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Determining Original Color

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Old Dec 28, 2013 | 04:26 PM
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Default Determining Original Color

My '68 is green with no trim tag or build sheet. I have paperwork showing it was blue in 1990 and today I removed part of the carpet and found maroon on the floor and console area. One of the pictures shows repair work in the footwell that has maroon paint on it so I don't know if that would be original either. What was the process for painting? (before or after wiring etc...) Is there somewhere I could look for possible original overspray? Thanks.



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Old Dec 28, 2013 | 04:35 PM
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The experts will soon weight in....until then, I don't think your dimmer pedal should have paint on it, it looks like there is a fiberglass repair under the maroon paint. The paint also shouldn't be so high or dark on the tunnel. With this info, I would think it at least has a marron repaint.

Try removing some trim pieces, you should see some original paint, you'll know it when you see it!

Kevin
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Old Dec 28, 2013 | 06:18 PM
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If the repaint was done correctly, finding evidence of the original color could prove to be very difficult.

If a less than careful job was done, you may find overspray in and around the rain gutters under the hood and on the fender skirts. You can pull a rocker panel and look for overspray on the frame. You can R&R the wheel wells. I've seen suspension pieces with exterior color on them.

I found the original Silverstone Silver on my 68 behind a tail light.

Tan/saddle was not an available color for 68 at the beginning of the model year. No one is quite certain when it became available. There was no custom interior trim package until 1970, so your door panels and carpet are not 68. Ditto for the console trim plate; it's a later year.

Sorry Too Slow, but a PO has not done you any favors.

Good luck.

Last edited by Easy Mike; Dec 28, 2013 at 06:26 PM.
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Old Dec 28, 2013 | 06:37 PM
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I've never seen original paint that covered the centre tunnel to that degree.

Somebody wen to a lot of trouble to cover it up or was just sloppy.
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Old Dec 28, 2013 | 08:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Easy Mike
If the repaint was done correctly, finding evidence of the original color could prove to be very difficult.

If a less than careful job was done, you may find overspray in and around the rain gutters under the hood and on the fender skirts. You can pull a rocker panel and look for overspray on the frame. You can R&R the wheel wells. I've seen suspension pieces with exterior color on them.

I found the original Silverstone Silver on my 68 behind a tail light.

Tan/saddle was not an available color for 68 at the beginning of the model year. No one is quite certain when it became available. There was no custom interior trim package until 1970, so your door panels and carpet are not 68. Ditto for the console trim plate; it's a later year.

Sorry Too Slow, but a PO has not done you any favors.

Good luck.

I knew most of the wrong things when I bought it but it was cheap and should be a fun project. I sold my last C2 because I was afraid to alter a numbers matching car. This one...not so much!
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Old Dec 28, 2013 | 08:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike Ward
I've never seen original paint that covered the centre tunnel to that degree.

Somebody wen to a lot of trouble to cover it up or was just sloppy.
I have a folder full of receipts for parts. It's had a hard life and I would bet someone was trying to cover up something.
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Old Dec 28, 2013 | 11:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike Ward
I've never seen original paint that covered the centre tunnel to that degree.

Somebody wen to a lot of trouble to cover it up or was just sloppy.

I sure have. My 72 has the factory green paint all over the trans tunnel, the firewall, the back wall behind the seats etc. all factory crayon marks were clearly on top of the overspray. This is pretty much how they sprayed the cars I built back on an auto assembly line in the 70's too. Not much was masked off. Spray the body and whatever wasn't covered up got painted. Try removing your stainless t top trim, unless it too was removed for a repaint it may be the same maroon color.
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Old Dec 29, 2013 | 06:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Sunstroked
I sure have. My 72 has the factory green paint all over the trans tunnel, the firewall, the back wall behind the seats etc. all factory crayon marks were clearly on top of the overspray. This is pretty much how they sprayed the cars I built back on an auto assembly line in the 70's too. Not much was masked off. Spray the body and whatever wasn't covered up got painted. Try removing your stainless t top trim, unless it too was removed for a repaint it may be the same maroon color.
Were the cars wired and then painted? There may be a few spots where the wire has overspray.
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Old Dec 29, 2013 | 10:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Too Slow '90
...Were the cars wired and then painted? There may be a few spots where the wire has overspray...
No. Bare body assemblies with doors, hood, headlights buckets, and t-tops were painted, then went through blackout. No other parts were on the car at time of paint.

Paint Shop at St. Louis:


The car in the foreground will get the optional glass tops.


Last edited by Easy Mike; Dec 29, 2013 at 10:49 AM.
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Old Dec 29, 2013 | 07:30 PM
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Default Original Paint

Originally Posted by Too Slow '90
My '68 is green with no trim tag or build sheet. I have paperwork showing it was blue in 1990 and today I removed part of the carpet and found maroon on the floor and console area. One of the pictures shows repair work in the footwell that has maroon paint on it so I don't know if that would be original either. What was the process for painting? (before or after wiring etc...) Is there somewhere I could look for possible original overspray? Thanks.



On my one owner '72 the tee tops were crayon marked on the inside bottom of the fiberglass with the last three digits of the VIN. If yours tops are original I'd inspect them for color.
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Old Jan 1, 2014 | 01:56 PM
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Originally Posted by kjbuster1
On my one owner '72 the tee tops were crayon marked on the inside bottom of the fiberglass with the last three digits of the VIN. If yours tops are original I'd inspect them for color.

Thanks. I should have said mine is a roadster.
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Old Jan 1, 2014 | 02:09 PM
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Look at the door springs, should see factory overspray on the hinges if they have not been replaced and this will give you an idea of the correct color.
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Old Jan 2, 2014 | 10:07 PM
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Taking mine down for paint was pretty interesting.We took off gold, then red, then gold again. Under the key locks we found a single coat of original black paint. Like yours, no trim tag. The interior was gun metal gray. Got to be a bit of a sleuth to determine the original.
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Old Jan 2, 2014 | 10:56 PM
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When I was resealing the wiper bay on my 72, and I used some acetone to clean it up, I found original paint under the original blackout.
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Old Jan 3, 2014 | 06:38 AM
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When I took out my rusted radiator core support, I found overspray for the dark red the car came from the factory with. As you can see, it is now black, and I have not found any other remnants of the dark red anywhere else.

John
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