How to identify solid paints?

[jfnar]

I'm daydreaming about choosing a color for my truck when I'm finished with body work and I prefer to stay away from metallic colors. Is there a reference that will tell me which colors are solid and which ones are metallic? Some have "metallic" in the name but I'm not sure that's 100% of them. Any advice will be appreciated.

[MARTINSR]

I can't make it clear enough, you MUST see the color you are choosing, forget the net, forget a magazine, you must SEE it in person. Not only that I highly recommend you buy a pint of it and spray it out on a test fender or something to really see what you are going to be spraying.

When I did custom stuff with people changing colors on cars, I learned real fast what they think they see and what the car looks like painted are two different things. I would spray out a test panel and have them sign it.

But really, you must see the color in person, if it's a stock car that's really cool, just get the color code off the vin tag (usually where they are found) and you have the color. There are many "alternates" to these codes so I still recommend buying a pint and spraying it out.


Brian

[Indian113]

My wife and I were having a discussion about what color I thought we would paint Her Truck. I told her since she liked Blue I would paint it a 1966 Chevy Marina Blue as I had a Chevelle SS that color. Too make it easier to explain I googled 1966 Marina Blue and showed her what it looked like on a car. Made it lot easier to get her approval after seeing it in many different ways.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Indian113

My wife and I were having a discussion about what color I thought we would paint Her Truck. I told her since she liked Blue I would paint it a 1966 Chevy Marina Blue as I had a Chevelle SS that color. Too make it easier to explain I googled 1966 Marina Blue and showed her what it looked like on a car. Made it lot easier to get her approval after seeing it in many different ways.

That is a good start, but colors are not as you see them on the computer screen. Heck, I could go out and take photos of my car and it will look like completely different colors in the photos!

You need to see it in person, you need to buy a pint of paint and spray it out to really get the idea of the color.

If you aren't that picky, fine, but when you talk about color "matching" there is no way not how, IMPOSSIBLE to think you could "match" a color using a photo, you have the have the colors side by side with good light. And when I say side by side I mean touching each other.

Now, this is of course a whole different thing "matching" a color. But I say this just to make it clear on why seeing it in person is so important.

That image we have of the color on a computer screen may be created in our heads, when the color is in front of us in person we may see it quite different.

Brian

[jfnar]

I don't mind test spraying some colors to make the final decision, I've already sprayed a couple, but I'd like to narrow it down to non-metallics before I spend any more money. The original color was light blue, which is not a metallic, but I'm not crazy about it. Are there any medium or dark blues that are not metallic that would look original on a 68? I'm considering a Chrysler ceramic blue (PAG) that's used on late model cars but I'm not sure it wouldn't look out of place on a mostly original truck.

[Foot Stomper]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

I can't make it clear enough, you MUST see the color you are choosing, forget the net, forget a magazine, you must SEE it in person. Not only that I highly recommend you buy a pint of it and spray it out on a test fender or something to really see what you are going to be spraying.

When I did custom stuff with people changing colors on cars, I learned real fast what they think they see and what the car looks like painted are two different things. I would spray out a test panel and have them sign it.

But really, you must see the color in person, if it's a stock car that's really cool, just get the color code off the vin tag (usually where they are found) and you have the color. There are many "alternates" to these codes so I still recommend buying a pint and spraying it out.


Brian

Jfnar, read this out loud three times and then tell us how you're going to pick your color.

[jfnar]

"Is there a reference that will tell me which colors are solid and which ones are metallic?"

"Is there a reference that will tell me which colors are solid and which ones are metallic?"

"Is there a reference that will tell me which colors are solid and which ones are metallic?"


Well I thought this was a simple question but apparently not. I'm not asking anybody to pick a color for me. As I said, I'll spray some test panels when I narrow it down to a couple colors. I just don't want to buy a pint of every color that was used from 67 to 72 and I don't want to waste time and money on metallic colors because I know I'm not going to paint my truck a metallic color. I guess I'll just go back to guessing.

[jwilson645]

Pick some colors you like and go to the paint store and ask them if there is any metallic in the mix.......

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by jfnar

"Is there a reference that will tell me which colors are solid and which ones are metallic?"

"Is there a reference that will tell me which colors are solid and which ones are metallic?"

"Is there a reference that will tell me which colors are solid and which ones are metallic?"


Well I thought this was a simple question but apparently not. I'm not asking anybody to pick a color for me. As I said, I'll spray some test panels when I narrow it down to a couple colors. I just don't want to buy a pint of every color that was used from 67 to 72 and I don't want to waste time and money on metallic colors because I know I'm not going to paint my truck a metallic color. I guess I'll just go back to guessing.

I'm sorry, having bought paint for 40+ years I don't even think about this a second and didn't grasp exactly what you needed to hear.

1. Get the color code. How do you pick a color without that? You can't see a car on the net that you like the color and then just go to the paint store and tell them you want the color without a paint code, THAT is number one. Forget names of colors, they mean close to nothing, the names change, the same color will have four different names depending on what brand car like Chevy and Cadillac both GM or Scion and Lexus, both Toyota, but they will have different names. Sometimes the names say if it is metallic or not but not all the time, GET THE CODE.

2. Take the code and google it. Just got this off a car in the lot, 1E3, on a Toyota Corolla. Check this out, one name says it's a metallic, the other doesn't. http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcod...Toyota&rows=50

But with that code you can go to the paint store and find out if it's metallic or not. Or if it's a 3 stage like a candy or Pearl which you DO NOT want unless you have some good experience shooting paint.

But there you go, that is all you need to know.

Brian

[Foot Stomper]

Go to The Home Depot paint section, look through the color samples and take the ones you like to your local automotive paint store and show them what you like and they will bring out the colors they can make. OR skip the The Home Depot step.

Then buy some and spray it out to see if you like it.

Good luck with your project.

[Warrens69GMC]

Go to Home Depot (or similar)
pick out a color you like
get a pint or 1/2 pint made
using a 3" fine roller, roll it on a panel you chose to test
like it? save the color and the paint store can match it-don't like it? go to next step
Was it off with water and or soap and water