My friend, Jim's(gussezgs), car is burnished cinnamon and I believe it is a saddle Interior. Originally a 19 black car, but he doesn't like black cars.
Factory had recommended color combinations. I like to look at trim tags for original colors at car shows. Most re-paints I see at car shows are golds and greens. This skews what colors were most popular back then. Gold was very popular in 60’s and 70’s. GM often had two or three golds available each year. I think gold is best choice. Very period correct. Here is factory color combo recommendation chart for 71.
I have seen a few 71 GSX’s in Cortez Gold and it is truly striking. I think you are making mistake overlooking it.
Interesting to see correct vinyl top grain as well. Most aftermarket tops are too fine grain. This one is dark brown factory color. No red at all in it like some aftermarket.
Ok, want to see what your car would look like correctly painted? http://gtcarlot.com/colors/car/48770318.html Looks pretty awesome to me.
Hi Diego (is that really you, writer of that book ?....I have it in my shelf, some really nice infos and pictures there!)...The Chevelle looks good to me in that combo, the Olds I`d get right away (really, I think I`d take it in any color, a really cool car), but the Pontiac...doesn`t really catch me...but than again, I don`t like the 71-72 front, maybe it`s that for the most part. The Cortez is quite yellow-ish to me, here`s a Picture of a fellow Buick Driver over here: http://oldiesfan67.canalblog.com/tag/Buick Skylark GS ....... but thats a 72 with a black interior. Here is an all cortez with saddle 71, also from around, without vinyl top http://oldiesfan67.canalblog.com/tag/Buick Skylark GS ... clean machine! The vinyl top, even though the original, would most probably have to come down since I have two rather small but still crusty spots at the bottom of the rear window...re-installing it? Hmmm.... Dave, thanks for all the info from the manuals and catalogues, quite impressive stuff there, especially the samples attached to them. And Bill...funny comment on the transformation of the lady in the back becoming the one in front of the original picture....tempus fugit! Time waits for no one....
Oh yeah, and that comment on the lime mist being a "high impact color" I`ve read in another thread...that really almost got me ..."Go mango, Plum crazy", ....."lime mist"...haha! But it has something to it, that`s right! That burnished cinnamon car, Rich, looks really cool, with vinyl top and saddle interior...really nice....but, isn`t it more "rosewood"? Looks to me like it. Thanks for your opinions and comments so far... Jens
My friend, Jim's(gussezgs), car is burnished cinnamon and I believe it is a saddle Interior. Originally a 19 black car, but he doesn't like black cars. Hey Jens... I agree about it having more of a rosewood cast to it. When I had my '71 it was about 1973 so the paint was pretty much still not faded etc. I do think a lot depends on the primer as well, and thats rarely discussed about paint. Perhaps gussezgs above was primed in black? It seems way darker than my '71. I wonder how the factory controlled those issues. On the vinyl top issue, unless you really need it to match the build sheet, I'd pull it off. If its crusty in the corners, just wait till the trim is off. Thatll probably lead to pulling the rear window for a channel de-rust and repair. Otherwise the next stop is in the trunk. Cancer will never heal itself unfortunately! You can keep the OEM vinyl chrome trim or shelve that too, but then theres more work to repair the removed pins and also get a good finish on the sail panel to quarter panel joints. intaminatis fulget honoribus; Untarnished, she shines with honor ws
I dunno man, I actually really dig the Cortez Gold on that car. I am also very partial to keeping things stock other than things that can be easily undone --wheels, radio, valve covers, etc. -- which can really help future resale value. You never know what you may want to do / be forced to do in the future.
Hey Diego, than that golden 442 W30 might be yours, considering your signature? Really nice looking car...and thanks for that book, I like it a lot! Going with the Cortez might also become a major operation since that car was first repainted silver in the late 70ties, than in (some sort of) lime mist green in the 80ties...and that more or less quite everywhere...but than, not perfectly...so, going back to the original Cortez might be (almost) as much work as going with any other color. Most economic thing to do would be to go with the lime mist/ silver fern kind of color. I`m pretty sure, resale value might be higher(not that I care at the moment) if I`d finish it up in black or red. A vintage car trader once said to me..."What a beautiful color...but then, it just won`t sell, people (->around here!) demand black or red muscle cars"....what a sad thing! Jens
Im a weirdo and like green, so I think a 70 Sherwood or 72 Hunter green would look good. That said, I've been very warm for Diplomat Blue lately, wonder how that would look with the saddle interior? I think Burnished Cinnamon would probably be the most "correct" look if not going back to cortez. But colors are so subjective, ask 20 people and you'll get 19 different answers, not one being more wrong or right than any other.
Absolutely, I`ve also seen weird combinations too...but then, there are most likely combos that match up way better than others, don`t they? Ok, one more for the cinnamon there... Jens
No, that's not mine. Here's a Judge in that color. Maybe the stripes make the color more palatable on the GTO?
Wow...is it the size of the picture? The back I dig...totally! What a beautiful sight... If I remember right, in your book you are portrayed with an Olds 442, a convertible, right? Is that yours? Great cars, those Olds 442...I`d readily accept one, 65, 68 or the 70-72 models. Even in Cortez Gold, haha...I`m getting ready to embrace it, thanks to all of you. A nice weekend to everyone, I`m off to the mediterranean coast for a holiday, maybe I`ll have no internet and won`t be able to post for a while, let`s see! Jens
HI Jens, long time no emails!! I have a chart on my website of all the 71 GS colors, click on link and scroll down....guess what Cortez Gold was #1 choice that year. Lime mist was #3. Its your car and your choice, some of those earth tones really set the period for a car...on the other have seen very dark blue and dark green cars with saddle interiors and they were stunning (not factory colors, the blue was almost black and the green was very dark as well). http://fixjet.ca/stage1.html
Hey Tim, must have been a while. You're doing fine, the cars too? Wow, No. 1 color? You nearly see no more golden cars from that era around here, maybe a late 70ties Firebird but that's it. Jens
