Original Paint?

[John K.]

Is there a way to tell whether the paint on my '66 is the original paint job?
I am second owner for 25 years, and have no reason to believe original owner had re-painted .....other than a front fender accident in 70's.
There are some chipped areas which reveals underlying layers .....if this helps.

[Chris E.]

Re: Original Paint?

One way to tell would be to look on various parts for overspray that shouldn't be there.

For example, I found traces of body color on the hood latch support plates, the undersides of the bumpers, various trim pieces (like the convertible top decklid trim piece), etc.

Finding stuff like this will tell you if it has been repainted by someone who didn't completely mask things off. However, if they did a fantastic job of masking, the evidence will be really hard to see unless you start taking the car apart.