Decoding Cowl Tag 70 Cutlass

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Old May 3, 2015 | 06:46 AM
  #1  
Chuxter's Avatar
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1970 Cutlass Supreme
 
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From: Saint Joseph Mo
Decoding Cowl Tag 70 Cutlass

Was needing a little help decoding my cowl tag?
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Old May 3, 2015 | 07:29 AM
  #2  
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1970 Oldsmobile (3) Cutlass Supreme V-8 (42) 2-door hardtop (57) built first week of December 1969 (12A) at Fremont, California (BF). Upper (20) and lower (20) body colors are Azure Blue. Roof drip molding (B80).

The only thing I don't have is the 973 trim code. That'll be some something about the seats and seat color. I'm going to guess blue vinyl bucket seat.

The long numbers to the right of the 12A are not decipherable so far as anyone knows. Neither is the body number to the right of the BF.

Last edited by jaunty75; May 3, 2015 at 07:36 AM.
Old May 3, 2015 | 08:36 AM
  #3  
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Randy C.
 
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I agree with jaunty75 on the 973 code - blue vinyl interior with strato bucket seats. At least that is what my book says!


Randy C.
Old May 3, 2015 | 08:37 AM
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1970 Cutlass Supreme
 
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I saw you responded on my other thread, but how many colors of blue were there? All of the companies seem to have different options for seat cover replacements, carpet and headliners
Old May 3, 2015 | 08:43 AM
  #5  
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I don't know. Hopefully someone will have the 1970 dealer showroom album.
Old May 3, 2015 | 08:51 AM
  #6  
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Do you have any idea what the color is (or was)?

Lots of auto carpet sites will let you choose the carpet by model year, make, and model and then show you either the "factory" color choices or "all" color choices.

I've bought carpeting from this site:

http://www.varkmotors.com/

If you drill down to 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 2-door hardtop without console, they show three different shades of blue under the factory colors option.

Dark blue:





Medium blue:





Bright blue:




I know the latter two seem backwards, but that's what they show.


Any of these close to what's in the car now?
Old May 3, 2015 | 09:02 AM
  #7  
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Visit autocolorlibrary.com and look at the back of the color chip.
Old May 3, 2015 | 09:06 AM
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That'll give him the exterior color. I think he wants the interior color.

Azure Blue on that site is a light blue, so perhaps he needs the lighter blue carpet?
Old May 3, 2015 | 09:07 AM
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The back of the chart should give the interior color.
Old May 3, 2015 | 09:11 AM
  #10  
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I missed that.


But I don't know as "973" appears to be next to both "medium blue poly" (13973) and "dark blue poly/dark blue" (13974 and 13975).

Old May 3, 2015 | 09:13 AM
  #11  
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Does this chart actually give interior color names? Or does it show which interior colors (the second column) were available with which interior trim numbers (first column)? There are many more trim combination numbers than there are "color names" to go with them.

Unless I'm just not reading this chart correctly.
Old May 3, 2015 | 09:37 AM
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I had a 70 SX with Azure paint (looks like Robins egg blue) with the blue buckets. The carpet, from what I remember, was the medium blue that Jaunty posted. I tried to scan the vinyl sample page in pdf, but it is too large, not sure if it will scan smaller, while showing what you need.
Old May 3, 2015 | 09:42 AM
  #13  
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Originally Posted by 1969w3155
I had a 70 SX with Azure paint (looks like Robins egg blue) with the blue buckets. The carpet, from what I remember, was the medium blue
But the carpet didn't HAVE to be medium blue, did it?

I'm guessing that one could have specified different carpet color choices to go with the blue bucket seats? The Ditzler chart suggests that you could have gotten either medium blue or dark blue interiors to go with the 973 (blue) seats.

I could be wrong, but I think the bottom line is that nothing on the cowl tag will tell you what the color of the carpet was. Only the color of the seats, and then only described as "blue," not which shade of blue.
Old May 3, 2015 | 09:48 AM
  #14  
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looks a little dark.
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Old May 3, 2015 | 09:51 AM
  #15  
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What looks a little dark?

That chart shows that either of the two blues could have been had with paint code 20. It also shows that ivory (at the bottom), black (top left), and whatever that color is on the upper right that's cut off in your image could also have been had with exterior paint code 20. So what have we learned regarding the OP's car?

Last edited by jaunty75; May 3, 2015 at 09:54 AM.
Old May 3, 2015 | 09:59 AM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by jaunty75
The long numbers to the right of the 12A are not decipherable so far as anyone knows.
Those numbers are related to the build sheet for the car provided to Fisher Body Works at Freemont. I've seen them on a Freemont build sheet and associated cowl tag; and IMO it's reasonable to conclude they may have used the same processes from 70-72. Note: not all Olds plants put those numbers on the cowl tags. I have seen them on some special ordered cars, mostly out of Freemont.

Originally Posted by jaunty75
Neither is the body number to the right of the BF.
As you said there's nothing that has been proven/documented that we know, but it's been suggested that those numbers (1,2,3) are related to the shift numbers at Fisher.
Old May 3, 2015 | 10:13 AM
  #17  
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Sheet is much lighter in person, the two blues listed are the same shade of color, the one on the left is vinyl only, as in bucket seats, the other is vinyl & cloth, as when a bench seat was used, cloth with vinyl trim. I do not have any carpet samples, so I don't know what was available. My sample was from the colors and fabric book, under the Cutlass Supreme section, but that is the only blue used in '70 across the model line for the seats. I have seen different shades of blue on the carpet over the years but , I don't know if they were original or reproduction, or if different plants used other shades for the carpet, as they would have had different suppliers. The Op can at least look at the sample, and reference it if he orders new seat covers from any of the vendors.
Old May 3, 2015 | 10:16 AM
  #18  
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I could be wrong, but I think the bottom line is that nothing on the cowl tag will tell you what the color of the carpet was. Only the color of the seats, and then only described as "blue," not which shade of blue.
I agree.
Old May 3, 2015 | 07:01 PM
  #19  
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1970 Cutlass Supreme
 
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From: Saint Joseph Mo
I'm pretty sure I can figure the carpet part out but the seat covers at all the different sites list all different colors with legendary only listing a light metallic Blue
Old May 3, 2015 | 07:06 PM
  #20  
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The light metallic blue that Legendary has is correct.
Old May 3, 2015 | 07:47 PM
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Does this help at all?

https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/doc...2_Info_Kit.pdf
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Old Jun 1, 2021 | 07:30 PM
  #22  
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mind blown

Originally Posted by Diego

I know this thread is dated, but you guys are amazingly helpful...this heritage archive link...mind blowing for me! I didn't know all that info was available in 1 place. It's gonna take me a while to get through it all. I'm also researching proper colors for my 70 Astro Blue Cutlass Supreme with interior code 973, same as OP, and this thread's been super-helpful. Thanks for all your help...past, present and future!
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