My "New" 63 Convertible

[byroninatlanta]

Hello all....After a 20 year hiatus, I am back in the Corvair fold. I recently purchased a 63 Convertible that was in pretty sad shape. The car has been painted a maroon color but was originally Ember red. I am considering taking it back to red and have ordered a ton of parts from Clarks. Two things....My car has red seats but has black door panels. Was that from the factory or did someone change the door panels? The code on the body tag show Trim 1-781 and the Paint as 922-5. Also, it shows the ACC as 2CEM. What were the accessories?

Thanks and some pics for your viewing pleasure!

[bbodie52]

Here is a breakdown of the information on the body tag you provided...
BODY TAG INFO:

03B
Body Build Date: 03 = March, B = Second Week
The first two digits are numbers 01 through 12, indicating the month of manufacture. The letter is A-E, indicating the week of the month. If the letter is an "B" it indicates the second week of the month.

Style 63-0967 Body WR 21125
Year and Body Type:1963 Monza 2-Door Convertible, 4 Passenger
63 = 1963
Style 0967: 09 = Monza, 67 = Convertible, WR = Willow Run, Michigan, Production Sequence No: 21125
1963 Monza 2-Door Convertible, 4-Passenger (0967), Total Production: 36,693.

TRIM 1-781 PAINT 922-5
922-5 = Exterior Paint Code: 922 = Red - "Ember Red"; Interior Paint Code: 5 = Red

Ember Red Lucite No. 4387LH / Rinshed-Mason No. A1538R / Ditzler No. DDL71336
1963-64: Code for top color found on TRIM line.
TRIM: This 3 digit code represents the interior color and seat type.
1 = White (Top Color Code)
Trim 781 = Red (Interior Color)

2CEM
The Letters are listed in groups. Letters following a number are in that group.
1st Group
N/A

2nd Group
C = RPO B70 - Padded Dash
E = RPO C64 - Air Conditioning
M = RPO M35 - Powerglide Automatic Transmission

Your Corvair Monza was originally Red on the outside and on the inside, with a white convertible top. The black door panels were later substituted by a previous owner.

[Nickshu]

Hi, the car looks great.

922 was the paint code for Ember Red

781 was the code for red "vinyl leather" interior.

According to the Machan & Bruggen Corvair authenticity book.

So your car was ember red with red interior. I believe this included red door panels.

The color it was repainted in looks similar to Palomar Red (948) which was a metallic color offered in the same year. But not for sure.

[Nickshu]

Dang Brad, beat me by 2 minutes on the post... LOL!!

[byroninatlanta]

Wow! Air conditioning! Too bad there is no sign of any AC now! Thanks guys for the replies. My former cars were a 65 Monza Convertible and a 66 Turbo Corsa (sans turbo!).