Paint By Numbers
by Jeff Finley
Information provided by the Ford Motor Company, Marti AutoWorks and Vince Mioduszewski
One of our most frequently asked questions (FAQs) is how many 1969 or 1970 BOSS 302 Mustangs were painted _______ color? Thanks to Kevin Marti and Vince Mioduszewski (a.k.a. Goldenboss on The Exchange), here are the answers.
Legal notice: The information contained on this web page is the property of the Ford Motor Company and Kevin Marti of Marti Auto Works, and is provided here by their consent. Any duplication of this information, in part or its entirety, without the written consent of the aforementioned parties, is strictly forbidden. Copyright, October 31, 2002, the BOSS 302 Registry.
Click on the car to open a larger picture of the sample color in another tab.
* There were 64 Special Paint orders for 1970. We do not know all the colors and quantities that make up the 64 total. The example shown here is Black Jade.
To the right is a section of the final version of the 1970 Mustang Body and Trim Color Combination Chart. The left column of the chart is simply numbered 1-19. The center column is the color name. The right column is the paint codes you are used to seeing like in the above tables. | |
Below is a small note on the specifics of the 1970 BOSS 302 program color combinations. | |
Note 1 | |
Translation: BOSS "302" Program - Body Codes 63A, 63B - RPO (Regular Production Option) Available with Standard A/V (all vinyl) or Flair K/V (Deluxe knitted vinyl) or C/V (cloth vinyl) Interior Trim Sets |
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Chart 1 |
"Available with following exterior colors: ..." which correspond to the column numbers on the left in Chart 1. Note the colors that were not available; 1, 6, 10, 12, and 13. Paint code 6 is one but we know there was one built from our table above. How did that happen? The order apparently went through and was not a Special Order paint? We have always had number 12, Light Ivy Yellow in our above table yet there was zero produced. Well, no wonder, according to the note it was not available. If there is a BOSS 302 out there with that color, it would be a Special Order color.
The rest of Note 1 covers the codes for the BOSS 302 stripes and textured black paint and its locations.
Notice in Chart 1 color 5, code N, labeled "Platinum" is commonly known to the public as "Pastel Blue".
This little note covers the 1970 Spring Time Promotion paint program.
Note 2
Ford introduced three new colors (17-19 in Chart 1) as a sales promotion. It started on (or shortly after) 4-15-70. That is why you see colors 1, 9 and 13 with a line through them in Chart 1 noting they were deleted on that date to allow for production of the new colors. Notice colors 17-19 are not in Note 1. Notice in our color table above there were a small number of BOSS 302's produced in these colors. Hmmm? Colors not listed in the BOSS 302 program note (Note 1) as available yet we have cars in those colors. Was there a hole in the Ford order system that allowed BOSS 302's to be ordered and built in Spring Time colors? Or was Note 1 never updated to include the Spring Time colors? Also, if there are any cars in color 9 after 4-15-70 they would be Special Order color since 9 was no longer available as regular production.
If you are wondering where is the 1969 Mustang Color and Trim Combination Chart the answer is, yes, we have seen one version. However, that version does not include any mention of the 1969 BOSS 302 program. It would seem the 1969 Mustang color charts were not updated for the introduction of the BOSS 302 program late in the model year or maybe our source could not find it.
There is a 1969 Color and Trim Combination Chart for the Cougar Eliminator. Same colors as the 1969 BOSS 302 Mustang. See below Chart 2 and Note 3.
Note 3 |
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Interesting that color 17, Bright Yellow, is listed as having paint code K. Mistake? We know Bright Yellow was paint code 9 for 1969. | |
Chart 2 |
For 1969 Lincoln-Mercury published different names on three colors. Color 5, code 6, is "Bright Blue", color 17, code 9, is "Yellow" and color 18, code 1, is "Competition Orange".
The 1970 Cougar color chart (Chart 3) and Eliminator note (Note 4) look a lot like the 1970 Mustang chart and notes with the same Spring Time Promotion. At least Lincoln-Mercury did upate the Eliminator color options for the Spring Time promotion change (Note 4).
Note 4 |
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Notice here in Chart 3 and Note 4 color 6, code N, again labeled "Platinum" is commonly known to the public as "Pastel Blue". | |
Chart 3 |
While these internal documents used the "Grabber" name, externally Lincoln-Mercury called them "Competition Colors". Color 9, code J, would be "Competition Blue". Color 10, code Z, is "Competition "Green". Color 5, code U, is "Competition Gold". Lincoln-Mercury changed the names of two other colors. Color 4, code 1, is "Competition Orange" and color 15, code D, is "Competition Yellow".
Why are some colors marked with "#" and some colors are marked with "%" in the 1970 charts? The "#" colors were available on all models while the "%" colors were reserved for special models, i.e. BOSS or Eliminator.
This page last updated: March 21, 2024. All Rights Reserved.