Frequently Asked Questions

Short answer: Yes — 1969 Firebirds had special-order colors in addition to the regular palette. The full 1969 list (with Rinshed-Mason formula numbers) is below.

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Short answer: Acid dipping works but carries a real risk: if the cleanup isn’t thorough, trapped acid in hidden nooks and boxed sections can bleed back out later and cause blistering or rust — and those hidden areas end up with no paint or protection. It’s a particular worry on thin sheet metal like hoods and body shells.

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Short answer: Yes — Autumn Bronze Iridescent (A-1996) was available on the Firebird, even though most books don’t list it. GM had offered it on some models since 1966. It’s a medium-to-darker red base with gold flake that shifts noticeably from bright sunlight to twilight.

Note: “Irid.” is short for iridescent — paint with metallic flake in it.

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Short answer: On the rear axle, the factory left the whole assembly (housing, pumpkin, tubes) essentially bare and gave it a quick shot of black from the backside — so the front faces are unpainted and the back is black. A good way to replicate that look while preventing rust is to coat the assembly with Seymour Stainless Steel paint first, then black the backside.

For dash paint, PPG Ditzler products mixed to the original paint charts are correct (any Ditzler supplier can mix them); reconditioning paint usually won’t have the correct gloss level. The official 1968 paint chart from the Pontiac Service Information Bulletin is below.

[pdfjs-viewer url=/dtb/docs/68-I-12.pdf viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true download=false print=true]

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Short answer: A body tag may show I, SPEC, SHOW, —, or PRIME instead of a normal paint code. These flag a non-standard finish — a custom color, show car, special color, or primer only. Autumn Bronze (a Corvette color) is the one custom color that got its own code, “I,” rather than the “SPEC” designation.

Most “SPEC” paints were the spring-release colors (Pink Mist, Carnival Red, Marigold Yellow, and Windward Blue).

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Bulletin 68-I-12 — Pontiac Motor Division Dealer Service Information Bulletin, Section 2, dated October 10, 1967. Attention: Service Manager.

Subject: 1968 Refinish Paint Specifications.

Short answer: Copies of the 1968 Pontiac refinish paint charts from Ditzler, DuPont, and Rinshed-Mason were attached to this bulletin; a complete listing of 1968 exterior and interior paint color names, codes, and stock numbers was scheduled to appear in the November Pontiac Chassis Parts Catalog.

Short answer: Yes, prime first. Think of primer as the glue that bonds paint to the metal — without it the paint chips or flakes off. But primer is not a rust preventative: remove all rust first (sandblasting or chemical stripping, not just grinding), since rust that comes back was never fully removed.

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Short answer: Per Jim Mattison (PHS), the correct gloss level on the firewall area is 85% black.

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Short answer: Correct hood-hinge finish is gray phosphate — not black paint or zinc. A plater can do it (cheaper if you submit many parts at once), or OEM Paints (oempaints.com) sells spray cans that approximate the phosphate/oxide look.

For concours-correct under-hood and under-car finishes, see the High Performance Pontiac “Pontiac Tech” article by Jim Dietzler (consulting Jim Mattison). DIY plating is possible (a thermostat hot plate and Pyrex/stainless pans), but prep is everything — poorly prepped plated parts can start rusting almost immediately, even in storage.

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Short answer: The lower front valance/baffle should be black — semi-gloss “under-chassis” black, the same black as the upper LH/RH filler panels — not body color. (It’s a baffle, not a spoiler; only the Camaro offered the front chin and deck-lid spoilers in 1967–69.)

Tip: POR-15 holds up very well here (nearly impervious to rock chips and bugs) but fades in direct sunlight, so it’s best on a car that’s garaged. Strip the part to bare metal (sandblast) and use POR-15’s metal prep first.

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Short answer: This is “matchsticking.” Use UNTHINNED lacquer touch-up paint (assuming your car wasn’t repainted in enamel) and build the chip up in dabs, not one fill.

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Short answer: Engine-compartment sheet metal is eggshell/semi-gloss black; the frame and suspension are a flatter black enamel; and the steering/suspension linkage is left natural (unpainted). Formulas below.

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Short answer: (Prices noted as of 1999.) For a basic “sand and paint” driver-quality job — no rust or bodywork, and you do the disassembly/reassembly — roughly $1000–$1500 was reasonable. A true strip-to-metal, high-quality job costs much more once labor is counted.

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Short answer: A common DIY-friendly choice is acrylic enamel — it sprays well and, with color-sanding and buffing, shines up nicely. Use a good brand (PPG or Sherwin-Williams), and avoid metallic-flake paints until you have real spray experience — they’re much harder to get right.

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Short answer: “Base/clear” isn’t a single paint — it’s a basecoat/clearcoat system available in lacquer, acrylic enamel, urethane, etc. The recommended choice today is urethane base/clear: about $100–$200 more, very durable, with a deep gloss. Don’t worry about matching the original paint type unless you’re going concours — just use an original color.

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Short answer: Skip off-the-shelf paint stripper — it’s too strong for plastic. Two that work: brake fluid (soak the part if you can), and — the standout — Westley’s Bleche-White whitewall tire cleaner.

Soaking parts in Bleche-White for about 24 hours removed all the paint (even the factory silver on turn-signal lenses) with no ill effect on the plastic or rubber; an old toothbrush helps in the nooks. Wear rubber gloves — it’s caustic to skin.

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Short answer: Plastic needs special prep and paint. First remove all wax/Armor All with a strong degreaser, then wipe with cheap lacquer thinner a couple of times — this softens the surface so the paint “bites.” Then use a paint made for hard plastic (SEM, Mar-Hyde, FabriColor), not ordinary paint, so it won’t flake or peel.

Tip: use a lint-free cloth for wiping — the softened plastic grabs lint and makes a mess.

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Short answer: POR-15 works well on the undercarriage, firewall, and frame, but it isn’t as foolproof as advertised. The surface must be completely oil-free (it can have solid rust) — don’t use petroleum solvents like lacquer thinner, or it won’t stick. Etch bare metal with a metal prep and scuff any remaining paint. Brush or spray, and recoat in about 4 hours, when the finish is dry but still tacky.

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Short answer: The harmonic balancer is engine color. The pulleys, power-steering pump, brackets, and air cleaner are gloss black.

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Short answer: A “Special” paint code means the car got a custom factory paint rather than a standard Firebird color. 1968 examples include Pink Mist, Carnival Red, Marigold Yellow, and Windward Blue. The “1” indicates the top: an ivory vinyl top on a coupe, or an ivory-white top on a convertible.

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Short answer: On a two-tone car the roof is one color and the body another, with the color break falling at the stainless vinyl-top moldings — so it looks like a vinyl-top car without the vinyl. Both colors are listed on the firewall data plate.

Detail: on a single-color non-vinyl car the paint code is stamped twice (upper and lower the same); vinyl-top cars carry the vinyl-top code at the PNT designation.

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Short answer: The body color you see underneath is overspray, not an intentional coat. The shells were painted before assembly and the overspray was heavy enough to look deliberate — but it rubs off with steel wool or 400-grit wet sandpaper, leaving the solidly applied black underneath.

The overspray matches the body color (red on a red car), without the gloss, depth, or texture of the upper body. It reaches up into the transmission tunnel (though usually not the middle). There’s no red primer on any 1968s — look under the gas tank (a sheltered spot) and you’ll find the same overspray.

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Short answer: For the smoothest finish and best adhesion, sand- or bead-blast the parts first (if you media-blast, you can skip the separate metal prep). On parts you can only wire-brush or sand, use POR-15’s metal prep to etch and kill the rust.

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Short answer: Common DIY/plater finishes are black oxide, black phosphate, gray phosphate, tin plating, and to some degree white (silver) cadmium.

Sources: Carolina Chemco (864-246-3836) for supplies; Eastwood also carries plating products (pricier).

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