Modern paint formula for 40’s Int. truck dark green

[jw1955buick]

Looking for a modern formula in either acrylic enamel or urethane for that 40’s International truck dark green, exact color pictured, I know the auto color library has it but I’m hoping someone here has done it with their local paint shop to save a few bucks, thanks 

[JustDave]

P.p.g. Has what they call a fleet chart you should be able to match from there

[jw1955buick]

A fleet chart, ok, is that just general color chips that you have a paint store add to for your desired color or are you saying the fleet chart might have that exact color intentionally?

[JustDave]

There are a lot of dark greens in fleet,when the paint was originally mixed it was probably taken from a fleet chart

[bryankazmer]

A  fleet chart is, I believe, a paint company's "stock colors."  The OEM may or may not have chosen from it, and most times select their own colors.  The vehicle you show looks to be restored, so how closely it matches the original OEM color is unknown.  Chips books are not the same as original vehicle paint.  The much more rarely seen sprayed metal plaques with the OEM labels on the back were the original standards, but I don't know how far back that system goes.

 

So first decide if you want match the vehicle shown or the OEM color.  Some paint companies have worked out pretty close equivalents in modern pigments and bases for their old colors, some not so much.  A physical sample  (NOT a paper chip) can be read with a spectrophotometer and develop a proposed match, for non-metallic colors.  Then you need to check "travel" - how good the match is at different viewing angles, and in different lighting.  I'd leave out the word "exact."  Nothing measured is exact.  A typical person can barely see a color difference of 0.2 units, so differences less than that don't matter.  A good color matcher can be that good by eye, but working at a paint store doesn't necessarily mean one is that good.

 

Sorry for the long reply, but there are some misconceptions around color that persist.  Getting OEM approvals of color matches was part of my company's job

[MochetVelo]

It looks like "Brewster Green" or "British Racing Green" (whatever the difference between them may be!). I bought a few spray cans of touch-up paint in the Brewster Green color. The Rolls Royce tint was good. I then sprayed a card with it and brought it to a local Finishmaster store. The counter guy mixed a little can of paint, put it on a card and we took it outside to see what it looked like. I liked the color and bought it in the Nason single-stage urethane.

 

Phil

[Restorer32]

As an eye opener ask your paint supplier to let you see their "Variance Deck" for say a Mercedes Silver. You will notice that there are 15 or so different chips depending on when and where the color was used. Every batch of paint the companies bought very likely differed slightly in color. Thus there is no absolutely "correct" color for the vast majority of vehicles. I would suspect truck colors varied even more than auto colors.

[60FlatTop]

Chrysler used a lot of nonmetallic colors in the 1970's. You might find something in that era chips.

[jw1955buick]

Thanks all, and any length of reply is always welcome, the more information the better. This color is a little darker and has more blue than a Brewster or British green, those are more olive with yellow toner plus black which muddies it up, very close to Dodge truck dark green of the 40's 

I was the color matcher at SW auto for years, I'll just do what I always have to do, go to the store, get the closest chip and start making adjustments from there.

[PFitz]

Have you tried contacting PPG's color library ? They have an extensive listing that may include the original color of that truck. And it's free.

 

Even if the original color was in a paint system no longer available, their lab can do the conversion to whatever paint system you want to use, and also at no cost. Then your nearest PPG paint dealer can download and use that new formula to mix your paint.  I've had them do exactly that when a customer's PPG color formula  that he wanted used, was in a paint system that some of the pigments had became obsolete. The formula that their lab came up with for pigments available in a current paint system was a perfect match. And I don't mean it was close. In all lighting conditions I could not see any difference.  

 

Paul

Edited March 2, 2020 by PFitz (see edit history)

[bryankazmer]

The PPG method is very good - they are taking advantage of having color characterization (reflectance curves) for their old base, old pigments, new base, and new pigments.

The OP seems to have some practical knowledge of this - I think his choosing the  desired target is the next step.  "Brewster green" and "British Racing Green" were names applied to many different shades, i wouldn't worry about that as being more than descriptive.