new Buick 68 GS400 owner & newer V8Buick.com user ;-)

hi all Marty from SloCal. i recently found my rough in the diamond... a '68 Buick GS400. car is mostly stock... 400BBB & th400 match the car. bench seat, column shift with black interior. car sports a brown exterior color which i am PRAYING & HOPING that it's not the original paint color. especially since i'm kind of a purist on keeping the *original* paint color on the car if & when it's repainted. 3rd owner. owner before me bought the GS from his brother who was the original owner. car shows 65xxx on the clock which the previous owner swore was *original* hehehe sure :laugh:. car is & has been non op status since 1997. chassis & sheet metal appear to be solid except for quarter sized rust holes & a dent on the roof where the vinyl top used to be. i'm not sure if this correct location on the forum to be posting questions but 1st & foremost. how do i decode the body tag? from what i've read online it appears the paint code is an M7. i've posted a pic of the body tag unfortunately some of it is no legible. the picture isn't the greatest either... my apologies. on the 2nd row right next to 158 it is a "B" i cannot decipher the rest. can some one help me decode this thing? any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance
Marty

 

Welcome Marty. Yep, it's an original brown car:

http://www.stage1registry.com/paint_codes/1968color.jpg

 

Welcome from Florida!

 

Welcome to the forum and the Stepchild Nation! That color is called 'Burnished Saddle'. I had one that color with Buckskin top and interior. Don't go hating it just yet; it really is a pretty color. It's mixed with a lot of other colors and has a lot of depth or dimension to it. It isn't just brown.
Patrick

 

http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?207127-1968-GS400-Cowl-Tag-Assistance&highlight=1968+trim+tag

PM Mike from the above thread, he maybe able to give you your original vinyl top color code (7). I too would like your car in brown, especially with black plates :laugh: Looks like your car was built the second week of June, 1968 (code 06B). Can you share some pictures of the car?

 

Welcome from Arizona and another stepchild owner! Many years ago I had another 68 vert in the same color brown as yours, with a white top and interiorand I really liked it.<o></o>

 

thanks everyone. i pm'd Mike on the data plate numbers. here are some pics of the car. can't wait to turn wrenches on this thing & get her on the road again :grin:

 

welcome please keep me in mind for parts. I am local in so cal la puente ca 91744 call me any time i have tons of 68 parts Hector 626 488 5472

 

mo pics

 

what up Hector! this is Marty from SD. called you last week about some replacement sheet metal for the roof... you said all you had was a rag top. if you come up on a clean 2 door shell let me know

Marty

 

7 = Buckskin color vinyl top

:TU:

 

Nice work Mike.

Thanks for sharing the pictures Marty- that car is loaded with potential! You can buy a new roof from AMD, I believe.

http://www.autometaldirect.com/auto...modify-for-mcarlo-cutlass-supreme-p-1017.html

 

Thanks for the help & info Brian & Mike. Mike helped me decipher the body plate guess it breaks down like this...

The 06B means it was built the 2nd week of June, 1968
BF - Fremont California Buick plant
68 = year
44637 = GS400 Coupe
M = Buckskin exterior paint
the 7 represents a "buckskin" color vinyl top
TR 158 is a black vinyl bench seat interior

thanks again

 

Found an old picture of mine. Not the best, but it'll give you an idea.
Partick

 

It is a very nice color.

Sean

 

i'm sure the color will grow on me. ill probably go with a black vinyl top instead of the original barnished colored top to match the black interior. curious how that would look

Marty

 

Welcome! That's the best fitting rear bumper on a stepchild I've seen in a long time.:eek2:

 

thank you. the warm dry climate in east Riverside preserved most of the sheet meta on herl. i think both bumpers will clean up nicely with elbow grease & brillows

Marty

 

I got a PM from Marty today. He's a former 442 man. The step-child nation is a better place now that Marty is aboard. He's an excellent communicator and going to fit right in with our bunch!

 

Welcome looks original even the correct air cleaner. Its so rusty....you don't want to mess with that Just call one of us rust belt guys. Tony