Special paint process, per author/illustrator/historian Eric White.
This was written specifically for Pontiac Motor Division, but you get the idea:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Eric White
The procedure for getting a special-paint car ordered went like this:
• The customer (or dealership) determines what color is desired.
• An "All Series Special Equipment" order form is filled out.
The information required for a special-paint-request on this form is:
• Lower Color Paint No.
• Upper Color Paint No.
• Make of Car & Year Paint Used.
I am guessing that obtaining the correct paint no. would be left up to the ordering salesman/dealership paint department.
In the '60s and early '70s, before colored plastic/fiberglass trim parts became common, any color paint could be ordered, as long as the dealer could supply the paint formula no. on the S.O. form. After the mid-'70s when the crash-bumper fillers became common place, special order colors were phased out except for large fleet orders.
Several codes were used on the Fisher Body trim tag to indicate a special-order paint. Codes varied between the years and between Fisher Body plants. Some of the codes used were:
1= Standard GM paint, not a Pontiac color
2= Special Pontiac color. Sometimes offered a half-year "springtime" color.
3= Cadillac FireFrost color. This paint was not normally allowed on a Pontiac build because of the special processes required to apply this type of paint.
4= Body in primer
SPEC or ** would indicate a paint color from a source outside GM (Ford, Chryco, AMC, John Deere, International Harvester, etc.) Colors could also be ordered to match school or business colors. As long as a formula no. could be identified by the dealership just about any color hue could be specified.
• The order was then routed through the Pontiac Zone office, which then routed it on to the Central Office.
• Central Office then entered a request to the paint supplier, usually PPG/Ditzler, for the appropriate paint.
• The paint supplier shipped a quantity of paint to the appropriate assembly plant.
• The special-order build was scheduled and coordinated between the Fisher plant and GMAD or Pontiac assembly.
• Build was delivered to dealership with a quart of touch up paint in trunk.
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I would add that, back then, GM would paint one car using this process, if requested.
For Pontiacs the cowl trim tag will indicate the vehicle received a special paint color but will not designate what that color was; It is not documented anywere including through Pontiac Historic Services. The only real way to determine is to pull off rubber trim or otherwise disassemble the car and look for remaining splashes of the original color.
These days you have to have a minimum of 10 or so, and it is not available to the general public but more specific to fleets and special orders (police, Mary Kay, Grand Trunk RR, RCMP, etc).