[DW31S]

I don't have a gun in this fight, but I do have a few thoughts that might be pertinent in the discussion. Several years ago, I had an original, unrestored 9800 mile 1972 GS Conv. that I sold to the current owner of the HO Z/28 recently nicknamed "The Truth". That GS was a customer factory order (not a dealer inventory order) that had 31 options including "Special Paint". The car was ordered in a "Riviera Only" color called "Dark Chestnut Poly" that was a 1972 GM color, but not normally available on A-bodies. This GS was painted partially assembled ( more in a second) and had overspray everywhere! The paint was HORRENDOUS but ORIGINAL. The front clip had more overspray than the rest of the car and not surprisingly, it was NOT a perfect color match to the rest of the car. The window sticker did list "Special Paint" as option and the color WAS listed at the bottom, but NOT in the option list area. Knowing the front clips were painted in a different area of the plant explained the mismatched color that was not a normally used hue. Is there a chance the window sticker is available for the Z/28 being discussed here? If so, it would/should help clear up the controversy.
Another observation: Many of you know I'm in the car business and I have discovered something relating to GM's paint. 2007 and 2008 Chevy Tahoes and GMC Yukons painted Dark Blue (don't know the mix code or GM's formal name for that color) have a mismatch problem between the front clip and the rest of the vehicle. I have noticed this on many of these models.
Now why I think these thoughts are relevant:
It is a known fact that '69 Camaros were painted in two sections of the plant (proven by the hockey stick stripe being 1/2 paint-1/2 decal, and that many cars exhibit a noticeable difference in the body alignment of the fender/door match-up). I would tend to think that the car in question here would have a high percentage of the possibility of a mismatch in color between the front clip and the rest of the body due to the Special Paint applied during assembly. Those type colors, the orchids, the silvers, the light blues, basically any light color metallics are tough to match, and unless they are painted together at the same time, usually have a difference in shades. It would be quite helpful to view and scrutinize any original photos of the sides of the car. There are good supporting theories to both sides here, and both sides are considered to be experts in this field. It is tough to argue with the original owner, but I've seen some things in this business/ hobby that are "unexplainable"! And like the old saying goes "There are usually three sides to every story; your's, mine, and somewhere in the middle is the truth".