Paint process during production - Mid year cars

[Anthony S.]

During manufacture, did a 'small group' of cars all having sequental serial numbers get the same color paint, or was the paint color totally different from serial number to serial number? Are there any known changes to the paint process that would have occurred during the year (either early, mid-way, or during late production times)? Thanks...

[Joel F.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

Anthony,

I do not know for a fact that colors were not batched, but if you look at the production line photos in Noland's book and elsewhere, you will see lots of colors on cars next to each other at various points on the line. Additionally, here is at least one shot of cars in the paint booth and they are not the same color (pg 33).

I hope this helps!

Joel

[Michael D.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

I've always understood they were painted "as ordered." Just the same, you could have had three red cars in a row and the job numbers could have been consecutive. Coincidence, not batching.

[Steven B.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

I have a late '56 build Polo White, verified original color. The car built right after mine is purported to have the original color, Venetian Red, and a car built less than ten before mine was repored as original Cascade Green. I also have seen pictures of the mid year lines with alternating colors also so it must have been standard procedure from the beginning----except '53.

[John D.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

There was a Restorer article some ago years ago with the 1967 model year VIN's of the October built Shriner cars which were all white. My 67 built in the middle of that range (non Shriner) was also white. So there must have been some batch painting as practical.

[Clem Z.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

my 62 was painted a non corvette color,GM anniversary gold and it arrived at the dealership 14 days from the day it was ordered. i guess they painted in any order they felt like.

[Roy B.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

When SACE held it's Convention back east many years ago we were lucky to meet a couple of painter from the start of the corvette till the late C3's and were told that in the paint both a number of hoses having different colors hung down and by the work order they just grabed the color hose needed. He told use a story of one of the painter that was color blind that worked on the right side and only he was told not to tell others that it was between green and blue, then later as a joke the painter changed the hose on him which he ( color blind) new which hoes was each color. Then when a 67 came in the painter told the (color blind guy the order said blue) and not knowing the hoes were changed painted his side green . Then when it left the both half blue and green every one had a big laugh . They also told us they would paint a Corvette any color if a dealer had a customer wonting it and they also saw many Corvette go out the door with no color as ordered from a dealer.

[John H.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

In the midyear era, production scheduling was driven primarily by style and option work content per car in the Body Shop, Trim, Chassis, and Final Assembly rather than any consideration for the amount of purge thinner sprayed through the floor grates for each color change.

The Corvette Paint Shop was incredibly primitive, even in its day.

[Wayne M.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

I vote random, as mentioned by others (referring to Ionia photos in the Restorer). Even the 15 or so Shriner cars that were the same colors were not sequential VIN #'s.

The 4 last '65's were red (VIN 23560), blue (561), unknown (562), Maroon (563) and Yellow (564). Excepting the body style of # 561, the other known three are convertibles.

But 40 years ago I did own a '66 coupe (Nassau on dark blue vinyl) # 04166 [L36, T.I.] The car in front of it on the assembly line (# 04165) was also a coupe with the same paint and interior [C60]. This latter car (which popped up on eBay) had an A-body. Alas, I wasn't "into" trim tags back in 1969 on what was only my second car, so I couldn't tell you if it was S- or A-body.

[Alan S.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

Hi,
Since A.O. Smith bodies were built and then 'banked' after arrival at St. Louis till the color/interior was needed, were those bodies painted in groups of colors?
Regards,
Alan

[Roy B.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

No

[John H.]

Re: Paint process during production - Mid year cars

Hi,
Since A.O. Smith bodies were built and then 'banked' after arrival at St. Louis till the color/interior was needed, were those bodies painted in groups of colors?
Regards,
Alan

Alan -

Without comparing piles of sequential AOS trim tags by style and body number and color, we'll probably never know; AOS got their production schedule from St. Louis after the orders were accepted by the plant, so they probably operated pretty much on the same basis St. Louis did.