I've long heard that black was not easy to work with for some reason. Maybe it showed flaws too much? Maybe it was expensive? Or maybe it just wasn't in style at certain times? There sure weren't many black cars around 1966 era. One particular thing I'm looking into re black paint is something I was told about the black 66 Parisienne- that the black paint on that car might be some kind of special or unusual finish from the factory. Something about DuPont or Ajax? coming up with newer/different paint for black cars of this era. The paint on that Parisienne shows no oxidation whatsoever and it has been suggested to me that I carefully check into the finish before trying to polish it (not planning to do that by the way). Has anybody heard of unique or different or special paint finishes around this time- especially regarding black finishes? The paint on the 66 basically still looks brand new and I've been told by somebody who thinks he knows something about this, that I should check into it. Apparently the Oakland Pontiac newsletter covered this topic somewhat recently? I haven't found anything on this yet. Thanks for any info that can be provided!
GM black was always paint code A. Tuxedo black for all the the 60's cars
In canada, cars were enamel instead of the USA where they were magic mirror acrylic lacquer.
Paint codes were still the same, just the type of paint used. Enamel held up WAY better in our climate
Interesting thank you Dave. I know the paint code A was Tuxedo black for all those years but I didn't know about the difference between USA Magic mirror finish and CDN enamel. Could that be what this gentleman was referring to when he suggested the paint might be a very unique (if not experimental) finish? The guy was introduced to me as somebody who would know, and he definitely believed what he was saying- but he also didn't have any solid details I could come away with so it could just be one of those misunderstandings that are commonly passed on in the car hobby. This fellow meant well and wanted to talk to the new owner about properly caring for the finish. And she will! She has her husband to oversee that. I haven't had time yet but I'll check with Pontiac-Oakland car club to see if there is indeed any info on this. Those would be US cars though, so who knows?
I am not sure that POCI will be much help for you on this, as you say John. I doubt they have much experience with this. I've been wrong before!
Dave, I mentioned to John about not being to eager to wax the car at all. What would you suggest? If anything and it had to be waxed, I think I would want to do it with a rag, not a buffer. I'd be scared of a power buffing accident.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
If you just want to wax it for protection and water beading, without removing paint. I have had good luck with "black Magic" car wax. It might only be avail in the US tho at walmart or autoparts stores. Good longevity and consumer reports high rated.
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Beaumontguru
MY BEAUMONT HAS 4 STUDDED TIRES AND 2 BLOCKHEATERS......AND LOTS OF OIL UNDERNEATH. The other one has a longer roof.
Tuxedo black is a non metallic solid color, so i suppose it may stand up better to the elements than a metallic. just a guess tho.
Seems like all the canadian original paint cars in a solid color have better paint quality than the metallics, just from what i have seen, not saying there is any truth to it
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Beaumontguru
MY BEAUMONT HAS 4 STUDDED TIRES AND 2 BLOCKHEATERS......AND LOTS OF OIL UNDERNEATH. The other one has a longer roof.
GM black was always paint code A. Tuxedo black for all the the 60's cars
In canada, cars were enamel instead of the USA where they were magic mirror acrylic lacquer.
Paint codes were still the same, just the type of paint used. Enamel held up WAY better in our climate
Interesting thank you Dave. I know the paint code A was Tuxedo black for all those years but I didn't know about the difference between USA Magic mirror finish and CDN enamel. Could that be what this gentleman was referring to when he suggested the paint might be a very unique (if not experimental) finish? The guy was introduced to me as somebody who would know, and he definitely believed what he was saying- but he also didn't have any solid details I could come away with so it could just be one of those misunderstandings that are commonly passed on in the car hobby. This fellow meant well and wanted to talk to the new owner about properly caring for the finish. And she will! She has her husband to oversee that. I haven't had time yet but I'll check with Pontiac-Oakland car club to see if there is indeed any info on this. Those would be US cars though, so who knows?
Read what Beaumont Guru said . He has more experience than anyone...
Starting in 1966 models, all at Ste. Thérèse cars were painted with acrylic lacquer, just like the U.S.-built cars. Meanwhile in Oshawa, cars were still being painted with acrylic enamel with body-coloured trunks & firewalls through the 1968 models. A "3" in front of the paint code on the trim tag would denoted a Ste. Thérèse build with lacquer paint, while a "9" would be used on an Oshawa car with enamel. The 66 / 67 Chevrolets built at Ste. Thérèse, Quebec were all destined for the U.S. (including 40 1967 SS427 coupes that were unavailable in Canada that year); prior to that they used enamel paint and were used to supply the Canadian market.
My daily driver is black. I recommend using Liquid Glass, a polish / wax that works very well on black cars. Use a clay bar with the supplied lubricant first if there is any oxidation or embedded grime after washing. You would be amazed at how much stuff the clay bar pulls up. It also removes wax so you must wax the car afterwards.
It is really hard to say whether or not black was unpopular in 1966. It may have been falling in popularity, but really it seemed to be more of a regional thing, colour choice that is.
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67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
Are you saying Ste Therese built full size Canadian Pontiacs in 1966?
I don't think so, just Chevrolets for the U.S. market. That is weird because they already had Framington N.J. as well as other plants in Michigan, Baltimore & Atlanta building them to supply the U.S. eastern seaboard demand. I guess when they built a million big Chevies annually back then, they had to do what they had to do. It is surprising since the Canadian full-size Pontiacs were also very popular and it seems surprising that they would have been sourced from only one plant, Oshawa.
An ex-neighbor used to have a Ste. Thérèse 1965 Impala SS convertible that was sold new in eastern Ontario. 283 Powerglide, manual steering & brakes, plus a vacuum gauge in the dash. Also the 1968 Impala SS427 convertible that we discussed on here a few years ago that was for sale in Scarborough was a Ste. Thérèse car (1 of only 12 SS427 convertibles in Canada).
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67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
Ok, now I get it. I was confused. I thought you were saying it's possible that John's black car could have been made in Ste Therese and sprayed with lacquer, and that was not making sense to me.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
GM black was always paint code A. Tuxedo black for all the the 60's cars
In canada, cars were enamel instead of the USA where they were magic mirror acrylic lacquer.
Paint codes were still the same, just the type of paint used. Enamel held up WAY better in our climate
Is that possibly backwards? The reason I ask is that the CANADIAN sales brochure for 1969 specifically says the cars are painted in "MAGIC MIRROR ACRYLIC LACQUER". So either it was a change for 68/69 or the brochure is wrong. Anyone know the details for 1969 and which country got what?
FWIW, I spoke to the original owner of my 1969, and he said the only problem he ever had with the car, which lived in Edmonton, was fading of the original paint.
-- Edited by davepl on Friday 2nd of February 2018 02:21:45 PM
Enamel paint was notorious for fading, especially in warm climes which is why GM switched to Lacquer. If you look at good vintage pics from the early 70's you notice that late 60's GM cars look much brighter than same year Fords which were still enamel. It's possible though that enamel was tougher against the abrasion of grit like salt, sand and grit from deicing and dirt roads.
The 65 Cdn dealer brochure mentions " Magic mirror finish, Hi-grade special enamel ". Couldn't find a reference to paint type in the American brochure.
The Cdn salesman's book for 65 says " Magic mirror Finish" and " in this enamel" and "highest quality enamel "
That is interesting stuff regarding enamel vs. lacquer re: fading in strong sun climate.
Dave, starting in 1969 Oshawa switched to Magic Mirror Acrylic Lacquer. That was also the year that GM started in a significant way to source U.S.-bound cars from Canada & vise-versa. Perhaps it was a way to even out any trade imbalance between the two countries that may have resulted from the reliance on the U.S. for certain high performance models (L78s & COPO 427s) or U.S. built body styles (El Caminos & Concours Estate wagons, for example.) I don't know though; perhaps it was simply the ease in which lacquer can dry fast without runs, or if it does run then it can have spot repairs made (you need to colour sand anyway). Enamel can run hours after the painter has hung up the paint gun and gone home. Enamel gets its gloss from flowing out long after being sprayed but it is not the sort of paint that allows spot repairs (on a production line) once hardened. You don't color sand cured enamel as you will probably mess up the gloss, or at least spend a long time trying to blend in a repair.
I remember visiting the GM Oshawa office uptown next to the now-gone Oshawa #2 assembly decades ago; I could smell lacquer a block away. That sort of thing would not be allowed today with strong rules on VOCs. Waterborne low-VOC enamel is the reality of today.
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67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
Update on the 1966 Parisienne: On recommendation of somebody I know I had a fellow come out to look at the original black paint on the car that has some surface abrasions and cloudiness and imperfections. This fellow did a test patch gentle buffing and the results look very good! Im about to have the car professionally and gently buffed up. This fellow is recommending a ceramic coating that acts like a longer-lasting wax. He suggest that the black paint will always be soft and should be protected. Ive done a little bit of research over the Internet and it seems like a good process. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of product? From what I can tell, there are a lot of different similar type products. This fellow Ive been talking to suggest a commercial application. Just looking for some advice from people who know. Thanks very much. Im really looking forward to getting this car prepared enough to take out to a show and hopefully have it as a feature car here very soon.
-- Edited by Mondo Poncho on Tuesday 5th of June 2018 11:56:23 AM
Update on the 1966 Parisienne: On recommendation of somebody I know I had a fellow come out to look at the original black paint on the car that has some surface abrasions and cloudiness and imperfections. This fellow did a test patch gentle buffing and the results look very good! Im about to have the car professionally and gently buffed up. This fellow is recommending a ceramic coating that acts like a longer-lasting wax. He suggest that the black paint will always be soft and should be protected. Ive done a little bit of research over the Internet and it seems like a good process. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of product? From what I can tell, there are a lot of different similar type products. This fellow Ive been talking to suggest a commercial application. Just looking for some advice from people who know. Thanks very much. Im really looking forward to getting this car prepared enough to take out to a show and hopefully have it as a feature car here very soon.
There is a member on this site that applys ceramic coating.
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Update on the 1966 Parisienne: On recommendation of somebody I know I had a fellow come out to look at the original black paint on the car that has some surface abrasions and cloudiness and imperfections. This fellow did a test patch gentle buffing and the results look very good! Im about to have the car professionally and gently buffed up. This fellow is recommending a ceramic coating that acts like a longer-lasting wax. He suggest that the black paint will always be soft and should be protected. Ive done a little bit of research over the Internet and it seems like a good process. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of product? From what I can tell, there are a lot of different similar type products. This fellow Ive been talking to suggest a commercial application. Just looking for some advice from people who know. Thanks very much. Im really looking forward to getting this car prepared enough to take out to a show and hopefully have it as a feature car here very soon.
There is a member on this site that applys ceramic coating.
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
