Not sure of the codes but someone will probably have some idea. When I was a teenager I always would take the silver/grey grilles out and paint them black. Looked good on Dad's '74 Pontiac Ventura and the '69 Pontiac I had at the time. Now I'm older, but not necessarily any wiser, I would do them with the applicable colour just as a proper finishing touch.
Here's what I've figured out on the 1969 Full size grills. USA and CP.
Early production 9795115 R 9795116 L Shadow silver The middle grill is the one most commonly seen, with the surround and eggcrate painted the same shade of Shadow silver with bright silver horizontal bars and matt black headlamp bezels.
Late production 546147 R 546148 L Oxford Grey The grille on the right has the late production Oxford Grey scheme. Surround, eggcrate and headlamp bezels are painted a darker shade of grey with bright silver horizontal bars. The grill on the far left of the picture strangely shares the same part number as the darker one, yet is entirely painted silver, with matt black headlamp bezels. This all bright scheme is less often seen.
It appears that the horizontal bars are of the same shade of silver across all the types, with the first grill being painted entirely of this shade. The grills to the left and right are nos. The center is from a parts car. nos grilles are found regularly on ebay, and for a high end 2+2, replacing rather than painting would be the way to go imop. It appears you have the full bright grills Rob.
These 3 grille types were shared across the entire 69 full size lineup, the 2+2 did not have a unique scheme. The Bonneville, Executive and Grande Parisienne used a 2 piece grille with a die cast center section.
Oxford Grey
Shadow silver
Cheers, Mark
-- Edited by cdnpont on Sunday 7th of March 2010 04:07:41 PM
__________________
65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
Mark, I wasn't aware of the variations...although I have owned 4 Catalina's in my time and they all had the bright horizontal bars like the one on the right. The grilles that were on the car were painted and they were not done to a very high standard. I have purchased a set of NOS grilles off of Ebay, however, after years of sitting around they look a little faded. Is there any way I can be positive of what color came on the car originally? Maybe by the production date? What is considered early production and late production? I'm just trying to get this right! Thanks for the help!
Rob
Just checked out the picture link...AWESOME! MUCH appreciated!
-- Edited by gtodrive on Sunday 7th of March 2010 02:38:17 PM
I'd bet on the Shadow Silver as being original on your 2+2. But imop, the Oxford Grey is the nicest looking. A little more agressive appearing.
I made a change to my original information above. Turns out the all silver and the Oxforg Grey grills are the same part number. The incorrect part number was written on a piece of tape on the silver grille, but looking closer, I see the actual casting number on the grills says 546147 R
Also, the late production grills have REV 27 & AB casting marks on them.
__________________
65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
You are an invaluble resource to this sight! The grills that came with the car have several of the mounting tabs busted off and a couple of hairline cracks in the front. The NOS grills that I have are the 546147 R 546148 L Oxford Grey ones. I washed them up and what I thought was discoloration was a fine layer of dirt! They look great, so I guess I will use them as is. I do prefer the Oxford Grey over the Shadow Silver. Also, when I get the bumper put back together, I've got a new grill emblem and will make sure that it gets placed in the mounting holes! Thanks again for the help!
Mark, I've been looking on-line at what pictures are available of the 2+2 models, and the ones I've seen all have the Oxford Grey grilles. It may not be what came on my car originally, but at least I know that it could have. I will post some pictures when I have it completed. I pulled the front and rear bumpers and they are out being rechromed. All the brackets and reinforcements have been sandblasted and powder coated (nice to have a friend in the business). New bumper bolts and stainless accessory bolts will be used to put it back together. This is a nice car and I love it because it is a unique Pontiac. I DID, however, pay too much for it especially with some of the work that was left undone because it was "good enough" for the previous owner (like the dented and scraped bumpers!). For me it's all about the details! The biggest amount of money will be in redoing the interior. It is original, so it is dried out and brittle and the springs are shot in the bucket seats. And last but not least...the power window motors are ALL tired! Like all classic cars restorations are, it will be a process in finishing it. And while the paint is awesome, I am not a big fan of green, and I probably in the next few years will have a color change made to it...I'm thinking Liberty Blue. Again thanks for the help and I'm sure it won't be the last time I'll be asking!
Rob, as far as giving yourself grief for thinking you paid too much, forget it. We don't want you to mention it again...got it! You got the car you wanted, and it's a genuine rare piece of Pontiac Canadiana. A awsome car that I and most others here can only ever dream of owning. I icon of a car on this site.
You'll have no trouble bringing it up to the standard it deserves, we're here to help and look forward to some pictures of the "upgrades". And seriously do consider Todds suggestion that NOS can supply the quailty interior you need.
As far as the 2+2's having the Oxford Grey grills, from what I've seen, it's shadow grey that is by far the most common. But the darker grills do look better and seem to create an effect of the bright silver bars floating in the bumper bezels.
Click here for some 69 Pontiac pictures. Quite a few 2+2 front ends.
Cheers, Mark
__________________
65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
