<VV> Re: Paint color codes - VirtualVairs Digest, Vol 33, Issue 68

rbuckridge at comcast.net rbuckridge at comcast.net
Mon Oct 29 01:05:23 EST 2007


What Russ is saying is pretty correct. It doesn't matter what the color name is or what the color code is when you compare paint colors.

>From a painters prospective, what really matters is what is the paint manufactures code number. The paint manufactures code number will then allow you to look up the actual paint mixing formula. The formula will determine the actual color. And then you are at the mercy of the paint mixer to actually mix the correct amounts of the different colors.

Many years ago when I painted Ted Carlsons Corvair, it was so faded all you could tell was it was a blue. Going to the paint codes we got enough paint to paint the entire car. It looked beautiful. Then some months later, someone dropped a bike against it and damaged the left rear quarter panel. No big deal, repair the panel and reshoot it. That's when the trouble started.

I couldn't match the paint. The supplier worked very hard with us and gave us all the color tints to alter the color, but what ever we did it still came out wrong. The only thing I could figure was the mixer looked at the wrong formula when he mixed the first can of paint when we originally painted the car.

We tried a number of "what if's" but absolutely nothing matched. I can't tell you how many variations we went through but nothing worked. What we ended up doing, instead of painting the entire car, was to paint both sides of the car leaving the roof, hood & deck lid the first color, and stopping at the fender peaks. Now the car looked good again, but if you looked closely, the car was really a two tone. So now it appeared as a very mild custom paint two tone job.

But getting back to paint colors and codes, Ermine White is good from 1960 - 1967. I don't have a 68 book, but I can say in 69 they did go to Dover white which has a different paint formula, so it is a different color. Paint codes for the 68 & 69 Corvette White show the same color, but in 68 they call it Polar White & Can-Am White in 69 and these are still different from the Ermine & Dover Whites.

The Butternut Yellow for 1967 - 69 Chevy was also the same as the 65 Crocus Yellow which is also good for 65, 68 & 69 Buick Bamboo or Cameo Cream, 65 & 67 - 69 Olds Saffron Yellow, and 65 & 68 - 69 Pontiac Mayfair or Maize Yellow. All these are the same paint mixing codes. In 1966 I see a Lemonwood Yellow (Chevy), a Cream (Buick) and a Candlelight Cream (Pontiac), so 1966 is a one year color, unless they used it somewhere again. See the kind of nightmare you get into?

On all the paint books, I see the paint manufactures disclaimer:

"Based on information received from Car Manufactures, the information contained herein is presumed to be correct, however we cannot assume responsibility for error or change. These color chips are intended for identification purposes only. They are only representative of the colors and cannot be considered as color standards."

What they are telling you is don't try to pick out a color from a book. When I look at the paint book, I do it outside in the sunlight, actually northern light over your shoulder is the correct way to look at colors when comparing them. (I worked in a coloristic lab in my final years at Ciba, and we made color.)

As an interesting side note, the Corvette Red, the Porsche Red and the Ferrari Red are ALL THE SAME BASE PIGMENT, (yes, Ciba made & supplied all three manufactures), it's how they tint them which makes the color difference. When customers wanted to change the color of their car, I would send them to a new car show, new or used car dealer lot and let them pick a color, then come back with the year, make and code codes from what they liked.

Sorry for being so long winded,
Roy - Bayshore



-------------- Original message -------------- 

> Message: 4 
> Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 14:38:48 -0400 
> From: "Russ Moorhouse" 
> Subject: RE: Special 1 year only colors...Thanks to all and a 
> To: "VV" , < ral1963 at comcast.net> 
> Message-ID: <000301c81991$c7fce090$2d01a8c0 at joespub> 
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; 
> reply-type=original 
> 
> ---Original Message---- 
> >I read or heard that there was a unique color offered each year by GM as 
> >a sort of special color, or type of showcase color. I seem to recall, 
> >that the way I heard it, it started in 63 with Cordovan Brown. 
> 
> 
> -------------- 
> 
> Rick, 
> 
> What you are asking for is rather hard to define, since the majority of the 
> colors were somewhat different each year. I guess you want a paint that is 
> completely different to anything before it or after it. Without a color 
> chart for each year to look at, it would be hard to tell just going by a 
> color name. However I feel safe to say that the 1962 color Anniversary 
> Gold, RPO# 927 was a one year special color, since the also offered an 
> Autumn Gold that year. 
> 
> Looking at the RPO/paint code numbers isn't too much help. For instance, my 
> 65 Corsa is code J - Cypress Green ( a dark metallic green) that both the 
> paint code and name was used. Was it also, along with Evening Orchid, code 
> P a special paint for 65, I have no idea, but it must have been somewhat 
> different than the other greens they offered that year. Code P shows up 
> again in 1968 and this time it's Seafrost Green and again used just one 
> year. I was hoping to find some indication with the paint codes as to what 
> the special paints were, but that isn't of any help. 
> 
> Probably the only ones that can help you would be those with a complete set 
> of paint charts. 
> 
> It will be interesting to see what you come up with. Keep us informed. 
> 
> 
> Russ Moorhouse 
> '65 Corsa coupe 140 HP 
> Group Corvair Member 
> Corsa Member 
> Kent Island, MD 
> 
> End of VirtualVairs Digest, Vol 33, Issue 68 
> ******************************************** 


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