1981 C3 paint code 28
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Joined: Sep 2024
Posts: 122
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From: Loudon Tn
1981 C3 paint code 28
Ok guys this vette project took another twist tonight and I need alot of advice
I pulled the paint trim tag off the car tonight because it had thick burgundy paint on it..cleaned it off and it says paint was 28L with a code 29 interior
So I researched this beast and out of 40k or so 81 Vettes only 2400 were blue .
Google says this is the rarest of the 81s
What do you think .should I restore her as new? The interior has been changed from blue to black
Is this car valuable?
I pulled the paint trim tag off the car tonight because it had thick burgundy paint on it..cleaned it off and it says paint was 28L with a code 29 interior
So I researched this beast and out of 40k or so 81 Vettes only 2400 were blue .
Google says this is the rarest of the 81s
What do you think .should I restore her as new? The interior has been changed from blue to black
Is this car valuable?
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 12,680
Likes: 3,134
From: Shamong, NJ
I don't know were you found your numbers, but Code 28 Dark Blue Metallic is far from the rarest color in 81. Sorry.
There were 2522 Dark Blue 81's built, but there were only 1618 code 84 Maroon Metallic 81's, 1092 code 06 Mahogany 81's, and 1031 code 52 Yellow 81's built. There was also one code 24 Bright Blue Metallic 81, but this was a pre-production, pilot line car that was never released to the public. Also, those numbers don't include 81's built at Bowling Green, only St Louis built cars. I don't have numbers for the Bowling Green 81's available, but most if not all Bowling Green colors were built in fewer numbers than St Louis colors. Bowling Green built 8996 81's, 5352 were painted in one of four available two tone color combinations and 3644 were painted in one of seven available solid colors. I think all of the solid colored Bowling Green cars were produced in fewer numbers than the St Louis code 28 Dark Blue, and most if not all of the two tones are rarer too.
If the rest of the car is untouched and all original, then it might be worth repainting it in the original Dark Blue, otherwise I'd say do with it what you want. There are still quite a few clean original 81's out there that can demand some good prices, but I'd find it hard to justify spending the kind of money it would take to strip and properly repaint ($15,000-$20,000) the average 81. If the interior needs to be redone or if it's color has been changed from original, you can figure another $7,500+ to do a complete interior replacement (I quoted an interior for an 81 yesterday, and the parts needed without labor came to $4800).
There were 2522 Dark Blue 81's built, but there were only 1618 code 84 Maroon Metallic 81's, 1092 code 06 Mahogany 81's, and 1031 code 52 Yellow 81's built. There was also one code 24 Bright Blue Metallic 81, but this was a pre-production, pilot line car that was never released to the public. Also, those numbers don't include 81's built at Bowling Green, only St Louis built cars. I don't have numbers for the Bowling Green 81's available, but most if not all Bowling Green colors were built in fewer numbers than St Louis colors. Bowling Green built 8996 81's, 5352 were painted in one of four available two tone color combinations and 3644 were painted in one of seven available solid colors. I think all of the solid colored Bowling Green cars were produced in fewer numbers than the St Louis code 28 Dark Blue, and most if not all of the two tones are rarer too.
If the rest of the car is untouched and all original, then it might be worth repainting it in the original Dark Blue, otherwise I'd say do with it what you want. There are still quite a few clean original 81's out there that can demand some good prices, but I'd find it hard to justify spending the kind of money it would take to strip and properly repaint ($15,000-$20,000) the average 81. If the interior needs to be redone or if it's color has been changed from original, you can figure another $7,500+ to do a complete interior replacement (I quoted an interior for an 81 yesterday, and the parts needed without labor came to $4800).
