No VIN or Paint code-how to match color?

[tssdetailing]

Normally I get a car vin or paint code and buy a touch up tube from a dealer or from online supplier. But I have to do some touch up work on a white late 90`s Porsche GT2. It`s a factory race car, has no VIN and has been repainted once in her lifetime. I don`t want to buy Duplicolor white and it be a miss match. What can I do?

[Ron Ketcham]

Since you are just looking for a "lacquer touch up tube", you got a problem.

If you were going to actually refinish a portion of it, you would look in the yellow pages for Finish Masters store close to you, "they are in Cincy" , call and make sure they have the paint reader computer.

If they don`t there are other PBE stores in the area, just call until you get one that has such a system.

Then remove the fuel door (or another small panel) and take it to them.

They can produce you a pint of exact match.

Then all you have to do is find someone with an air brush system and the right reducer to apply it.

Or a good gun, and redo the complete panel.

Grumpy

[C. Charles Hahn]

Ron is correct, you can go to a Finishmaster and they should be able to match it with a color camera.



Have them mix you up 4oz. of PPG Omni Acrylic Enamel (or Delstar/DAR if they happen to mix that line instead) and as long as it`s left unreduced, you can use it with a brush just like the Duplicolor tubes, or you can add some reducer and spray it with an airbrush or other paint gun.



I go to Finishmaster quite often for this type of touch-up, they charge me $10 to mix the small quantity.

[Blackthornone]

It would be nice to have the panel you bring already polished so that the true color shows. If the paint is oxidized when it is read, you won`t get a good match to the polished paint.

[Accumulator]

White, especially older "experienced" white, can be a royal PIA to match.

[Ron Ketcham]

Yeah, and 48 year old red is tough as well.

When I restored the old Puch/Allstate, the wheels were fine, just needed the spokes polished and some small paint touch up.

The frame and and everything was a total repaint, so it had to be pretty much on the money.

The computer couldn`t come up with one that was close enough.

So, I got their chip book and found a Buick color that so close that you wouldn`t believe it.

But, I have always had an eye for colors.

Grumpy

[David Fermani]

It would be nice to have the panel you bring already polished so that the true color shows. If the paint is oxidized when it is read, you won`t get a good match to the polished paint.





Unless the base(under clear) is oxidized/faded, I don`t think buffing will alter the color. Can anyone comment on this? I don`t know of any body shops that buff panels before they tint color or do spray out panels?

[Blackthornone]

Unless the base(under clear) is oxidized/faded, I don`t think buffing will alter the color. Can anyone comment on this? I don`t know of any body shops that buff panels before they tint color or do spray out panels?



I am used to single stage paint, so in that case, it makes a big difference. I also believe that if the clear coat isn`t clear enough, it will make it as difficult for a computer to see the real color as it is to recognize the real color of something when looking through a dirty window.

[mikenap]

Unless the base(under clear) is oxidized/faded, I don`t think buffing will alter the color. Can anyone comment on this? I don`t know of any body shops that buff panels before they tint color or do spray out panels?



Although some people argue that clearcoat doesn`t oxidize, it definitely dulls over time and can hide the true color underneath.



http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/micnap/tape4.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/micnap/STA72667.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/micnap/STA72672.jpg









Sad to admit, but this is from my wife`s trunk when I first started detailing. If that`s not oxidized clear coat, I don`t know what to call it.



It did polish out though.

[David Fermani]

I agree about the single stage point and is why I put (under clear) to distinguish that.



On refinish clear, it`s more yellow that anything and can alter the final sprayout of certain colors in itself. From my understanding, the factory clear (Ron can confrim?) doesn`t have this discoloring effect. But, with the OP`s application being a refinish may cause even more problems into the mix (pun intended) of matching the color. As far as the the computer not being able to match up a dulled finish I`m not sure but that`s a good question. I don`t know what parameters they work off of and how sensitive they are to that variable.

[tssdetailing]

hmm, kind of a catch 22 scenario but luckily i don`t think it will apply to this case. The car`s clear shouldn`t be oxidized at all as it`s a race car, so it doesn`t get left in the sun as much as a normal car does (ie, parked at work, or left outside the house). It probably gets ran once or twice a month for a few hours on a track, then goes back into a trailer/garage.



So i`m not dismissing your concerns, but feel that they are not applicable. I`m going to find out what finish care suggests and will happily report!