Seeking Deep Blue Paint Color

[MochetVelo]

I'm seeking suggestions for a "dark blue" color to paint my 1913 Metz. Has anyone some experience with a deep color I might use? I note the 1913 Cadillac has a similar color. One restorer suggested 1987 Toyota blue #16131. I see a lot of pretty colors in the magazines, but don't want to spend a few hundred on the wrong one!

Phil

[Tom M]

Hi Phil

Have you try looking over at this site

Auto Color Library - The World's Largest Online Color-Chip Library

http://www.tcpglobal.com/aclchip.aspx

Edited January 31, 2011 by Packin31 (see edit history)

[MochetVelo]

I like the Color Library site, but it's difficult to choose colors from those swatches. For example, in the Rogers Paint & Varnishes colors (circa 1914, according to TCP), the "light Torpedo blue" swatch is darker than the "dark Torpedo blue". The minimum they'll mix is a quart. They do look pretty, though. Anyone ever try them?

Phil

[nickelroadster]

Instead of trying to pick a color off of a swatch, take a piece of your car down to a local autobody supply store and have them match it. Almost all of these stores now will do computor matching and they could get a lot closer than you will by looking at a swatch. The color chips are not always that accurate.

[MochetVelo]

Unfortunately, there is no original paint left on my car. The last guy didn't leave a trace of the original blue.

Phil

[nearchoclatetown]

How dark do you want it? I started with a late model Chevy pickup color, maybe '90 or so commercial with no metalic, and added some black. In certain lights it looks black, but in the sun it has a nice contrast to the black fenders.

[MochetVelo]

I'd like a deep blue, but not one that looks like black. I recall photographing a line of antique Fords at the Piquette Plant in Detroit. The flash revealed one to be blue!

Here's a color I like (a Cadillac, I think):

Phil

[nearchoclatetown]

Thats' close to what we started with, before we added black. If you have a body shop buddy, look at his color chips in the commercial section. Most of them are straight no metalics. I'm guessing you're useing single stage as base clear would look to fake for an old car?

[Dave@Moon]

Triumphs of the 1970s had several very nice shades of non-metallic blue. My 1970 car is "Royal Blue", which is a dark navy color. It was replaced the next year by "Sapphire Blue", which is more of a very deep cobalt blue (similar to that used on Lowe's Cobalt band tool chests).

[joe_padavano]

Try a different paint store. I'm fortunate to have about a half dozen within an easy drive. One will mix and sell pints, which allows you to shoot test cards relatively inexpensively. Colors on your computer monitor are guaranteed to be wrong, and color chips on swatches are only slightly better. Shoot test cards or panels with the paint you intend to use, using the application method you will use. Given the cost of the rest of the restoration, this is cheap.

[msmazcol]

Great advice Joe. No one can pick a color but the owner, and the only way to get an accurate sample is with a spray out card.

[msmazcol]

I would stay away from any modern vehicle colors as well. Too bright and brilliant for that era. Try looking in a truck fleet color chart. These tend to be more basic which is what you may want to look correct.

This is assuming you want a color which will look "right" on your car.

[Mark Shaw]

I used Interlux Brightside Polyurethane (Boat Paint) #4316 Dark Blue for my 13 Buick. It is made for wood boats and will flex rather than crack on a wood bodied car.

[MochetVelo]

I like the colors, Marc. Did you spray it? They're applying it with a roller on the web site.

Phil

[Dave Mitchell]

Mercedes Benz # 904 dark blue is a great color. I have used it on three cars and still like it.

[MochetVelo]

Here's the Mercedes Blue (904 Dunkelblau/midnight blue).

Thanks for the suggestions. I decided to order some 12oz cans of touch-up paint in these colors:

2007 Mercedes Midnight Blue

1987 Toyota Truck Blue

1971 Triumph Sapphire Blue

You can use Google to see car colors. Just enter the information ("1971 Triumph Sapphire Blue") and click "Images". You get photos of cars in that color (well, some are that color).

If anyone has these cars and needs some touch-up paint, you can have it when I'm done!

Phil

Edited February 3, 2011 by MochetVelo (see edit history)

[JFranklin]

Back when these cars were made there weren't many colors that were used. I have found that simple old color names eg. coach black, royal blue, colonial blue, andelusite blue, rockmoss green, royal maroon, & etc. get you real close to original colors. these are color names from the era.

[Guest dokks6t9]

In the 90's GM used 2 different blues; one was dark sapphire metallic, and the other was black sapphire metallic. My 69 Nova is painted black sapphire mettalic. The wife picked the color. She wanted a nice dark blue.

[joe_padavano]

In the 90's GM used 2 different blues; one was dark sapphire metallic, and the other was black sapphire metallic. My 69 Nova is painted black sapphire mettalic. The wife picked the color. She wanted a nice dark blue.

In the 1990s GM used dozens of differnt dark metallic blues, as evidenced by the different paint codes. It's actually quite interesting how the color variation has exploded. Previously there would be a one or maybe two page paint chip chart for each year for all of GM. Now there are four, five, or six page charts every year just for one make! Previously all models used the same colors. Now there are subtly different colors for each model.

[Larry Schramm]

If I remember correctly, a few years ago I looked at the number of "white" paint colors GM had and the year I was looking at had like 14 different paint code/colors of "white"

[Guest dokks6t9]

In the 1990s GM used dozens of differnt dark metallic blues, as evidenced by the different paint codes. It's actually quite interesting how the color variation has exploded. Previously there would be a one or maybe two page paint chip chart for each year for all of GM. Now there are four, five, or six page charts every year just for one make! Previously all models used the same colors. Now there are subtly different colors for each model.

You're right, of course. What I should have said is "the 2 dark blue colors we were interested in were-----".