Ford's new blue color

L

Larry Jenkins

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I have recently seen some newer Fords that have a very nice looking Blue paint that looks almost like the old Washington Blue.

Does any one know how close the newer Ford Blue is to matching the old Washington Blue? I'm going to paint my 1930 CCPU Washington Blue, if I can find the correct color.

Larry Jenkins
 
Larry, the PPG number for Washington blue is 1246.
For Dupont it is G8381. Just go to a PPG store and ask for that number, make sure it's the right color befor they mix it. Same w/ Dupont. If you want a complet list of the model A paint colors and numbers just let me know. I can E-mail them to you. Lyle Williams in Ajo Az.
 
Thank you, Lyle..

I too have those Numbers. I was just wondering if anyone knew how close the New Ford color was to the original Washington Blue.

The new Ford color sure is pretty!

Larry
 
I have found that the PPG jobbers are generally willing to print out formulas of a couple colors you are considering. Just get the proper color name and year for the new Ford Blue and give them the Washington Blue number, and they can then print the pigments and quantities used in the formula for paint line they sell in your area.

They did Andulusite Blue for me, and I tweaked the formula a bit using small samples sprayed out on panels. I had my painter spray out four panels and got just what I wanted. My "Andulusite Blue" has a tiny bit less black and less violet than the official PPG formulation for their Envirobase line. In a photo, one would be hard pressed to see any differences in the panels, but in a good light you can see a difference.

But the key for you would be to look at the two formulas and compare pigments and quantities to see how close they are to being the same. I was surprised at how much green is in Washington Blue.
 
Larry Jenkins said:
Thank you, Lyle..

I too have those Numbers. I was just wondering if anyone knew how close the New Ford color was to the original Washington Blue.

The new Ford color sure is pretty!

Larry
Click to expand...

Just saw that on a Ford Fusion this morning. Your right, it IS a sharp color caught my eye, made me do a double-take and I thought 'wow that looks good':cool:
 
Washington blue is one of the colors of the era that I like. Is it correct on a 30 coupe? I'm trying to keep the car correct as much as possible. What would be the advantage to using a modern color if the original color is readily available? Cost? Probably not.
Terry
 
Those paint codes are 10+ years and who knows how many generations of paint formulation old. I would not trust them to be correct today. Find a color you like, use the MAFCA Paint and Finish Guide for stock color swatches, and find an automotive paint store that will color match for you.
 
Terry , if you check the judging standards for paint colours for 1930 ,you will find that Andalusite blue or Lombard blue were used on std coupes or deluxe coupes.Hessian blue and French gray, we’re used as stripe colours , although French gray was dropped in August of 1930.
Don S
 
I am supplying the Washington Blue PPG Concept Series paint formula that we used at Bob's Antique Ford in Phoenix, Arizona, when I worked there for a while 50 years ago. From what I have seen on show cars and in color photos of award winners in magazines, this formula is right on. It's a beautiful shade of blue, especially when teamed up with Riviera Blue as the secondary color. Add a Tacoma Cream pinstripe and ZOWIE!!! A real eye-catching triple color combination. I'm not too crazy about some of the Model A color selections, but this one knocks the old apple out of the ballpark!
To illustrate how the final product looks on actual cars sprayed with these formulae, attached are photos of my A-400 that I painted in this color combination 22 years ago. Photos of a 1931 Deluxe Roadster that I restored for a Phoenix doctor friend 25 years ago are also included here. You should be able to judge from the photos whether you like these shades of blue, individually or in tandem. I also have the PPG Concept formula for Riviera Blue, in case anyone wants to team up the two colors. Be aware, though, that PPG has phased out its Concept Series of paint, so unless your local PPG/Ditzler dealer has lots of paint left in stock to mix these colors, you might be out of luck. Perhaps the dealer can cross reference the paint numbers to a readily available paint formula.
By the way, the OP (Larry Jenkins) died about 10 years ago.
Marshall
 

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By the way, Washington Blue changes color when in the bright sun or beneath heavy clouds, as can be seen in the roadster photos above. The first photo was taken on a sunny day and underscores the color differences, while the full car photo of the same roadster was taken on a cloudy Phoenix day. It makes the car look almost mono-colored and much darker than it is in real life.
M.
 
Marshall, that code won't help anyone. PPG's Concept (DCC line) has been discontinued nearly 3 years ago with only 9300 Black & White still available. Their recommendation is to use the Evolution or Essential paints out of their DelFleet line, -however there are several Model-A factory colors they do not have the proper toners for to accurately duplicate the original DCC color(s).

FWIW, probably 5+ years ago the DuPont Automotive paint line was rebranded as Axalta with new lines of paint that makes using old formulas difficult. One promising product from Axalta that we have sprayed a couple vehicles with their Elite EA line. Again, no paint code cross-overs, so the new Imron formula must originate from scanning a painted panel. Even the Paint & Refinish book chips can be difficult to get an accurate scan with their reader.
 
As I explained, it might be problematic getting PPG dealers to mix Concept due it being phased out. I was fortunate that our local PPG dealer had enough paint on hand to mix a quart of Seal Brown for me in October. They told me that pretty well used up what supply of Concept they had. :( :( :(
I am still p*ssed that PPG discontinued this line of paint. It was THE best paint I have ever sprayed. It laid down well, rubbed out easily and wore like iron. Paint jobs I laid down 30 years ago still look brand-new. I have yet to find anything even close with those attributes. Concept was expensive, that is true. But isn't quality always worth the cost?
Marshall
 
The paint industry has always needed a standardization that's based on numerical codes for the almost infinite shade possibilities between the mixing of primary colors which can also be near an infinite number. This stuff would have to be computer coded for accurate AI computer aided mixing. This may never happen since companies like to be different from others.

Most color mixes were using the individual manufacturers own color names for the recipe of their named color. This made it easier in the modern era to scan a particular color and use the computer to make up the color batch. Scanners depend on light to get the spectrum they need and differences of ambient light and controlled light can make a big difference so it's not without problems. The human eye is still the best determining factor is mixing paint and not all folks have a good eye for color. There have been just too many changes since 1928/31. The MAFCA Paint and Finish Guide is still the best reference on colors but it has to be updated periodically to keep up with the industry.
https://store.mafca.com/products/1003
 
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