hey guys,didnt realize it at the time of purchase,duh?my top is manual how common are these ..69 chevelle ss ,just wondering,thanks for any input...

I don't know how common, but out of curiosity what color is the top frame?

Dave,

What this discussion about top frame colors (I seem to have read several recent posts)?

I know my 66 had a manual top with an off-white top frame. I had never seen another one that color until recently...

Yeah, I was just trying to see if there is a pattern with the frame color. I've always heard that 'all' the manual frames were Ivory and 'all' the power were Black.

dave,mines black but who knows could have been painted at one time hard to tell...

Mine has a manual top as well. Heard a discussion that cars could be had with either a manual or power top and then GM stopped sometime during the 69 model year and all cars after the switch over got power tops...I prefer it over a power top..no messy fluids to deal with.

Albert

Convertible tops were made with either a black fabric backing or tan, so if that top frame is in original paint, it's probably b/c it was made with a top with a tan backing. Also, this may be common knowledge, but I only found out about it last year-The power frame and the manual frame are different, so converting a manual top to power would involve changing the frame as well.
Rich

What am I missing here? I have a 67 manual top (white fabric) with the original black frame. Is that not right?

All my manual top frames were black, I had them in 66,68,69, and a 70 SS396 convertible. All tops were black, but I also had white power tops and those frames were black too. I believe the power top became standard in 71, all my 71-72s had power.

My 65SS has a trim code of 710 which has a material code M35 (Light Saddle) but.... It is two tone that had and has now material code M42 (Dark Saddle) seat inserts... I wish some could explain that! PUI had the 2tone seat cover codes in their books. The car also has Dark Saddle kick panels and upper dash that is not padded. The rest of the interior paint is Seirra Tan that is factory and still in good condition.

Here's the best part... The ext. paint color code is S-3 which is (S) Seirra Tan Ext. paint with the(3) being the top color calling for a beige or tan top? But.....It came from the factory with a white top, Tan under side fabric and what my paint guy calls a (Sandalwood Tan colored frame) Wish someone could explain that also??? still factory paint except the header that I had to remove and do some work to due to rust in the corners. This car was unmolested with all factory paint and interior and top when I got it.

During the restoration a couple years back I ask several questions about my cars color codes and got no answers that really helped me!!! Maybe someone can explain now that we have a convertible top forum?

Has anybody seen a (Sandalwood Tan) or what you might of thought was a (Tan) colored top frame?
I have not, that is why I ask...Also this car has a power top. This topic might get me some answers that is why I jumped in here.

I also asked for folks to post Top and frame colors and (color codes) one other time trying to learn more... with little to no responses,so come on guys lets get them posted and see if there is pattern of some kind that we don't know about. Thanks, DANO

Dano,

I think the "Tan" you are referring to is probably the same as the "Ivory" Dave Bradley mentioned above, as well as the "off-white" I mentioned above... "Off-White", it was probably more of a light beige/tan than white anyway...

But "Sandlewood Tan" was more of a metallic color (for 1966 at least), so I have trouble equating the top frame to that color... And a little more "white" than Cameo Beige...

I think Dave's "Ivory" fits the description pretty well, for my old top frame at least...


Mine is the ONLY, light color (from the factory) frame I have ever seen... All the others I've seen were black...

By the way, my car was Aztec Bronze with a two-tone Fawn interior. NO codes for top color (Fremont car). The top fabric was replaced prior to my purchase, so I have no idea if it originally was white or beige, or what color the inside was...

Thanks for replying 66, This color is real close to the Sierra Tan ext. paint color. Although it lighter with no metallic in it. I would agree that it is a shade of light Tan or some shade of beige but no where near an Ivory or off white...also real close to the tan that is on the under side fabric of the white top...when my paint guy mixed up the paint for it,he came up with a sandalwood tan that was a near match, to the rest of the frame that has not been repainted. I have the old can of paint somewhere but I cannot find it. graemlins/clonk.gif

The 3 in my paint code is where I was confused... I was trying to decide back then when restoring my car if the 3 could have been the frame color? or underside color? But of course I was told that it was for the outside color??? But... I know that my car came with a white top! So what code or codes denote what some of these underside colors should have been is where I still have yet to figure out and probably never will.This is why I asked several times for folks to list their codes and colors hoping someones car would also be simular to mine so I could have some piece of mind. I guess that very few cars had the lighter colored frames...At the time of my restoration I did not know that very few cars got the lighter colored frames. Live and learn smile.gif DANO

Thanks for replying 66, This color is real close to the Sierra Tan ext. paint color. Although it lighter with no metallic in it. I would agree that it is a shade of light Tan or some shade of beige but no where near an Ivory or off white...also real close to the tan that is on the under side fabric of the white top...when my paint guy mixed up the paint for it,he came up with a sandalwood tan that was a near match, to the rest of the frame that has not been repainted. I have the old can of paint somewhere but I cannot find it. graemlins/clonk.gif

The 3 in my paint code is where I was confused... I was trying to decide back then when restoring my car if the 3 could have been the frame color? or underside color? But of course I was told that it was for the outside color??? But... I know that my car came with a white top! So what code or codes denote what some of these underside colors should have been is where I still have yet to figure out and probably never will.This is why I asked several times for folks to list their codes and colors hoping someones car would also be simular to mine so I could have some piece of mind. I guess that very few cars had the lighter colored frames...At the time of my restoration I did not know that very few cars got the lighter colored frames. Live and learn smile.gif DANO