Special Paint Codes Found To Date 

 

The 1970 model year seems to be a popular year for RPO ZP3, special paint. Although not limited to the 1970 model year, maybe just more have been found since build sheets often show the option. Special paint has been found on all years of Chevelles from at least 1964 through 1972.

 

RPO ZP3 was basically used to choose any color form the DuPont color catalog, or a customer's own color, typically for a fleet of vehicles like state/county/city vehicles or a government entity like the U.S. Forestry Service. Savvy car buyers in the know, got wind of the ZP3 option and jumped in to get their cars factory painted in a unique/different color to set them apart from the crowd.

 

Some plants would typically put a dash, or hyphen, character on the trim tag to denote a special paint car; either just in lieu of the lower body paint color for a convertible or vinyl-top equipped car or in both lower and upper locations for a solid color. Some plants actually used the DuPont mixing formula on the trim tag such as 926-76248, 926-99568, 926-98371, 926-97249, 927-98457, and 927-99918. The first three digit number indicates a non-metallic color (9260 or a metallic color (927). The last five digits are the DuPont mixing formula. One must also remember the color is noted as a base color and not it's 'Sales Name' such as orange vs. Hugger Orange or yellow vs. Daytona Yellow or Sebring Yellow.

 

Some colors found so far:

 

926-27153 - Unknown color found on a 1970 Van Nuys El Camino trim tag. A close match is a 1958 GM paint color of 'Spray Green' and appears to be a close match.

 

926-93253 - Orange

926-97249 - Red
926-98371 - Light Blue (1969*)
926-96881 - Light Blue (1970 Atlanta)
926-98371 - Light Blue - 1971-1972 & 1970 Baltimore*
926-99539 - Orange - similar to Pontiac Carousel Red
926-99568 - Yellow (1969 code 76, Daytona Yellow - 1970 Olds Sebring Yellow - 1970 Chevelle RPO 944)

926-99616 - Orange (1969 code 72, Hugger/Monaco Orange - 1970 RPO 954)

 

927-98457 - 1970 Tricentennial Gold

927-99593 - Metallic Blue (1969 code 71, LeMans Blue)

927-99846 - Citrus Green (1970 code 43, Citrus Green release in the spring of 1970)

927-99818 - Aqua

927-AF017 - Mulsanne Blue (1970 Camaro & Corvette - found on Van Nuys Chevelle)

 

Note on this 1969 paint chart the page code in column one (as shown on a trim tag), the color name is the model's 'Sales Name,' and the various OEM supplier's color codes.

 

Build sheet would annotate a ZP3 special paint code and show the particular DuPont mixing formula code or just the Fleet & Special Order (F&SO) number with no paint color noted as per the plant's SOP.

 

* There seems to be two paint codes attributed to 'Carolina Blue.' The DuPont mixing formula 926-98371 has been found on 1969, 1971 and 1972 Chevelles while 926-96881 is found on 1970 and 1971 sheets. It's known that code 926-96881 is found on a 1970 build sheet and color is simply listed as "Blue Acrylic Lacquer" but no mention of 'Carolina Blue' specifically. A 1972 build sheet does show the wording CAROLINA BLUE but the mixing formula itself is obscured.

 

Matching wheels could also be ordered painted with the first 3 digits being 766 and 767 for non-metallic/metallic followed by the same 5 digit number for the body. As more colors are discovered, they'll be posted here.

 

Depending on the assembly plant a special order paint would show the DuPont mixing formula as above, some plants would show two dash characters or the paint code area simply left blank. The mixing formula would be designated on the build sheet. Special order paint had to be approved by the Fleet & Special Order section of Chevrolet. Special order paint could be any color available by any automotive paint manufacturer except Cadillac Firemist colors due to the coarseness of the metallic in the paint and, supposedly, Corvette exclusive colors.

 

Broadcast Copy

 

The term 'build sheet' is the common name for a broadcast copy sheet; one of many sheets that were 'broadcast' throughout the Fisher body and Chevrolet assembly plants noting how each car is to be built.

 

The 1969 BODY BROADCAST COPY sheet from Baltimore shows * * in each of the lower and upper body colors depicting a special paint car.

 

Sample 1970 Arlington special paint Chevelle. Note box #44 shows SPEC for the paint colors with additional instruction in box #107; the F&SO number, cost code of 1001HA, and instructions to the body to be done in 926-99616 ORANGE ACRYLIC LACQUER.

 

Sample 1970 Atlanta special paint Chevelle. Note the paint codes in box #44 have a dash/hyphen character with additional instruction in box #107; the F&SO number and instructions to the body to be done in 927-98457 GOLD METALLIC ACRYLIC LACQUER to include the wheels.

 

Sample 1970 Baltimore special paint Chevelle. Note the paint codes in box #44 are blank with the F&SO number written in with additional instruction in box #107; the F&SO number, cost code of 1001PA,  and instructions to the lower body to be done in 926-98371 BLUE AL (ACRYLIC LACQUER).

 

Sample 1970 Kansas City (Leeds) special paint Chevelle. Note the paint codes in box #44 have a dash/hyphen character with additional instruction in box #107; the F&SO number and cost code of 1001PA. There is no mention of the color on Kansas City build sheets.

 

Sample 1970 Van Nuys (Los Angeles) special paint Chevelle. Note the paint codes in box #44 are dash/hyphen characters with additional instruction in box #107; the F&SO number, cost code of 1001PA, and instructions to the lower body to be done in 926-99616 and hood & deck stripe color.

 

Trim Tags

 

Some plants even deviated from the norm of either dash/hyphen characters or the DuPont mixing formula when showing the paint code.

 

The 1970 Arlington Chevelle was painted yellow. Instead of using the dash/hyphen to note a special color, the plant used paint code 51 which, while not a Chevelle color code, was actually the paint code for the 1970 Olds 442 with the Sales Name of Sebring Yellow. Note, too, that a single code 51 was used instead of the 'normal' 51 51 for lower and upper colors.

 

This 1972 Kansas City Chevelle shows paint codes 47 47 for a Corvette color of Elkhart Green. This is one of a group of special ordered Chevelles for a promotion; as of this date only two have surfaced. Not only were these done in Elkhardt Green, but include a Buick-style half-vinyl roof.