Thread: How do you match old factory paint?

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I love the look that my car currently has, and I can't stand overly shiney cars.
Due to the car having alot of minor surface rust and the few panels I'm replacing I'll need to repaint the car.
How can I match this color? It isn't flat black, but it isn't overly glossy.

63.5 Galaxie, Raven Black:
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i6...y/IMG_0476.jpg



thanks!
Drew

you would rather have oxidized lacquer opposed to polished urethane ???????

I have spent my entire life trying to make them "shiny rolling art"! I can't go backwards now....

...but you might try adding some PPG DX685 flattener to the final coat. There is a formula on the can for "semigloss" and for "full flat". You will want less added than either of those. Try it on a test panel first to get the look you want.

Another thing to try would be to sand with 2000 or finer paper... then buff with a soft pad and some polish, to get the amount of gloss you want. The polish won't leave the buff marks that buffing compound will.

If you can get it just right... expect people to offer to paint it for you. LOL! :-)

thanks hotrod.
Shine, it isn't that I want it to look worn out, or like crap.... My point is most freshly painted black cars have an overly reflective appearance, it makes them look wet.

I'll just have to experiment and find a good balance.


after reviewing that photo, it isn't a good example and I can understand your comments... The picture doesn't look 100% like that panel.

many ways to kill gloss. some finish to 3000 soft pads then polish to desired gloss with glaze .. many vettes are done this way to mimic lacquer .

Scuff with red scotch brite and respray laquer???

the last two vehicles i sprayed looked like old paint .. i sprayed them with " old paint " .. my ford truck and dodge truck with outdated paints from work

i sprayed many indy lite wheels were they would get finger prints that would bleed thru on the mag wheels were the DOW 9 would not cover 100% or get rim marks from breaking the tire off the rims with a micro leaks the rims would get the rim drops re shot with dau 75 with dx80 . then shoot the face of the rim to get a fresh look . i did get very close to the DOW 9 with DX265 with DAR 9000 back at 40% were you would want to be at would be 35% with the flattener dx 265 is only for one part paint ,try to fined some acrylic lacquer it will lay nice and flat with not much shine . or you can go this way if you can not fined any lacquer . long as you know you can not top coat with any thing with a hot thinner and may need a be striped if it go s side ways we used to shoot acrylic enamel with no gloss hardner and lacquer thinner with flattener will work good to .i will added that you must mix the hell out of it and strain the paint very good .test panels is a good idea. its never going to be 100% as your finsh as been weather and aged by the sun . the sun plays hell on colors over the years . the old painters joke was when did you know when lacquer was dry ? when it was cracked

Originally Posted by shine

many ways to kill gloss. some finish to 3000 soft pads then polish to desired gloss with glaze .. many vettes are done this way to mimic lacquer .

just sand with 600 grit 3m gray back wet paper not yellow back... blow the dust off the old 3m super duty run the buffer very slow with a wool plie wheel .then hand rub one direction with machine rubbing done.

I'm afraid that color matching paint is a lost art as the paint business changes to new emmission compliant waterborne paints.

In the Orange Couty area, the "GO TO" guy for color matching for many years was Stan Betz in Orange. Stan was a artist. No computers, just a stool to sit on, and a patio umbrella out in the alley. He sat outside everyday with his dog matching color, BY EYE. He said you have to do it in the sun, for a true color match. Just leave him a piece of the car with the exact color you wanted and the next day you had a quart of it. It did not matter how old the original paint was, he would match the color, and the shine.

well john did you look at what he is trying to match ? in the good old days the paint did not have as many size flake sizes and pearls .and flip. tri coats ... as they do now i spent many a days time making test panels to get some thing look good. spend 8 hours playing with paint when your only getting two hours to paint a header panle. so many times i sanded with 1000 . down the hood and front fenders or were i needed to blend and do a 5 mile blend .no one ever came back for bad color match .back in the good old day RM match good on GM cars Acme on chryslers

not trying to match perse... I'll paint the whole car. It was just a mention of the issues I had.
maybe I'm weird, I just don't like overly shiney stuff. I don't care for chrome, I prefer aluminum with a duller finish.

I don't mind doing extra work.... the car is taking a very very long time, I have no intention of being done in the next few years. Shoot when I finish I'll buy another car, or tear apart one of my trucks.


thanks again for the ideas.
Drew

Originally Posted by DeepRoots

not trying to match perse... I'll paint the whole car. It was just a mention of the issues I had.
maybe I'm weird, I just don't like overly shiney stuff. I don't care for chrome, I prefer aluminum with a duller finish.

I don't mind doing extra work.... the car is taking a very very long time, I have no intention of being done in the next few years. Shoot when I finish I'll buy another car, or tear apart one of my trucks.


thanks again for the ideas.
Drew

Easy, just paint it NOW, and leave it outside, and it will have the weathered patina by the time your ready to finish the car.