Paint Delete?
 

I did the Auto Shows for around 25 years, around the bailout area, the auto makers were downsizing the booth properties, so there were extra floor space at the shows, in Cleveland one year, a Big Block Vette was coming in the hall and died. It came from a local Chev dealer that was bringing his cars in, it was in primer, I happened to be rite on the back isle so I offered him a jump, we got talking and I asked about the no paint, he said it was ordered paint delete. Showed me on the tag there it was blank or some other letter, I don’t remember what it had exactly. Pretty cool I thought.
Another year in Seattle they let a Camaro Club in, I’m up in the lounge at breakfast and the night before I was watching some Chevy HP show and the guy on tv was in front of me to get eggs, lol. So we talked, he said he comes to some shows, and was signing trunks in the Camaro booth at the show. Sedelmeyer was his name. In charge of Chevy racing or the vette program, don’t really remember. I know my buddy that did Chevy had to deal with him and Jay Leno in LA that year. One of Jays cars was on a turntable. So he was high up in GM. ( Chevy)
Well I got side tracked, how many have you seen paint delete?

Also known as a "body in white". Some high level racers (Penske, Jenkins, etc) back in the day could get the bare shells delivered this way. Usually noted on the Trim tag like PRIMERONLY. I've never heard of a fully assembled car being delivered this way.

I have never seen a paint delete car in person. I think the Chevy guy you are referring to is Scott Settlemire. He is head of GM Specialty and Show Vehicles as far as I know and was a Camaro specialist too.

The NCRS talks about cars delivered in PRIMER.

I know of a one owner original paint - tagged special paint - 71 LS5 Roadster with 20k miles, and all the paperwork which many NCRS guys insisted was delivered in primer.
The problem with that was the person ordering the car stated if they could not do Black build the car in Brandshatch Green, so there was no reason for the car to be delivered without paint...

This being DIFFERENT from more commonly seen cars with no formal paint code noted on the TRIM TAG. usually seen as two Dashes - - or two Zeros 0 0

A designation that the car was painted a non factory offered color for that model or year

I have not seen the above mentioned NO PAINT thing but seems plausible :)

Chrysler would do it:
http://www.chrysler300club.com/jhstu...en2/story.html

A bit more on this:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1563276148

----There is a well known 66 Corvette that, I think, still resides around Cleveland that was a paint delete. It was really nicely restored as a paint delete car even though the car was painted at the dealer in a firemist turquoise. It was also loaded with options including AC and 427/390 engine.
----As well, A guy I used to work for in Hyannis MA. at his used car dealership ordered several new 70 thru 72 Corvettes in primer as he couldn't order black and black was a good seller. My friends from the Cape will remember his name, Kenny Shaunessy! His brother, Matty, is still a friend although I haven't talked to him in a couple of years......Bill S

Paint Delete
 

FWIW, Back in the mid 1990's at Bloomington Gold, there was a 1971-1972? on the show field in primer for Gold Certification. All the Judges were scratching their heads on how it was to be judged, there was a meeting of the minds with the Judges and David Burroughs, and it was decided that because the owner had all the documentation to prove it left the factory in primer, they should judge it as any other car. If I remember correctly, it scored in the 98+ area and received Gold Certification. Only car I can ever remember shown in primer at Bloomington Gold or any NCRS meet I attended.

Bill

There were those in the NCRS who insisted that the Black 71 roadster was painted at the dealer...
I have inspected the car and there is no possible way unless they did not affix any of the labels, data plates, or weatherstripping from the factory which were over the paint including the body trim tag.
Owner is contemplating even dealing with the NCRS at this point as the car has been invited for a special display at Bloomington this year with the Black 72 Base engine Coupe.

I saw several 80's Corvette's delivered in primer to a local dealer in So Cal. According to a salesman that I asked about them, the dealer was painting them in more favorable colors to customers desire.

I can't speak for Corvettes but I do know of one 1973 Pontiac Trans Am that was delivered as a Paint Delete car (in black primer). What is interesting about the car are all the spoilers - they are Red. I have a photo of the car - just need to locate it.

Special and Prime
 

GM docs have numbers for special and prime cars all throughout the 60’s for most models.
They do not differentiate between the two just a total number.
As an example, 1968 camaro Special Paint and Prime was 3, 203 units.
Paul

I have some Pontiac trim tags that show "PRIME" for a paint code. One example is a 1967 Firebird 400 convertible (VIN 100004) that was a factory show car. It was built in primer, then shipped to Pontiac engineering where it was painted a special orange color (with a custom orange interior) and made the rounds on the North American auto show circuit.

Mike

i know Larry pretty well...ive had long conversations with him, since his family owned a dealership, he got to order cars, and he ordered some really cool stuff..REALLY cool stuff..lots of round ports went thru his hands..

such a cool old dude too..he's up there in age..i talk to his son often, he says Larry is still getting around and hitting shows and swap meets...

someone needs to sit down with him and document his shenanigans...when he is gone, so are his stories...you could write a book just on the cars he has had..

A good friend of mine is the third owner a 67 427/435 corvette that was ordered in prime. The trim tag says prime on it. He researched it with the original owner and he wanted a Granada gold car and that color was unavailable for a 67 corvette, so it was ordered in prime and painted at the dealer.

Is the car currently that color?

No, when he painted it in the early 90s, he painted it Marlboro maroon. It was Granada gold up till then.

That's kinda a shame. Now it's like every other one.

That’s the guy. Ya, he was signing trunks, lol. It was before the show opened, so I got a chance to check out the Camaros. It was strange I was watching a Chevy show on the old Speed Chanel and saw Scott, then the next morning I’m standing behind him in the omelet line, lol.
The Vette was from a Cleveland Chevy dealer.

If it says PRIME on the trim tag, it may need to be shown in primer to be judged and receive all the paint points.....