black on tailpan on ss cars

[bertfam]

To add to what I just wrote above, I decided it was time to put this debate to rest, so I contacted Jim Mattison to get the straight poop on this subject. Here's what he had to say (submitted with his permission):

In 1968 through 1971, I was a member of the Fleet & Special Order Department
(the collectors call it COPO) at Chevrolet Central Office, in Detroit.  A part of
my daily duties was to approve or disapprove special paint requests, in addition
to handling the other COPO requests.  I would innerface with the folks at Dupont
and at the assembly plants.

Your question is an interesting one that I've not been asked in many years.
Every year I would recieve a listing of paint specs for both passenger car and
trucks, to aid in the special paint process.  As you know, all big block Camaros
had the upper rear tail panel painted black.  A little known fact is that some
of the COPO 427 Camaros had this rear panel painted black also, although in
the restoration process, years later they were repainted body color.

Unfortunately, I no longer have my paint spec books and I sincerely doubt that
there are any other copies around.  However, I remember vividly that this rear
panel on the big block Camaros was painted a "Satin Black", not a gloss, nor a
flat black.  I hope that this information is helpful

To add to this, we also discussed the lower rocker color on the Rally Sport cars and again, these are a "Satin Black" like the tail panel.

Ed

[wtexz10]

Yes!  We old dudes rule!  I knew it wasn't gloss black.  I can not rest easy.

Now I just need to buy a big block SS and correct it's tail panel.   


Kris

[Pex68]

Way to go Ed!!!!

[m22mike]

Very interesting...

  Mike

[gro51]

Next case Your Honor.

[Buddy]

I concur, I saw many of these when they were new...SATIN BLACK......for sure! Also, if they had painted them Gloss I would have repainted them Satin myself..gloss is just too nerdy looking.   

BM

[RamAirDave]

Here are pics I have of an OP 69 RS Z's rockers.  Car was taken off the road in '79, shoved off in a barn until '05 which is when these pics were taken.  I can't say they were all satin, but this one surely was.

[tom]

Per the recently bought book: "The Great Camaro" May 1979 printing regarding 68's: "Dull-finish black trunk end panels graced all 1968 Super Sport 396's except those with black paint jobs."  Caption with photo on page 45.

[william]

Survivors exist in gloss and satin.

[Mark]

I guess it all depends on the teminology people use.

Flat = 0 % gloss
Semi gloss = 50% gloss
Gloss = 100 % gloss

Where does the tail panel fall now?

I still lean towards the panels being full gloss, or something real close.  The blackout was painted the same time the stripes and rocker blaclout were painted.  From a manufacturing perspective no one would have painted the stripes full gloss, and then switched to a something more than semi gloss (say 80% gloss paint) for the tail panel and rockers when 99.9 percent of the peple buying the car would not have known the difference.

[Buddy]

Satin= 30% gloss
Semi= 60% gloss

One wax job would create a more gloss look, imagine several.

Buddy

[Hatman]

[

I still lean towards the panels being full gloss, or something real close.  The blackout was painted the same time the stripes and rocker blaclout were painted.  From a manufacturing perspective no one would have painted the stripes full gloss, and then switched to a something more than semi gloss (say 80% gloss paint) for the tail panel and rockers when 99.9 percent of the peple buying the car would not have known the difference.

] What about the firewall?

[JohnZ]

I think you'll find that the same black paint was used for the firewall, rocker blackout, and 396 tail panel.

[Mark]

When you talk about levels of flatness, you're really talking about the levels of gloss or reflectivity, which can range from a mirror to a cardboard box. If you had a reflectometer in your toolbox, you could measure your paint's reflectivity and rate it on a scale from zero to 100. Paint industry guys love doing this and have specific terms for the various levels:

Less than 10 Flat
10-30  Matte
30-50 Satin
50-75 Semigloss
75-90 Reduced Sheen
More than 90 Full Gloss

Maybe the paint is the same as the firewall blackout, but the firewall was painted in the blackout booth and thestripes, rocker blackout and tail panel blackout was done in the inline repair booth, requireing both gloss black and whatever this tail panel blackout is to be running in the paint shops manifold system.  Just not something that was necessary from a styling point of view and not something you nwould expect to see in a manufacturing process.  Its not like the flat black that was used on the tops of hoods of the early 70 mopars like the T/A challengers and AAR cudas which had a purpose, A to keep the reflections down on the hood, B the hoods were fiberglass so it cut down on paint prep time, and C there was a specific style they were looking for.

[bcmiller]

I just repainted the tail panel on my car satin black (along with the hood - did the hood to have a look different than everybody else).  I am glad I used satin.  I did it that way because all of the SS cars that I remember were satin.

One question though.  Are there any diagrams as to where the black stopped?  I stopped about the center of the bumper (had the bumper off) on the bottom, but was not sure in the trunk area.  I went at about a 45 degree angle toward the trunk opening at the corners and stopped in the weather strip channel.