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Vintage paint codes

matt b

Active member
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Location
Tucson
I've run into this issue before but somehow always managed to land on my feet. This time may be different...

I have one of the early Jensen built P1800 and the paint code is Volvo Red 70. The Lutice equivalent is (246) 96062-H and Dulux lists it as (93) 96062-H.

The issue is that paint shops do not recognize these codes. I could technically take the driver's door off since it's being replaced and have them scan the interior. But there is a risk that the paint has weathered.

Anyone have any luck sourcing paint for the older cars ? VP-Autoparts does not have a sample for red 70, they have later, brighter colors but not this one.
 
Your best bet is to find a good clean area and have a scan done. It might take a few tries to get a good match[spray outs]. As far as the old codes go there isn't a lot of data on them sometimes. I do restoration work for a living and do contract work for the local shops, I have seen them get good results, with a little trial and error. I have a 1960 Bentley S2, had the car scanned twice, but no luck, they don't have the same paint / formulas that was used on the car. Good luck with your quest.
 
Thanks, I'll poke around the car. Between the trunk lid, the doors and a few other areas I may be able to get a good scan. I plan on painting the trunk, undercarriage and interior myself, so I will have a few areas where I can use paint that's not a perfect match without consequences.
 
My experience with getting old colors scanned is that it depends a lot on the shop doing the scanning and the accuracy their equipment. Usually scans are a good place to start and have to be tweaked somewhat by someone who is good at matching paint and knows what to add. Sometimes you're better off finding a paint chip that is close and using that as a basis for starting to match the color than to trust a scan.

TCP Global has an extensive color library and might have your color; they offer their colors in all kinds of paint including lacquer. Chances are any new paint isn't going to match you old paint as colors can change as the paint ages, plus manufactures change formulas and one manufacturer's version of a color often doesn't match another oner one's version of that same color. Another issue is how the paint is sprayed and with what kind of equipment can affect color slightly. If you're doing a panel to panel match on your old car you're going to have a hard time getting an exact match, even if you find the right color, and it's going to look terrible. If you can blend it or do an overall paint job you're better off.
 
I found this Dupont paint chip chart on ebay and it lists a red color code 70.



s-l1600.jpg
 
Thanks Eric. At $8, shipped it was worth buying.

Side note: 1311 is so early, it precedes the chassis stampings by the battery box. I did find confirmation that the body stamping started after this particular car. I am guarding the VIN plate carefully, knowing that it's the car's only identification.
 
Most of the old colors are only available in Dupont (Axalta) Nason now if you're looking to get paint mixed using the above chip. Nason has really terrible matching capability because it's a lower tier paint and not meant for commercial refinish purposes.

I still say the TCP Global is your best bet for getting paint for your car if it has to be called what the original color was called. Another option might be PPG as they used to have a good color library and the Deltron line of paint has pretty good color matches. Having said that I still think you're going to have a hard time getting something that looks exactly like what you have on your car no matter what brand or type of paint you use.
 
Paintscratch.com does pretty well for me. They've been able to match the paint on my last 4 car projects.

Paintscratch has the wrong red listed, but I have had good luck with them on the newer stuff.

Noted on Nason, I used it on my 59 Bug. It's user friendly, it's good but I also didn't keep the car long enough to worry about issues. I will definitely look into PPG for this car.
 
Update on this. I realize it's probably trivial but I want to get this car right.

Car number is VIN 1311, making it one of the P1800's built in the UK by Jensen. I also own car 6501, one of the first ones built by Volvo in Sweden. 6501 is a white car but had the following splash plate on it. I'm assuming Volvo as using whatever panel was available in order to ramp up production. The color is Volvo red 70.

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/exim-cars/48383082896/in/datetaken-public/" title="58587035100__20314725-18E0-46BB-8271-D3C26498EBDD"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48383082896_08bced7f32.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="58587035100__20314725-18E0-46BB-8271-D3C26498EBDD"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I have some doors from a 1969 1800S, painted in Volvo red 46 (a color I can still get locally from their mix code books)

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/exim-cars/48383083126/in/datetaken-public/" title="rk19+ydoSHiKc+uItmi5VA"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48383083126_c66950d4a7.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="rk19+ydoSHiKc+uItmi5VA"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/exim-cars/48383229907/in/datetaken-public/" title="TjM+QOkUSJemvdNye744FQ"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48383229907_5c8e83d09f.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="TjM+QOkUSJemvdNye744FQ"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It's hard to tell from an iPhone pic but the 70 is slightly darker and duller. I polished both panels to remove the oxidation.

Happy that I could find a suitable panel to scan. Car 1311 has been seen by some on here and required media blasting EVERYWHERE from rats living in it.
 
If you still need paint, try talking to paintscratch.com. They matched my Carlisle Yellow and Porsche Viper Green paint, in a single stage, and it was perfect for both cars! No one else would even try the yellow, the original formula was full of lead apparently. They nailed it on perfectly even though the sample on their site was nothing even close.
 
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