[BR57]

What is the correct colour for the NASA scoops inserts? When I was a kid I saw a brand new GTO at the dealer and it was a white car and the inserts were black. Now when I see GTO's at cruises or on the web most inserts are body coloured. The 1973 sales brochure I have has a Silver GTO depicted but it is hard to tell what colour the scoops are.

Anybody know for sure?

[BR57]

Anybody? Somebody has to know.

While were at it on some vinyl roof cars the side window louvers are body cloured and on others they match the rooof. Is it true factory installed vinyl roofs had louvers to match and dealer installed roofs had the mismatch or was it an option to specify matching louvers?

[billygoatii]

I think the scoop color might be dependent on where the car had final assembly. I do not know the answer to your vinyl roof question.

[Brian Baker]

To the best of my knowledge, they never came factory assembled painted, they came assembled "natural" (which is to say, black - the color of the injection molded plastic they were made from). There were likely some dealers that painted them body color after taking delivery, however.

[Grand73Am]

I've researched the NASA scoops color issue and have found that they are supposed to be painted body color from the factory. The backplates were left black. They are shown painted body color in the 1973 factory literature I have and I've seen original examples of low mileage 73 GTO's with body colored scoops as well as seen some photos and read testimony from people who bought GTO's new back in 1973. There may have been some that accidentally didn't get painted or if a buyer decided to get the optional hood added at the dealer or if the scoops got replaced due to damage, they might not have bothered to paint them, or the owners liked them better black, but they were supposed to be painted. Here's a good example from a 53,000 mile original 73 GTO still in original paint:

[Grand73Am]

Originally Posted by BR57

While were at it on some vinyl roof cars the side window louvers are body cloured and on others they match the rooof. Is it true factory installed vinyl roofs had louvers to match and dealer installed roofs had the mismatch or was it an option to specify matching louvers?

All I know about this is that my Alpine Green(dark metallic green)75 Lemans Sport Coupe was ordered with a light green Landau vinyl roof and has matching light green louvers, and the factory brochure shows matching louvers on vinyl top cars, so I'd say any factory installed vinyl top would have matching louvers.
If anybody else added a vinyl top, it would be a pain to change the louver color, so I guess they sometimes didn't bother.
Here's a pic of mine:

[BR57]

Thanks Grand73Am,

Your research on the scoops is great. I looked very closely at the sales literature I have from 1973 and the GTO in the brochure does have painted inserts to match the car with the backing plate black, so you are right on there. I do attach a Canadian car, we call Cup Cars that has black scoops, maybe done this way on this specail model only.

The vinyl roof reply is logical, All I know is when I see mismatched louvers and vinyl roof it looks odd, your 75 LeMans Sport on the other hand is awesome!

[camerjeff]

Your post on a "cup Car" is alittle different, as you originally asked the color of 73 GTO's scoops. I have never seen a Lemans with the optional NACA/NASA hood with body colored scoops. (not to say they may not have come that way, always happy to be proved wrong!!!) But the cup car you showed is not a 73. And All 75-75 cars "I" have seen the scoops are black. It may very well be a model year thing.

[camerjeff]

Your post on a "cup Car" is alittle different, as you originally asked the color of 73 GTO's scoops. I have never seen a Lemans with the optional
NACA/NASA hood with body colored scoops. (not to say they may not have come that way, always happy to be proved wrong!!!) But the cup car you showed is not a 73. And All 74-75 cars "I" have seen the scoops are black. It may very well be a model year thing.

[BR57]

The only question contained in my original post is this:

What is the correct colour for the NASA scoops inserts?

I made no reference to the 1973 GTO specifically in my question but did use it as an example of what I saw in explaining my conundrum. It now seems like others have seen the inconsistency in body colour vs. black as well and inconsistencies from models and years. Grand73Am seems definitive about body colour with black backs for 1973 GTO and it looks like 73 sales liturature backs him up. Others think that LeMans got totally black and others think it is model and or year dependent, that is 74 and 75 got black on all models. We already had a auggestion that it depends where the car was built. Since I am in Canada and the 73 GTO I remember had black in total and since the 75 Cup car has black in total maybe Oshawa/Canadian cars got black. It wouldn't be the first time Oshawa did thinks a bit diferent than US plants. Whatever the answer it is obvious that there are body coloured and black scoops out there.

[BR57]

The only question contained in my original post is this:

What is the correct colour for the NASA scoops inserts?

I made no reference to the 1973 GTO specifically in my question but did use it as an example of what I saw in explaining my conundrum. It now seems like others have seen the inconsistency in body colour vs. black as well and inconsistencies from models and years. Grand73Am seems definitive about body colour with black backs for 1973 GTO and it looks like 73 sales liturature backs him up. Others think that LeMans got totally black and others think it is model and or year dependent, that is 74 and 75 got black on all models. We already had a auggestion that it depends where the car was built. Since I am in Canada and the 73 GTO I remember had black in total and since the 75 Cup car has black in total maybe Oshawa/Canadian cars got black. It wouldn't be the first time Oshawa did thinks a bit diferent than US plants. Whatever the answer it is obvious that there are body coloured and black scoops out there.

[Grand73Am]

Yes, I limited my response to 73's since that's all I've looked at concerning the scoop color. 74 and 75 may have been different for all I know .

Thanks for the pic of your 75 CanCup car. It looks to be in great shape. I have heard mention of the CanCup cars, but don't know anything about them.

[BR57]

I see you a as a credible source of research on the 73's Grand73Am. I am beginning to think Oshawa cars had these scoop done in black. Have you ever seen or do you know of any 73 GTO cars that were built in Oshawa?

For the record that Cup car isn't mine, its from my saved pictures file. GM Canada has documented my car is one of 3,761 built, so I attach a pic of it. I am asking the NASA hood question because I am getting ready to put one on my car and wanted to know the details before matching the paint. The scoop inserts I have were purchased used and they are in the natural black finish, no evidence of any body colour ever added.

I am no expert on Cup Cars but GM Canada did put out it's own line of models, different from the US Pontiacs. I believe Cup Cars got Grand Am interiors with the same rally cluster and door panels as Grand Ams. I have only ever seen Chevy 350's and Pontiac 400's under their hoods, NASA hood must have been an option because I do not think all Cup cars have them. All cars were the two tone Red and White with rally wheels.

[billygoatii]

Your car looks sharp. Did the Rally II wheels come without trim rings or are you missing them?

[BR57]

Thanks Billygoatii, I run it with and without the rings depending on how I feel. Right now the rings are on the car. I like it both ways but most people tell me it looks nicer with the rings. The original documentation shows the wheels as option N98 and the rings as P06 so I guess you could order them without if you wanted. I think it looks tougher without them but as I said I like it with them too.

Now for the most controversial part of my car. GM Canada put Chevy motors in Canadian Pontiacs, so mine is a Chevy 350 4bbl, with duals, RPO L48, the same engine that was standard in the Corvettes in 73. My underhood decal even gives the Corvette tune up specs in a third column after the specs for auto and manual transmissions. The motor is Chevrolet orange and not Pontiac blue.

I don't think US LeMans had a 350 4bbl in 73, just the 2bbl. You could also get the Chevy 350 2bbl single exhaust motor in other Lemans here in Canada as well and that motor was standard in the Luxury LeMans.

[Brian Baker]

Phil Griffith's '73 Grand Am, which was ordered with the hood (and ram air too, but obviously the ram air was not installed/delivered), has natural inserts. The car is Starlight Black with a black vinyl top and the hood inserts are not painted. Phil bought the car from the original owner in 1996 when it only had 32,000 miles on it.

As a side note, I have a GTO poster in my garage...been there for 10 years. It has a picture of a '73 on it, light metallic blue in color with a full white vinyl top and the b/c pillar louvers are painted body color.

[Brian Baker]

Phil Griffith's '73 Grand Am, which was ordered with the hood (and ram air too, but obviously the ram air was not installed/delivered), has natural inserts. The car is Starlight Black with a black vinyl top and the hood inserts are not painted. Phil bought the car from the original owner in 1996 when it only had 32,000 miles on it.

As a side note, I have a GTO poster in my garage...been there for 10 years. It has a picture of a '73 on it, light metallic blue in color with a full white vinyl top and the b/c pillar louvers are painted body color.

[BR57]

The plot thickens on both counts, NASA scoops and mismatched vinyl roofs and louvers!

[Grand73Am]

Here are 2 magazine articles. At the bottom left of the first article you can see the white scoops on a white 73 Grand Am from a Pontiac TV commercial in 1973 to demonstrate how the GA nose takes a hit and pops back out. The other is an Oct.72 Hot Rod magazine of the new 73 GTO in which you can see the scoops are body color. Being that both these examples are factory new cars photographed during the 73 model year, it's clear to me how they should be .

[BR57]

Yes, absolutely settled, thanks for the photos Grand73Am!