folder. That charcoal shown above it, was only available as a solid color on the Camaro in 80, but was used as a two-tone accent color on most other 80 Chevrolet car lines.
By the way, where the heck did you get a picture of a Chevette?
I don't know if I can top a picture of a Chevette, but here is a 1980 Citation in the code 85 Gray, two-toned with the charcoal lower.
I have to say I am really liking the non metallic charcoal color.
This one is larryg3's, paint code 39 out of BG
The Chevette has a wikipedia page, sadly keeping the world from forgetting it ever existed.
Last edited by nate99; 03-03-2011 at 02:34 PM.
#9
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My trim tag looks like this:
B 07A 101005
741 80L 80U 98N E
CHEVROLET
The 741 might be 74I, not sure about that. Thr exterior codes make sense given that they might first paint the whole car the upper color and then follow up with the darker lower coat over the bottom portion.
B 07A 101005
741 80L 80U 98N E
CHEVROLET
The 741 might be 74I, not sure about that. Thr exterior codes make sense given that they might first paint the whole car the upper color and then follow up with the darker lower coat over the bottom portion.
07A is July, first week (A)
741 could also be 74I for dark red leather
80U and 80L Autumn red
98N dark claret
#11
Race Director
Thread Starter
Thanks Mike, though i suppose I'm now rendering the information on the trim tag moot, it's interesting to know what it looked like out of the factory.
#12
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#13
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#15
Race Director
If your car had been a St. Louis 81, the red interior would be 752 for Medium Red Leather. Red was only available in leather, on St. Louis 81's.
Below is my Bowling Green 81. It is the code 39 Charcoal Metallic, with trim code 13I Slate Gray (sometimes called Silver Gray) Leather. We bought it new, it's unrestored with 44,000 miles and has recieved an NCRS Top Flight.
#16
Race Director
Thread Starter
Thanks gb, another strong case for the charcoal, though after looking at larry's car above, I didn't realize that it was a metallic paint. I'm not against metallics as a matter of course, but for some reason, I'm leaning toward a non-metallic with a nice clear coat.
Given the basket case that my car is at the moment, it's great to see pictures of the ones in good shape. A helpful motivator of what is to come.
It looks like I will be getting the 752 color interior in any case.
Given the basket case that my car is at the moment, it's great to see pictures of the ones in good shape. A helpful motivator of what is to come.
It looks like I will be getting the 752 color interior in any case.
#19
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2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
I vote on a metallic gray....but then again I'm kinda partial....mine is spiral gray metallic....factory color on the c5 vettes....search the c5 section for spiral gray in the titles. I dont have any real good pictures of my car in the sun yet....the metallic looks great when the sun is on it. Signature picture was an overcast/cloudy day. My photobucket link has more pictures if you need.