This is just a curiosity, and I have tried to search for an explanation as to why only certain colors were available with WS6, but didn't find a definitive answer. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,

 

I think it had something to do with ASC (American Sunroof Company, the WS6 conversion contractor for GM in the LS1 years) not being able to get certain colors to properly match the rest of the car. ASC painted and installed the WS6 hood, and it needed to be an OEM quality match. I don't know why they couldn't quite get certain colors right, but I seem to recall this being the explanation that was commonly circulated back when these cars were still new. Honestly, I cannot personally confirm this to be true but it's a rumor that was quite prevalent at one time (and I don't ever recall it being disproved).

Maybe JohnnyBs98WS6Rag will see this thread and reply; he's a wealth of information on these cars and he might be able to confirm or correct what I've posted above.

 

Well, that was the reason that Purple Metallic was dropped in 98 as a TA color.

 

I was wondering why my ears were burning...........LOL.

I've not heard/seen any official explanation from GM for this. However it is not unusual for a manufacturer to limit available colors on "special" models in order to avoid having to accommodate un-popular or difficult to match colors with special painting processes (like ASC color-matching hoods when painting them separately from the rest of the car). I do recall a lot of discussions back then about problems ASC was having with BPM (and possibly SGM too) and likely explains why so few WS6s were built in those colors, eventually discontinuing them across the model line. However, that could be completely coincidental. I suspect that some of the other non-WS6 colors (like BGC and MRM) were tried (experimentally) and not even attempted by ASC for production. Chevy also restricted certain colors on SSs, possibly for similar reasons (or for completely other reasons). So I don't think it is solely because of ASC's painter's lack of color matching skills.

 

Those explanations are definitely plausible, but then it makes me wonder as during my research I came across a thread that showed that at some point GMMG was offering a "WS-6" conversion that included all of the same upgrades as the factory WS6, but was listed as available in all factory colors. They showed a MRM example and it looked pretty good with no obvious paint issues with the hood. And I have seen a MBM with a WS6 style hood at a car show in Morris that looked just as good as any factory WS6 I have seen. So maybe it was not available as a restriction, and not to a quality issue as JohnnyBs98WS6Rag mentioned above.

 

I'm only aware of the GMMG Blackbird cars which were hot rodded WS6 cars. Wicked cars for the time period.

 

Well, the fact that some GMMG cars were colors that were not available on a WS6 indicates that the cars GMMG started with were NOT all WS6s. Some, maybe, but not all.

There is a big difference in GMMG (or any individual for that matter) painting / color-matching one hood at a time and the factory qualifying a paint process that is applied to multiple hoods in batches that is required to produce high yield / minimal rework.

 

You are correct about GMMG doing some non WS6 colored cars. It looks like silver, pewter and blue green chameleon were done.

 

The rarest GMMG was to be the Camaro Raptor, a Blackbird clone done on a Camaro. Only one they built never found a home, sold off by GMMG as a Z/28 with a chambered exhaust.

 

WS6 was available in silver and pewter every year those colors were offered. Not so for BGC.