what year did dealerships quit painting new cars to change color?

It seems I've heard of this practice up until the 60s? heard of people not liking the chrysler colors and the dealership painting the car.
I say this because I have this old ford f3 and it was red but painted green almost a factory green color for that year but you can see the red. When it was painted they did the firewall, behind the seat etc only parts missed were inside firewall and under rear fenders

 

It was probably a fleet truck, like hiways dept. they just buy what's on the lot in the budget then paint to county or state colors. They also don't care about under floor mats or hoods that the public doesn't see.


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yes on this truck that's what I was thinking. It has a conoco sticker at the back so maybe it was one of their trucks but still heard about chrysler lots doing this practice

 

Maybe a bad repaint by a previous owner?

 

I've never heard of a dealer repaint/color change to sell a car. I did have a car once that had been repainted before I bought it, (new) I suspect that was shipping damage as there was no color change.

 

As a matter of practice , most wouldn't unless it was a fleet deal . Used was a different deal to make a deal . I worked in a Cadillac dealership body shop and our guys repainted a '68 Eldo for a "working girl ", she wanted a " yeller" with a white vinyl top , the car was black on black . Anything to please a lady , about a week later our painter was detailing his job as she looked on . A bit of overspray on the rear wheel well she pointed out and Rich took a small open top container with lacquer thinner and a shop rag to the spot. As he stood up , he accidently kicked the container and splashed the 1/4 panel with thinner. It caused some spotting and he blew his top. She on the other hand was cool about it and asked if she could take Rich off the property for a bit to calm him down and thank him the best way she knew how. He came back with a spring in his step ,whistlling a happy tune with glazed look in his eyes . Anything to please a customer.

 

you live in vegas was it there? rofl

 

I worked for a local Ozzie Ford dealership in the late 70's when doing my apprenticeship. We repainted new cars to suit customer requirements when a new car couldn't be had in the colour they wanted and they weren't prepared to wait. Local car engine bays were colour coded to the exterior colour however we painted them black but did a full colour change on the rest of the car.

 

When I worked at a Chrysler dealer in 63 - 64, we did a few new car repaints, as well as some interior and trim changes for a couple of the regular buyers.

4TTRUK

 

One of my friends ended up with the contents of a Ford dealership that had been around since 1949, and found several new car get ready tickets from the mid '50s with jobs on them for two toning a new car that came through as a solid color before being delivered to the original purchaser.

 

I'm a painter at a big independent shop and up until 4-5 years ago we still painted new cars for a local Toyota dealership. They would come from the factory single stage white and the dealership would pay us to break the whole car down and spray it base/clear white..it was a Pretty good gig considering the minor prep that goes into painting a BRAND NEW car.

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I once saw an early 80s Cadillac Eldorado in a very hot shade of red. I heard it was a dealer repaint for a woman who wanted her car "lipstick red".

 

Where I grew up there is a local guy thats not real bright that wanted a bright red 58 Ford when they came out new. The local Ford dealer had a drab green and white 4 door Fairlane that wasnt selling so he told the body shop to bring the car in and paint it red where the green was. The old boy was proud as a peacock with his new Ford, even though it still had the green upholstery, he drove her till the 80's when his oldest son rolled it and totalled it out...haha

 

We built out at the end of the year in the 60's . We would run white cars only for a couple of days. Easy to sell white and also easy to paint some other color when the dealer got it.

 

I know someone who worked at a Chevrolet dealership he was the service manager, and cars would come in damaged from delivery or at the plant, and they were told to fix them. In 69 a Corvair came in with the roof cut off from a bridge, the dealer refused the car and GM told them they had to accept it and repair the roof, they refused. They went back and forth for over twenty years the car was still in the back until the dealership closed.Another friend of mine ordered a 69 Chevelle 396/375 every day around the time of delivery he would run down to see if the shipment came, one day he sees a black 69 Chevelle with the side totatled and he receives a call his car is in and will be ready in two days, needless to say he didn't take that car.

 

Fleet truck shops still do repaints. They get white, Silver or black trucks and make them what the buyer wants. Usually when the customer is in a hurry for some reason.

 

That's absolutely BS

I worked at Chevrolet dealerships for several years. The dealership could reject any vehicle that arrived with body damage. In 99.9% of the cases the auto transport company was responsible because the vehicles were inspected and signed for at the GM shipping yard. The damaged vehicle was unloaded off of the transport and held for Jack Cooper auto transport company's insurance agent. The dealership could make an offer to the insurance company, but the dealer was in no way obligated to accept the damaged vehicle. Jack Cooper auto transport company's insurance company would have owned the 1969 Chevelle and Corvair.

McGurk

 

My 68 Scout is - was a double dealer redo, They repainted it and retitled it one year newer.

 

My 47 Autocar, came from the factory in primer, as all Autocars did. The dealer or buyer was responsible for the paint job. Mine was done in Gulf Oil orange and blue.

 

Itys not BS Rice Chevrolet in Manhassett had the Corvair and Booth Chevrolet had the Chevelle, my fathers business partner was the Service manager at Rice Chevrolet and the Corvair stayed there till it closed. The person that refused the Chevelle bought a 70 Nova. Back then manufacturers and dealers were constantly fixing new wrecked cars till the government got involved and stopped it.Now go do some research before you acuse someone of bullshitting.Those are facts not stories.

 

Kinda OT, but corvettes in the 70s were occasionally ordered in primer due to the poor seam fit-up and lower panel paint coverage. I owned a '74 454 coupe a few years ago that was delivered to the dealer in primer, and painted by them for the original purchaser.

In fact, from 70-76 if you wanted a black one, it would have been a dealer painted car, as GM did not build them in black for those years.

Shop I work in just painted a brand new cutaway van for a local GMC dealer from white to some kind of brown/gold, for a customer. Color was not offered on that body style. Stupidest part? color about 1 shade darker was...go figure.

 

Delivered in primer. I know at least in the mid 50's you could fleet order Chevy's in primer.
I saw a feature where an east coast bakery ordered a 56 sedan delivery in primer then had it painted in the bakery's distinctive purple color. Must have been a rolling billboard.
The cowl tag paint code on these reads 'special'.
I always wondered if this cowl tag could enable someone to enter a car in a factory stock car show class while being painted in a non factory color...

 

I don't need to do any research because I worked at Chevrolet dearlerships from 1960 to the early 70s. Therefore my statement is based on actual experience. If the dealership had the cars then it was by their choice and not because GM forced them to accept the damaged cars. A little bit of common sense would make you realize that the Jack Cooper auto transport company (the company that transported all of GM's passenger vehicles) would have been liable for the damaged vehicles and their insurance company would have controlled the destiny of the damaged vehicles.

This is an extremely large community and I will guarantee you that if my statements were incorrect then there would have been several post stating that I'm wrong.

McGurk

 

Not true

 

Where did I say the transport company didn't pay for the car?Chevrolet told Rice Chevrolet to fix the car,Rice said they wouldn't. Now maybe (and I don't know for sure) there were no more Corvairs to be had since it was 69 and they didn't want to lose the sale.I don't know, but Tom Rice refused to repair it and sell it.You can throw all of your worldly knowledge about every dealership in the country it doesn't change the fact that it happened, and the car stayed on Rice Chevrolets lot until it closed.End of story.

 

I worked with a guy in the early '80s whose brother bought a brand new Ford pickup, black with red side panels. I was obviously a red truck with the top and bottom panels painted black because you could see the read in the door jams when you looked at it, looked like the seams were red pin striped. Looked like crap. The guy said he brother got it new like that.

 

I, too, have worked in a Chevrolet dealership for many years. Like McGurk said, any damaged new unit that showed up was denied delivery and was either left on the truck or dropped in the back of our parking lot until another transport picked it up for return. I remember an new truck that was roofless when the transport arrived, and the transport driver was terminated over the phone on the spot; he had to arrange his own transportation home and the company sent another driver to complete the route with his truck.

 

If I were going to make up a story it would be more like this.I am driving through Iowa when I stop to take a leak when thes two really hot blondes see me and take a liking to my strong masculine looks.They proceed to tell me how their great grandfather owned a Willys Dealership in the 30's and 40's and in the late 80's their father and grandfather were crop dusting when their plane burst into flames and they both died.In their garage were some old cars that they wanted removed and what did I see but 4 all original Willys coupes and a bunch of NOS parts and all I had to do was remove it for them.Now as I said I stand by my other story,and if you choose not to believe it I promise you my life will go on.

 

Isn't that exactly what I said happened? Except Chevrolet never picked it up. They told them to fix it,and Tom Rice said no.Listen this isn't third party heresay.My fathers business partner was the Service manager at Rice Chevrolet when it happened.You can tell me all the stories about things that may or may not have happened to you.This happened.The car stayed in the back until Rice Chevrolet closed.