RWD 19xx-1984 DeVille and Fleetwood, 1985-1996 Fleetwood and Brougham ForumForum for discussions regarding the rear wheel drive Pre80s-1984 DeVille and Fleetwood, 1985-1996 Fleetwood/Brougham.
First of all, if you want to know what color is on your car you can just get the color code and ask an automotive paint specalist (like me ) to look it up for you.
The reason this is the best way is because:
1) The names of colors change over the years
2) There can be multiple names for the same color and multiple colors with the same name, i.e. Candy Apple Red, Robin Egg Blue, etc.
3) Dealerships tend to take the color names and "spice" them up to make it sound more attractive. Someone may be more likely to buy a car with "Super Volcanic Magma Fire Red Metalic" then just "Red Metalic". Plus it allows the dealership to charge you more for the "special" paint.
4) The name of your paint becomes even more useless if you want to fix a scratch or chip where an exact match is required. If you just look online for "Firemist Red", the color code you get thats attached to that name is not always the one on your car. It's a hell of a lot easier to just get your color code and VIN and ask someone like me. I can even tell you what alternate shade is on your car, what tints are in it, what concentration of metalic flake is in your color, etc.
So if anyone would like to know more than they ever imagined about their exact color I am here to help. Just send me your make, model, year, color code, and VIN and I will get back to you with all the info.
On newer Cadillacs the color code will be located in the trunk on the spare tire cover or in a compartment in the trunk. Look for a white sticker. If its an older Cadillac it can be in a few places including the window cowl where the windshield wipers are under the hood. Look for a metal tag. If you need help finding it just let me know.
I just want anyone who reads this to be well informed and know a good source for good information. I hope I've done a good job.
If you look back to the color names with the code numbers listed in previous postings, I took the names out of the actual vintage Cadillac color chart brochure from each of the model years listed which lists the official Cadillac name for the color along with the color code number.
I see that yes. I have the vintage color charts in front of me as well and the only thing I would go by is the color code. If the correct color code is used, which never changes, then you can not go wrong. If you use the color name for any validity then you run into problems. There are some colors that have a name which stays constant throughout the years but you can't count on that. If you actually want to know what color is on your car and a way to reproduce it in order to fix a scratch or chip then the color code is the only way to go. I know talking to someone and saying "Hey, I have code 8555 on my car" is alittle weird but it's certainly more accurate. And again, if you want to know anything about the color, what cars its on, for what years, what company actually produced the color originally, what tints are in it, how much metallic is in it, and how to get some in spraycan, paint pen, or touch-up bottle form, then the color code is the only way to go.
Hey man, you should post some pictures for sure! I'd love to see it. I'm the resident Phaeton nut here, I know pretty much everything about them...and nothing else lol. There's a guy in my part of the city that has a Platinum '78 like yours, but it's in really sad shape.(pushing 250,000 miles!) You're very lucky to have a '78. They were more of an early release of the '79 Phaeton that a recognised option itself. '78 brochures didn't even have the Phaeton option in them. And you have the original color for the Phaeton too. When the idea was cast, the color scheme was silver & black, they added the other colors later.(check the metal plate on your firewall, I'd like to know when it was made) And then when they finally put it into wider production in 1979 the first color it came it was Slate Gray Firemist with a black top (almost the same as yours) in fact, earlier '79 color charts like the one I have only show the black cloth top option with a note that other colors will be added later. However, oddly, you usually find Phaetons in the blue and white combo for sale more than any other color.
Post pics in the RWD section when you can!
By the was, I thought you might find this interesting, it's a postcard from early '78 that was sent out to prospective Cadillac buyers. It is also the only mention of the Phaeton until the 1979 brochure. Notice the colors.
And this, I found it in the Detroit museum. Note that it says 3000 Phaetons were made, that's combining both years (225 '78s + 2,400 '79 Coupes + roughly 400 '79 sedans = roughly 3000). And as it says, the Phaetons were made at the Clark street plant in Detroit.
WOW..you did do your research!!!! I am impressed..I will post some pics once the weather gets warmer here in NY so I can shine them up without freezing! I also own a 1979 Copper/Rust Coupe Deville Phaeton..I will definately post some pics when the weather is better! Do you have any pics of yours? I would love to see Thanks!
) to look it up for you.
