Unusual Color on 1966 Barracuda

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OK - I own one of these Pink cars. I'll try and reply with info and ask a few questions.

One - the paint code is 999, not 99. Here is a pic of my vin:
fendertag.jpg


I noticed that both of the fender tags shown have "punched out" letters (one shown above). Can someone expound on these???

The assembly line officer punched out the markings. I do not know the reason!
 

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Sorry, I got sidetracked. Is it a factory 999 car or factory mauve? 73 smurf posted twice in 2009 and never posted a photo. Did we ever find out what the original car was? tmm
 
the smurf guy was me, i couldn't get back into that account....

This is a strange car, it has the 273 Commando engine with the 4 barrel carburetor. It has the Formula S dash, however, it does not have the Manual transmission or Formula S Badging - Can anyone tell me what the suspension should look like for formula S?

I can't get this car started - its driving me crazy...changed the fuel pump, so now its getting fuel...but still won't start....Grrrrr....
 
the smurf guy was me, i couldn't get back into that account....

This is a strange car, it has the 273 Commando engine with the 4 barrel carburetor. It has the Formula S dash, however, it does not have the Manual transmission or Formula S Badging - Can anyone tell me what the suspension should look like for formula S?

I can't get this car started - its driving me crazy...changed the fuel pump, so now its getting fuel...but still won't start....Grrrrr....

Formula S would have front say bar and I think 5 leaf spring pack in the rear. It probably would also have disk brakes but I think that was an option. The trans could be auto or manuel with the Formula S package

Here is a link to help you decode the fender tag.
http://earlyvaliant.org/tech/tag.htm
Look for the #7 under the "F" to see if your car has the formula s package
 
What paint color is used for the 273 engine for these cars? We have the engine out of our pink 999 car and are going to repaint the engine. Any recommendations? Thanks, Bill
 
What paint color is used for the 273 engine for these cars? We have the engine out of our pink 999 car and are going to repaint the engine. Any recommendations? Thanks, Bill


RED 273.

A local guy owns an original pink AMX. I have pictures of the car and his show sign board at home. (at work now) IIRC, there were two built and he has documentation showing his to be a playboy car. Hey, it's grandfathered in as a Mopar.

There was a CA guy in the BOG who had a 66 pink cuda he was trying to sell a few years ago. I'm betting they were ordered by a CA dealer or dealers as some kind of special promo. I wouldn't be surprised if the VIN's showed them all built sequentially in one or two runs to make the painting easier.

I know the 69 440 'cudas were ALL built on three different dates, and only three. The registry shows that explicitly. Just easier to get the odd ball cars done all at once instead of spread out intermittently.
 
ALL 66 Barracudas with the 273 four barrel got the 150mph speedometer and the tach was optional with ANY 273. There was NO Formula S dash. The "S" could have a four speed or auto, just like ANY 273. All 273 four barrel cars had the heavy duty rear leaf springs, but "S" cars got the .870" torsion bars and sway bar, which were optional with any engine. Disc brakes were also optional with ANY package.

With that said, on to the pink car thing. My in-laws purchased one brand new in Santa Rosa, CA. It was a 273 two barrel car that they had for three or four years and sold here in Fresno after moving here. My FIL bought it BECAUSE it was Playmate Pink (he had a subscription in those days). The salesman called it Playmate Pink.
 
Quick ratio manual was also an option on the "S". My old 66 (that Lee, LilCuda, has on this site) had all the standard "S" items with the optional four speed, tach, and disc brakes. It did not have the fast manual steering, but the standard manual steering. The car was NOT a Formula S nad just has "Commando V8" emblems on the fenders.
 
Do anyone know the correct paint formula for the 999 pink 1966 Barracuda? We are painting ours now and want to use the correct paint formula for the color match. Thanks for any help. Please send info to [email protected]
 
The easiest way I can think of and it may be to late to do is to bring the trunk or other panel that still has the unweathered factory paint for them to sample to match.
 
I remember our local Ford dealer having 3 pink Mustangs on his lot in 1965. They were 6 cylinder stripper notchbacks with 3 speed transmissions. Anyway, the story from the dealership was that Hugh Hefner paid to have 500 Mustangs painted pink at the factory (smallest paint run Ford would do) so he could give one to the Playmate of the year. The other 499 were built as strippers and sent out to the dealer network for disposal at whatever they could get for them. Those cars sat on the lot for a long time but they were eventually sold. Wish I had been old enough (I was 12) and had the money and foresight to buy one to set aside for my retirement. Wonder what one of those would bring on Barrett-Jackoff now if it was put in storage right off the lot in 1965? Missed opportunities, the story of my life until now.

The story from the Ford dealership doesn't make sense..
It sounds plausible, but in 1965 you could order a Mustang (or any other Ford) in any color you could think of..
At noe extra cost you could get a Mustang in colors used on other Fords.
You could also order it in any color you could think of at extra cost without buying 500 of them. There are '65 Mustangs out there that were originally Caterpillar Orange, UPS Brown and god knows what.
 
Got it back from the paint shop!
 

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Nice looking Cuda, but man that is a bright pink. Was that the factory colour they duplicated?
 
Found this on another web site.
If it's true the 999 paint code was use for special order paint color not the colors Mopar designated for the cars year. The person who posted it wasn't sure if it's true
either. It does sound possible.


999 Paint Codes Explained
« on: April 30, 2013, 06:20:38 AM »

Hey Guys I found this on another site. No way to verify it but here it is all the same

Joe

Special Order 999 Paint Codes

Special Order "999" paint codes were codes assigned for a vehicle for paint colors that were not officially available for that model vehicle for a given year. When a car line was planned and introduced, a number of colors were designated as being available for that car. Dealer information and paint chips were distributed, assembly lines were readied with paint mixes and instructions for the paint departments for the identified set of paint codes.

The way a 999 car was order was that any one with a fleet account (dealerships, or large purchasing agents) could order any Ditzler color for any vehicle for some additional small fee ($75-100). When the 999 order was placed, some notation as to which actual color was written on the order. The factory would have sent the car down the assembly line with papers that also reflected that special paint color.

While the parameters of the 999 special order paint mean that there were probalby some unique orders that mades a "one off", for some years, there were common 999 orders. 1968-1969 999 Orange cars would be one of these commonly order special colors. There were probably a few hundred 999 Orange cars built in 1968 and 1969. For 1968 and the beginning of 1969, these were Omaha Orange which is the same orange used to paint early 1964 race hemi's (Ditzler code DRA60436). At some point in the 1969 model year, the special order 999 Omaha Orange became the EK2 Vitamin C Orange which would be standard color for 1970. The is per a 4/7/69 TSB stating that begining approx. Feb 1, 1969, EK2 "Vitamin C" Orange would be available for Belvedere models.

Some hobbiest inaccurately state that all "999" cars were Orange, while order inaccurately state that a "999" code on a car would give the owner license to reapint the car any color and still maintain that the car is "original" or "numbers matching" (paint numbers at least). Its not accurate to say a 999 car could be any color you want. If the color was available that model and that year, it wouldn't have a 999 code for that color. So, a 1970 GTX 999 car could not be painted of the available 1970 GTX colors and be correct. FM3 Panther Pink, EB5 Medium Blue, FC7 Plum Crazy, FE5 Medium Red, FF4 Light Green Metallic, (etc) would all be incorrect paint colors for a 1970 999 GTX.

Speaking of 1970 GTX 999 cars, I found references to some 1970 GTS's with 999 paint codes being a "EA4" Silver Metallic ( see this "999 code 1970 GTX" page (off-site) or Petty Blue. One reader has contacted me since this article was first published with information of his 1970 A4 999 Roadrunner complete with a build sheet that has "A4" written on it, and 999 on the fender tag.

999 paints codes were not limited to colors that were not, or had never been made available for a particular model, It could also be a special order for a color that had been available, but was no longer offered. A good example of this are the 1971 Panther Pink / Moulin Rouge cars. All 1970 FM3 Panther Pink / Moulin Rouge cars were coded "FM3", the color was dropped for 1971. some 1971 cars were built as Panther Pink cars ( special ordered ) and were coded as 999 paint cars. (also documented is a 1971 Panther Pink Charger coded "148" ??).

In closing, I'll point out that 999 was a special order paint code used from at least 1961 through at least 1978. The 999 codes are common, or at least somewhat common, on fleet sales, like police departments, and park services, and were not limited to "Muscle Cars". Four door 318 cars have been documented as carrying the 999 code.

Here is a brief list of some example 999 paint code cars reported to have existed:

* 1961 Chrysler 300G coupe, Dark Green.
* 1965 Barracuda, Yellow.
* 1966 Barracudas, Pink.
* 1968 Road Runners Omaha Orange, maybe as maybe as 100 from the Los Angeles plant alone.
* 1968 Dart, Orange.
* 1969 Barracudas & Daytona (1) & Charger 500 (1) Omaha Orange.
* 1969 Super Bee Bahama Yellow (Butterscotch).
* 1969 cars with Rallye Green. (perhaps,, only seen references to its existence, but I have seen any reference cars..)
* 1969 Coronet wagon, color unknown.
* 1969 Petty Blue.
* 1970 Charger, A4 Silver. "Special order" on the bottom of the build sheet and "silver" written in marker behind the seat.
* 1970 Roadrunner, A4 Silver paint and written on buildsheet.
* 1970 Plymouths, Petty Blue, included a 4dr 318 car.
* 1976 Chrysler New Yorker Bright Yellow.
* 1976 Dart, unknown color.
 
I have one of these 999 paint code pink cars for sale right now. If interested PM me.
 
Keith, Yes they matched the factory paint color. We also have a 1967 Playmate Pink Mustang and it is very close to the same color.
We had the V8 engine completely rebuilt, also automatic trans, new carpet, upholstery, bumpers re-chromed by tri city plating, new tires, etc.

It is now for sale if anyone knows of someone wanting a very nice Barracuda. It was sold new by Melrose Motors, which was the home of the famous Melrose Missile NHRA race cars of the 1960's. We also have a Galen Govier report for it. For sale now by a NHRA licensed Pro Stock driver.

PM us if interested. Thanks.
 

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Reviving an old thread. I run the 1966-67 Charger Registry (former owner of a mauve 1966 Barracuda, 1971 Dart Swinger and 1974 Dart Swinger) and am helping a guy with his 999 code 1966 Barracuda fender tag.

I have found four other fender tags online for 999 1966 Barracudas. All have the E1 code for cleaner air package. Are there more 1966 Barracuda 999 tags out there and possibly all of them have this E1 code? Thanks!

Tags I've found:
51340373
5?340443
52740500
5??40371
 
Strange, I have never seen a air cleaner option on a fender tag. I can't find a E1 option in the books except for a 6.50x13 tire option. Interesting stuff.
 
I have two 1965 Dart Chargers and both of them have 999 paint code. Most of you know that the 999 paint code on a Dart Chargers meant light yellow. But as someone said earlier in this thread, the code meant special paint, not special color. Later Dart Chargers had the 991 paint code and then from March 1st, 1965 the light yellow paint was officialy introduced and the code was changed to 881 from this date..
 
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