paint

[Dr. Dennis M. Szal]

I've received a number of great replies to my paint color question. But according to my national corvette restorers society manual if the car body was ermine white the cove color had to be santeen silver. One reply I got was that 2/3rds of all white corvettes in 1960 were totally white, and 1/3 were white/silver. But according to my NCRS manual there is no mention of a totally white body. Any ideas?

[Kent K.]

Re: paint

Dennis - Per the Corvette Black Book, 3,717 1960 Corvettes were painted Ermine White and the breakdown for RPO, Satine Silver coves, was 383. Percentage wise, only about 10.3% of the 1960 Corvettes that were painted Ermine White, also received the Satine Silver coves. FWIW - and as an observation, today we see more '56 to '61 Corvettes painted with the optioned color coves percentage wise than the percentages produced. Good luck with your restoration. Kent #6201

[Mike E.]

Re: paint

You're reading the manual incorrectly--silver is the only contrasting-cove color that is correct. The majority were solid white--the colored cove was an extra-cost option.

[Larry P.]

Re: paint

I agree. I agreed with you on a previous post, thinking in terms of contrast only. Your markings indicate that your car was white. If you want it correct and you paint it white you have a choice of (510A)white or (515B) silver coves. Paint it the colors you want. There is nothing on a 60 that will nake the car incorrect if you use colors that were available. It's your car and you should paint it the colors you like.
Larry

[Jack H.]

Re: paint

In any given year, Chevy marketing phamphlets and dealer order forms provided selection(s) based on 'recommended' color combinations. However, (stop me if I'm wrong guys) the policy has always been to allow buyers any/all combinations of existing colors without requiring a COPO (central office production order) release IF/WHEN a given buyer requested a deviation from 'recommendations'....

Now, on the judging field, we go by 'typical' factory production standards and cars that differ from 'typical' construct place the burden of proof upon the owner.... Umpteen years down the ownership chain, this can be a tremendous burden of proof issue!

At the NCRS National in Galveston, we were addressed by Chevy's Corvette brand manager. One in our 'flock' was an NCRS member from the UK. He returned to England and promptly ordered ('tried' to order) a C5 with a color combination that was outside the 'recommended' list: Electron Blue exterior paint, Torch Red interior and White convertible soft top. LEGIONS of clerics in the UK and on the Continent told him that was an 'impossible' build configuration....

He was persistent (heck he heard from the horse's mouth and had the US sales brochures that confirmed you CAN have it your way), and eventually succeeded in getting his 'Union Jack' colored Corvette built and shipped through the system!!! Gotta figure it was true back then too, BUT the burden of proof will be on you, the owner, to justify deviation(s) from 'typical' factory production....

[Larry P.]

Re: paint

You're jogging my memory.
In the late 50's early 60's it was more commen then not to order a car with your specific options and wait a few weeks. If you think about it, back then, when you asked for just about anything, you never heard "We can't do that". It was more like "we will see what we can do".
It was a differant world.

[Dr. Dennis M. Szal]

Re: paint

Perhaps that's why my cover is painted red?