Exterior Related – Camaro FAQ
Exterior Related – Camaro FAQ ©1998-2020, Camaro Research GroupEdited by Rich Fields
©1998-2020, Camaro Research Group
Edited by Rich Fields and Kurt Sonen
Version: Monday, 20-Jan-2020 14:53:41 EST
Note: for a list of Exterior colors by year and other
exterior color details, including special paint designation,
RPO and window sticker codes, and related stripe and top colors,
see the Exterior Colors
section of the Numbers/Decoding page.
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Camaro Color Usage
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Shared Corvette and Camaro Colors
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1969 Camaro Hugger Orange
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1967-1969 Camaro Stripes
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Z28 Trunk Lid Striping
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SS Hood Ornaments
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Cowl Hood
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Trunk lids
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Black-out Paint Applications
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1969 Grille Colors and Usage
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Similarities and Differences of 1967 and 1968 Front Bumpers
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CRG Research Report:
Camaro Window Glass
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CRG Research Report:
Camaro Keys and Locks
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CRG Research Report:
1968 Camaro Rally Sport Grilles
Table of Contents
Camaro Color Usage
These are the official Camaro color production usages from GM. This was one of the most
frequently asked questions and until recently there was no known production numbers on colors.
CRG has obtained a copy of these unpublished production numbers and they are shown here.
Note that the 1969 percentages are only until September 69 and do not included the
extended 69 production year (about 13% of 69 production). That should not affect the 1969
percentages significantly.
We will also note that these production numbers are close to the estimates that we had
published previously using the CRG database.
1967 1968 1969
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Use Use Use
Color Code (%) Color Code (%) Color Code (%)
------------------- ---- ------------------- ---- ------------------- ---
Tuxedo Black A 2.2 Tuxedo Black A 0.9 Tuxedo Black 10 0.6%
Ermine White C 10.8 Ermine White C 7.2 Butternut Yellow 40 1.7
Nantucket Blue D 5.2 Grotto Blue D 6.2 Dover White 50 7.9
Deepwater Blue E 3.1 Fathom Blue E 1.3 Dusk Blue 51 3.3
Marina Blue F 12.2 Island Teal F 3.0 Garnet Red 52 7.7
Granada Gold G 13.1 Ash Gold G 12.4 Glacier Blue 53 4.7
Mountain Green H 3.6 Grecian Green H 2.6 Azure Turquoise 55 2.7
--- Rallye Green J 4.6 Fathom Green 57 9.4
Emerald Turquoise K 4.2 Tripoli Turquoise K 4.6 Frost Green 59 11.4
Tahoe Turquoise L 3.5 Teal Blue L 3.1 Burnished Brown 61 2.3
Royal Plum M 2.7 --- Champagne 63 0.6
Madeira Maroon N 4.6 Cordovan Maroon N 3.4 Olympic Gold 65 6.2
--- Corvette Bronze O 5.7 Burgundy 67 2.3
--- Seafrost Green P 3.3 Cortez Silver 69 6.2
Bolero Red R 13.8 Matador Red R 11.0 LeMans Blue 71 12.4
Sierra Fawn S 2.0 --- Hugger Orange 72 8.5
Capri Cream T 4.7 Palomino Ivory T 1.6 Daytona Yellow 76 6.7
--- LeMans Blue U 9.4 Rallye Green 79 4.9
--- Sequoia Green V 3.0
Butternut Yellow Y 13.5 Butternut Yellow Y 9.4
British Green Z 6.0 Two-Tone Paint* 1.7
Special Paint O 0.7 Special Paint - 1.4 Special Paint - 0.6
* Two different sources list different two tone production totals - 1.7% or 2.4%.
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Shared Corvette and Camaro Colors
While many Corvette colors often are unique, in the first-generation Camaro years,
there was some sharing with Camaro.
In 1967, these were Tuxedo Black, Ermine White, and Marina Blue.
In 1968, two colors, Tuxedo Black and Cordovan Maroon, started the year common to both
Camaro and Corvette. In January 1968, three additionalCorvette colors were added to Camaro,
with specific marketing attention given to the fact that they were
Corvette colors applied to Camaro. These three were Corvette Bronze, LeMans Blue,
and British Green. (In addition to these three, Rallye Green was another mid-season Camaro
color addition. Together they replaced Fathom Blue, Grecian Green, Palomino Ivory, and
Tuxedo Black for the remainder of 1968.) As a result,
Corvette shared a total of five colors with Camaro in 1968.
In 1969, there were seven colors shared: Tuxedo Black,
Fathom Green, Burgundy, Cortez Silver, LeMans Blue, Hugger
Orange (known on the Corvette as Monaco Orange), and Daytona
Yellow.
1969 Camaro Hugger Orange
“The Hugger” was the marketing nickname for the
Camaro, appearing in magazine ads and commercials. It was in
reference to the cars handling characteristics (it hugs corners… so
it’s the hugger!), which are needy by today’s standards, but for the
period it was one of the best handling American cars you could buy. GM
advertising used the hugger promotion to offer special colors:
hugger orange paint and an orange houndstooth interior. Of
course, the ’69 Indy Pace Car had hugger orange stripes.
For Pontiac, the color went by different name, Carousel Red. For
Corvette, it was called Monaco Orange.
1967-1969 Camaro Stripes
All 67-69 Camaro stripes were painted, with the exceptions of the
rearmost part of the D90 stripe (as discussed below) and the hood
part of the DX1 stripe were tape.
SS stripes
In the 1967 and early in the 1968 model years, Super Sport (SS) cars
received the D91 “bumblebee” stripe on the front of the car. This
extended across the header panel and onto the front part of the fender.
There was a gap in the stripe on the side of the fender for SS emblems
in 67, while the gap in 68 was for the 350 or 396 emblems.
Starting in January of 1968, the 1968 SS cars received the D90 sport
stripe package. This stripe went across the header panel, similar to
the D91 stripe, but it also extended back across the fender and onto
the door.
| D91 Stripe – 67 SS and early 68 SS | D90 Stripe – late 68 SS | |
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For the 1969 SS models, the D90 stripe was modified from the 1968
version to what is known as the “hockey stick” stripe. For 1969, the
D90 stripe was not on the header panel – it was only located on the
fender and door. With both the 68 and 69 D90 stripes, the front part
of the stripe is painted on, while the part from the back edge of
the fender and across the door (or just the door in 69) is a decal.
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Z28 Stripes
The stripes used with RPO Z28 consisted of two wide stripes that
extended from the front header panel across the hood and onto the
low spots on the cowl vent panel. These stripes were also located
from part of the rear window panel across the deck lid and rear
spoiler (if the car had a spoiler). These stripes were the same in
1967, 1968, and 1969. This stripe design was also used with the
Z10 and Z11 pace cars.
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Optional Stripes
1967
Starting in April 67 and continuing through the end of the model
year, the D91 stripe was available for non-SS, non-Z28 cars. Cars with the
Rally Sport (RS) option had a gap in the D91 stripe (like the SS
cars) for the RS emblems. On non-SS and non-RS cars, there was
no gap in the stripe. Pinstriping was not available as an RPO, but
was included with Style Trim or Rally Sport.
1968
The D90 stripe, used on the later 68 SS cars, became available in
January of 1968 as an option on all 1968 non-Z28 models.
The D91 stripe was available for non-SS, non-Z28 cars. The stripe
for cars with 250 L6 and 327 engines received a gap for the engine
emblems, similar to 1967 and early 1968 SS cars. Cars with the 230
six-cylinder engine did not have a gap in the stripe.
The D96 side striping was added for the 1968 model year. This
consisted of a stripe that ran along the belt line of the car from
the fender across the door and onto the quarter panel. The D91 and
D96 stripe packages could be ordered together and early 68 SS cars
with the D91 stripe could also have the D96 stripe.
| D91 Stripe with and without gap | D96 and D91 Combination | |
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1969
The D90 stripe, used on the SS, was optional on all 1969 non-Z28 models.
DX1 was a new stripe option which was only available on non-SS, non-Z28 Camaros.
The DX1 striping package had a stripe on the header panel and fenders
(similar to the D91 stripe) that extended down the center of the hood.
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The D96 stripe was modified for 1969. It consisted of two pinstripes –
each stripe started along the front edge of the wheel opening and extended
rearward over the wheel opening, following the body line. The D96 stripe
was included with style trim or rally sport and was also available as a
stand-alone option. Though GM documentation states that the D96 stripes
were “Not available when Camaro SS, Special Performance Package, or Sport
Striping is ordered”, the D96 stripes have been observed on some original
Z28’s and SS cars.
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Z28 Trunk Lid Striping
If the spoiler was installed at the factory:
- The paint stripes go over the spoiler, and end at the bottom of the
spoiler (and therefore not on the back lip of the trunk lid) - The Camaro trunk lid emblem was moved forward, up the trunk lid,
from station 125.00 to station 121.73, a distance of 3.27 inches,
and the Z stripe was masked (1967-68 only) around the emblem.
If the spoiler was installed by the dealer:
- The stripes were painted on the trunk lid at the factory and thus,
without a spoiler, run all the way through to the lip of the lid.
The dealer installed spoiler was attached over the factory stripes
and then the dealer painted the spoiler to match. - The dealer often did not relocate the Camaro emblem.
SS Hood Ornaments
At model introduction in September, 1966, the SS Camaro used
a special SS hood that included chromed trim that mimicked
the appearance of finned oil coolers. At this time, the only
SS was the SS-350 model, and the badges on the car read
“SS-350”. When the SS-396 was introduced in January 1967,
the badges were changed for all SS models to read “SS”. The
SS-396 could be distinguished from the SS-350 by the engine
emblems. In addition, there is a blacked-out tailpan on
SS-396 cars (except black-painted cars and special models
like the 1969 Pace cars). Both 350 and 396 models in 1967
used the finned hood emblem for the entire model year.
For the 1968 model year, the chromed hood trim for SS396 changed from
the simulated finned cooler to a set of simulated carburetor velocity
stacks. The early 1968 model year SS350 continued to receive the
1967-style finned hood trim. At the end of October / beginning of
November 1967, the SS350 trim transitioned to the velocity stack
trim (same as the SS396). The simulated velocity stack continued for the 1969
model year with all SS cars using this same hood trim. Related to this, the
part number for the 1968-69 hood is different than 1967, with the only
noticeable difference being the drains used with the velocity
stack trim.
Cowl Hood
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It seems that the majority of restored or modified 1969 Camaros (and many 67’s and 68’s) are equipped
with the RPO ZL2, Special Ducted Hood, aka the ‘cowl hood’. Truth is stranger than fiction.
Only approximately 4.5% of the 69 production run was factory equipped with it –
the option total is 10,026 units. It was a mandatory option for the Indy Pace Car replicas and
Z10’s – that’s 4,000+ units. That leaves only 6,000 optional hoods for other SS and Z28 cars!
Despite early press photos showing the hood, it was not available at the start of production. Option
information was released to dealers via a letter from Chevrolet dated November 25, 1968. Chevrolet
released two print ads for the option, featuring Hugger Orange and Rallye Green Camaro SS coupes. The
ads referred to it as the Super Scoop hood; availability was limited to Camaro SS and Z28 models. It
was also mentioned in later print ads for the Indy Pace Car replica.
It was referred to as Special Ducted Hood on the ordering information. Chevrolet never referred to
it as Cowl Induction; that term was introduced for a similar optional hood for the 1970 Chevelle SS.
At this time, the earliest known documented production ZL2 installations are a 12C Z/28 at Van Nuys and Norwood
ZL1 #1 9N569358, built late December 1968. Both cars exist today with their Body Broadcast Copies. Neither has
any special notes on the sheet as might be expected, as the system required piercing holes in the body
structure plus different and additional component parts. It is possible neither car was the first.
The hood was initially in short supply as an option. It may have been allocated to the Indy Pace Car replicas,
Z10’s, and COPO production. Pace Car and Z10 production ended early in May 1969, freeing up
availability. At the end of production, slightly over 40% of the 10,026 optional ZL2 installations were
Z10’s and Z11’s. The majority of 1969 Camaro SS and Z28 did not have the hood.
Chevrolet also offered a version of this hood for roadracing. It was available only as an
over the counter retrofit, designed to be used with the 2 x 4 barrel cross-ram carburetion system.
The cross-ram hood was available in both fiberglass and steel (the rules of the racing series would
dictate which one was legal to use).
Chevrolet fitted the now-famous 68 Camaro Z28 convertible with the hood and carburetion system for
display at Trans-Am events late in 1968. Although the first public viewing of the hood was on a 1968
Camaro, ironically it was never a 1968 option. The entire induction system has been available in
reproduction for decades making early retrofits possible.
Trunk lids
Although the trunk lids are dimensionally the same and interchange, there were several different
versions of trunk lids used from 67-69. The trunk lids on the first few dozen or so pilot production
Camaros didn’t have access holes for the emblem on the right side. The early style regular production
Camaro trunk lids have very minimal holes and indentations on the underside support structure.
Essentially, just enough to allow attachment of the emblems and the trunk latch. There was an extra
hole in center of the support panel right above the date for the first several months of production.
This hole was removed sometime after November.
Around the February to early March 1967 timeframe, a new underside support structure was
implemented to replace the original design. This new stamping added indentations and holes
which were needed for the spoiler for the 68 Camaro (the Firebird may also have had some influence
on the design). While no 67 Camaro was built with a factory installed rear spoiler, the new underside
facilitated spoiler installation when Chevrolet made the rear spoiler available in 1968.
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The trunk lid was changed again for 68, namely for the new emblem design and an additional hole for
the emblem when equipped with a spoiler. This design was used during the 68 model year and into
the 69 model year. The trunk lid was changed again in the December 68 time frame to add holes to enable
installation of the Firebird Trans-Am spoiler.
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The final version for 69 incorporated minor changes, namely removal of the tabs on the
rear edge of the trunk lid and a change in the date code location.
Service trunk lids have an extra hole in center of the support panel. That hole only appeared
on some early 67 decklids (which will have the early style underside) and service parts
(which have the spoiler holes, etc.) – no other production Camaro trunk lids have that hole.
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Black-out Paint Applications
Certain first-generation Camaro models had semi-gloss black-out paint
applied to the body to influence the appearance. There were two types:
a “ground-effect” black-out applied to the rocker-panel/body-sill area for
certain exterior trim options and a blacked-out tailpan
applied to SS-396 cars.
Body sill black-out paint was applied to Z22 (RS) cars in 1967
and 1968 and to Z21 (style trim) and Z22 (RS) in 1969. But there were
several body colors that were simply just too dark for this paint scheme
to be effective and for these colors, the body sill black-out paint was
omitted. Additionally, the body sill black-out was omitted for the 1969
Z11 Indy Pace Car convertible trim package and the 1969 Z10 coupe trim
package. A Chevrolet Product Bulletin dated 2-4-69 describes
the Z11 (Pace Car trim package) package and includes this
instruction: “Body sill to be painted white instead of
black.” Although no instructions have been found for the Z10
coupe, the intent would have been the same.
There was also a paint color exception for the SS-396 tailpan
black-out, but it was limited to black vehicles and the Z11 and Z10.
Black SS-396 cars would not have received the
(semi-gloss) blacked-out tailpans. But it should be noted that a few
original paint black SS-396’s have been observed with blacked-out tailpanels –
the paint difference is only visible at the paint tape line.
1967 1968 1969
---- ---- ----
AA Tuxedo Black AA Tuxedo Black 10 Tuxedo Black*
EE Deepwater (Dark) Blue EE Fathom (Dark) Blue 51 Dusk (Dark) Blue
LL Tahoe Turquoise NN Cordovan Maroon 57 Fathom (Dark) Green
MM Royal Plum VV Sequoia Green 61 Burnished Brown
NN Madeira Maroon NN Cordovan Maroon 67 Burgundy
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* We have not found GM documentation for the 1969 Tuxedo Black body
sill exception. However we believe it followed the pattern of previous
years and original 1969 cars bear this out.
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1969 Grille Colors and Usage
The following two tables illustrate the rather complicated
use of grille styles and colors for 1969. As noted below,
Tuxedo Black cars are the exceptions for grille color; all
black cars received silver grilles.
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Similarities and Differences of 1967 and 1968 Front Bumpers
The front bumpers on the 1967 and 1968 Camaro are almost
identical, but they are not fully interchangeable. While the
bumper stamping itself is the same, there are different
mounting holes in the stamping for each year.
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Figures 1a and 1b show the center of the front bumper. The 1967
bumper, part number 3886690, has one hole for mounting the front
license plate holder to the bumper. The 1968 bumper, part number
3929954, has 2 additional holes for mounting a bracket (#21) and rubber
bumper (#22).
Figures 2a and 2b show the end of the front bumper for each year.
The bumper mounting brackets are different for the two years.
The 1967 bracket extends down to the lower part of the bumper,
attaching with a bolt (#12) to a mounting hole in that location.
The 1968 bracket is attached to the bumper only with the top-side
bolt (#20) at the end and the bottom hole in the bumper was removed.
The #20 bolt system was redesigned from 1967 and changed
to use rubber cushions.
While they are similar, due to mounting hole differences, a
1967 Camaro front bumper can be mounted on a 1968 model only
if the ’68 center mounting pad is not installed. Likewise, a
1968 Camaro front bumper can be mounted on a 1967 model only
if the ’67 lower end brackets are left unattached.
 
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