Colour of this Packard ?

[Mark Gregory]

I am going to paint a Reo car and the original Reo colour which is yellow is very strong . The Packard colours in these pictures are very appealing . I was thinking about using the colour as it is close to yellow . If the colour can not be identified . Is there a process to determine the colour ? 1930 Packard 745 Convertible Victoria ,Thanks http://www.remarkablecars.com/for-sale/showfull.php?product=10746&bigimage=090-packard-1930-22280.jpg

Edited September 27, 2013 by Mark Gregory (see edit history)

[Guest bkazmer]

I am going to paint a Reo car and the original Reo colour which is yellow is very strong . The Packard colours in these pictures are very appealing . I was thinking about using the colour as it is close to yellow . If the colour can not be identified . Is there a process to determine the colour ? 1930 Packard 745 Convertible Victoria ,Thanks http://www.remarkablecars.com/for-sale/showfull.php?product=10746&bigimage=090-packard-1930-22280.jpg

I believe it's a Dietrich body, and painted (as was possible new) any color the owner wanted. So not a "Packard color" per se.

[Earl B.]

Mark, the 1930 color chips show no such color. Probably a color the current owner saw and copied it. Most Packard colors were more subdued... The majority of the bright colors on Packards today were not used originally. In my 1932 color chart, it shows a bright yellow that may be close to what you are looking for. It's called Tinting Deep Yellow No. 42.

The tinting colors were only used in mixing paints. They were never meant to be a color on a car. I have no idea why they even have the tinting colors in the chart. Since a customer would only want to see the finished color. Only a color mixer would use the tinting colors.

After Hershey, I can take it to the local DuPont paint seller and let them put their color reader on it and come up with the formula for you if you want me to. I'm adding a picture of the two yellow tinting colors..

They both show darker on my screen than in the chart.

Edited October 6, 2013 by Earl B.
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[Mark Gregory]

Hello Earl , Thank you for responding to the colour question . I went to a local artist and he has determined the colour as dairylide yellow . He made me up a sample 7 in X 7 in so I can get it scanned . He keeps going on how he had to use oil paints with lead to duplicate the colour . Also that lead paints used to produce some of the most beautiful colours and more durable than todays paints . The tinting samples are very close to the samples that I picked up at a paint store . You are very kind to spend your time looking and researching the colour . I will send you a photo when I finally finish the painting of the car . Thanks again . Mark

Edited October 22, 2013 by Mark Gregory (see edit history)

[Earl B.]

Mark, the lead comment is sooooo true. I've seen old formulas and it goes like.... 5 pounds acme white lead 1 pound red tinting lead. Lead was absolutely a necessity in early paint jobs.. and the colors they came up with really can't be totally duplicated today. I think it was a 1955 Packard color and it used some sort of fish scales in it to get the 'metalic' look. Needless to say.... can't do that today. I'd guess that if you went to certain southeast Asian countries, you could get the lead base paint that would make the car look very original... I'm glad you were able to find out the correct color and hope the paint job goes well...

[Highlander160]

If you have your modern colors made with more TONER (transparent) than TINT (solid or oxide) you can achieve a look that's all but impossible to detect from original. Sprayed over a dead black base will also net a final color closer to what Packard did. Good luck with the colors, hope this helps...

[Mark Gregory]

Hello Highlander . Thanks you for the information on the Toner . The colour I am trying to achieve looks like the sample Earl gave above Tinting Deep Yellow No 42 .The fenders are going to be painted Mars Black. Thanks , Mark

[Guest bkazmer]

Hello Earl , Thank you for responding to the colour question . I went to a local artist and he has determined the colour as dairylide yellow . He made me up a sample 7 in X 7 in so I can get it scanned . He keeps going on how he had to use oil paints with lead to duplicate the colour . Also that lead paints used to produce some of the most beautiful colours and more durable than todays paints . The tinting samples are very close to the samples that I picked up at a paint store . You are very kind to spend your time looking and researching the colour . I will send you a photo when I finally finish the painting of the car . Thanks again . Mark

Why don't you have him use Cadmium and Chrome +6 yellows to adjust the shade of the Lead-based yellow? There's a reason these pigments aren't used anymore, and it's a very different thing to daub some on a brush vs spray a car and sand it.. There are organic pigments (in the chemistry sense) that do this today. Look at the match under different lighting and angles - the spectrphotometer match isn't the whole story.