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Need paint match advise from expert auto painter

1K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  Lightning 
#1 ·
I touched up some chips on the edge of my drivers door and fender with paint scratch lime gold for 69 mustang (color code i) but the paint was too dark. I went to Sherwin Williams auto paint store and they gave me a closer match but still not an exact match. I went back and the guy gave me some more sample paint and extra black and silver to add on my own. So my only options to mix on top of the lime gold is to add more black or silver to get more metallic. Can someone advise if I can get to the original paint by either adding black, metallic or both? the 3rd mix on the photo is the closest match yet by adding black. Please advise?
 

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#2 ·
I would seek a autobody paint supply store and ask if they have a color camera. This camera can shoot a clean surface and provide an excellent color match. I've used them in color matching my vintage motorcycles and Vespa restorations. I would not hesitate should the day come I need it for my Poppy Red mustang. I forget the technical name, at the moment, but a quality shop will know.
 
#3 ·
I used an auto body paint store with a color camera and the match was horrible. Too dark and not enough metallic. One of my 2 cars, is Lime Gold Metallic. When I bought the car, I was given some leftover paint from the 1 year old restoration. I used some of that the next year and it didn't match. Too dark. The problem with matching paint is that the color will vary based on temp, humidity, direct sunlight, amount of reducer used, etc. That is why auto body shops paint whole panels and blend into adjoining panels. Your best bet is to play with the paint mix and get as close as you can.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Odds are with a metallic paint, you'll never get a match doing brush touch ups or masked off small areas sprayed, the metal flake wont refract light the same which can make the correct color look too light or too dark, depending on how it lays down. From a painters perspective, spraying and blending a larger area would be the most basic route, and even then the flake has to lay right. Also if sprayed it'll be very difficult to "age" the look of the new paint to not stand out as a repainted area against the original finish. As silly as it may seem, sometimes little repairs like this separate the pros from the amateurs
 
#5 ·
#7 ·
Looks like your match may best be achieved with a combination of the paints you have. Artists mix small amounts of paints all the time to match and blend. There are artists scattered in all walks of life and some of them certainly work in auto body shops. Sometimes all you need is a little palate of each color and add a little of this or that until you match what you need and make some notes... 3 drops of this, 2 drops of that and one drop of so and so until BAM.
 
#8 ·
thanks. I went to classic car restoration shops and that's how I got here. They used the color camera to get a match but said they still need to paint door and fender to take it to a break line. I also went to Sherwin Williams who gave me the match you see in the pic (1st and 2nd one). So color cameras will go so far. I'm wondering if I get it close enough, if I should not tape off the section and just feather in the color so i get a natural blend to original color. anyone a professional auto body detailer/painter that could make recommendations?
 
#9 ·
You will always see a sharper contrast with a tape line vs feathering it out. I'm assuming you're using a single stage paint? If its basecoat/cleacoat check out these guys. I have bought pints of touch-up from them 3 different times and it was some of the best matching paint Ive ever used. I have no clue what brand it is.
 
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