Chassis Paint
Short answer: The firewall and engine-compartment sheet metal are semi-gloss / eggshell black (not body color). Restoration-grade paint from suppliers like AMES or Year One works well; period-correct mixing formulas are below.
Eggshell black lacquer — firewall, inner radiator support, and other engine-compartment sheet metal (from a 30th-anniversary Camaro article, believed to also apply to the Firebird):
PPG (Pittsburgh Paints): 2 qt “mixing black” #386 · 1 qt “universal flattening agent” · 1 qt “mixing clear” #310 · use PPG #DDL-16 or DuPont #3608S.
or DuPont: 2 qt “mixing black” #406 · 1 qt “universal flattening agent” 850 · 1 qt “mixing clear” #465 · DuPont #3608S.
Enamel — undercarriage, frame, and suspension (easier to wipe clean for show):
PPG Delstar or DuPont Centari · 3 qt mixing black (sometimes called “strong black”) · 1 qt flattening agent · use PPG DTR601 quick-dry reducer.
The above is for purists wanting the exact shade. A simpler approach that has worked well: three parts cheap chassis black to one part universal flattening agent — it comes out semi-flat and looks great on the firewall and chassis. You can also contact the paint manufacturers (online or by phone) with your color and year for codes or base/clear equivalents.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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