Paint and Finish Guide how to match

[Jedediah]

Howdy,
I am painting a '29 pickup. I have the Paint and Finish Guide, but am interested to hear how those who use this book use it. Do you simply show the color card to your paint vendor and try to find something close? PPG has a code for Rock Moss green, but it is not even close to the color chip in the book.

 

[CT Jack]

You need to get the exact color code for the color listed in the guide. Using a code from a color card will not give the correct match you are looking for. The best way to get the correct color is to provide your paint supplier with a painted sample. They can optically scan the piece which will produce the matching color code. The cost of the paint is not trivial and I recommend having the paint supplier make a sample before you finalize your selection.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Howdy,
I am painting a '29 pickup. I have the Paint and Finish Guide, but am interested to hear how those who use this book use it. Do you simply show the color card to your paint vendor and try to find something close? PPG has a code for Rock Moss green, but it is not even close to the color chip in the book.

PPG's formula for Rock Moss is very, very close to the P&R Guide chip. Which Book Revision do you have? Rev 4 actually has larger chips that are easier to see and scan.

 

[Will N]

I've had good luck with this's company's color matching:https://www.autocolorlibrary.com/pages/1929-Ford.html#parentHorizontalTab2

 

[Jedediah]

PPG's formula for Rock Moss is very, very close to the P&R Guide chip. Which Book Revision do you have? Rev 4 actually has larger chips that are easier to see and scan.

Good to hear. I have the new edition (4 I believe). I am not sure what my supplier did, as they went off the PPG code, but the sample they gave me is nowhere close, almost blackn when the book is much lighter/yellower.

 

[Jedediah]

Unfortunately there seems to be no codes listed in the guide. The MAFCA website provides a list with paint codes, when my supplier mixes off of the code for Rock Moss Green, it is very very different from the book color.

 

[Jedediah]

You need to get the exact color code for the color listed in the guide. Using a code from a color card will not give the correct match you are looking for. The best way to get the correct color is to provide your paint supplier with a painted sample. They can optically scan the piece which will produce the matching color code. The cost of the paint is not trivial and I recommend having the paint supplier make a sample before you finalize your selection.

Unfortunately there seems to be no codes listed in the guide. The MAFCA website provides a list with paint codes; when my supplier mixes off of the ppg code for Rock Moss Green, it is very very different from the book color, much darker.

 

[Canton_Model_A's]

Can anyone tell me these colors on my 1929 Tudor?

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Unfortunately there seems to be no codes listed in the guide. The MAFCA website provides a list with paint codes, when my supplier mixes off of the code for Rock Moss Green, it is very very different from the book color.

Codes consistently change and would be obsolete if printed in the book. Find a jobber that can scan the chip and mix from that formula.

Can anyone tell me these colors on my 1929 Tudor?

I am going to guess the intent was Copra & Chicle Drab.

 

[Canton_Model_A's]

@Brent:

What colors would YOU paint this 1929 A? Want to stay authentic in colors. You saw her at the Festival.

Dave

 

[30Murray]

I had no success trying to get Andalusite Blue using the new paint and finish guide. My PPG supplier tried scanning the printed image but could not find a good match. They look for a colour match in their data base for more modern cars. I was fortunate to obtain a real painted sample and that was matched to a 1979 Ford colour, which matches the old paint and finish guide colour chip perfectly.


It seems there are always people posting here looking for paint codes and many have provided them, often giving modern paint colours that match the originals very closely. I know the authors of the new paint and finish guide put a lot of effort into producing it, based on an article in the May/June 2021 Restorer. However I wonder if they actually took the book into a paint dealer and tried to scan the images. Its one thing to hold the image up against an original paint sample and say "it matches", but another thing to actually scan it and see if the paint sample produced is correct (it sure wasn't in my experience). Its too bad they didn't go one step further and provide modern paint colours such as I obtained (not actual formulas) for each one, using scans of the original paint chips they had. That would have been much more useful.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

@Brent:

What colors would YOU paint this 1929 A? Want to stay authentic in colors. You saw her at the Festival.

Dave

My vote on what color doesn't count. Back in the 70's, the Rose Beige & Seal Brown was almost 'overused' but I don't see that combination that much anymore. The Vagabond & Moss Greens are a nice color for something different. If you like classy, subdued colors, the Thorne & Mountain colors are rarely seen these days.

I had no success trying to get Andalusite Blue using the new paint and finish guide. My PPG supplier tried scanning the printed image but could not find a good match. They look for a colour match in their data base for more modern cars. I was fortunate to obtain a real painted sample and that was matched to a 1979 Ford colour, which matches the old paint and finish guide colour chip perfectly.


It seems there are always people posting here looking for paint codes and many have provided them, often giving modern paint colours that match the originals very closely. I know the authors of the new paint and finish guide put a lot of effort into producing it, based on an article in the May/June 2021 Restorer. However I wonder if they actually took the book into a paint dealer and tried to scan the images. Its one thing to hold the image up against an original paint sample and say "it matches", but another thing to actually scan it and see if the paint sample produced is correct (it sure wasn't in my experience). Its too bad they didn't go one step further and provide modern paint colours such as I obtained (not actual formulas) for each one, using scans of the original paint chips they had. That would have been much more useful.

I think there is some misunderstanding about the Paint & Refinish Booklet. This booklet was originally published by Ditzler where it listed their paint codes. Next, when Ditzler was phased out, the parent company (PPG) became the author of the book. Once the MAFCA obtained the rights to the book, they added verbiage on how the Model-A was painted, -and the intent was to provide the hobbyist the paint color chips to be used as an uniform benchmark so they could choose the paint manufacturer of their choice along with the type of paint. It was never intended for offering paint codes or formulas as their are different formulas for each manufacturer's line of paint. Adding to that, manufacturer's formula numbers change almost yearly, so it would not take long before the published numbers would be obsolete.

 

[30Murray]

Brent, perhaps my final comment wasn't quite clear. What I was trying to say was that in my case, the match for my paint was 1979 Ford Fiesta Midnight Blue, Ford code X9. I should be able to take this information into any paint supplier and have them mix this colour in whatever paint they supply or I choose. The formula they use will probably change depending on the type of paint, as you noted. It would be nice if somebody could compile a data base of similar information for as many Model A colours as possible. Right now it seems the best source is a search here on fordbarn and its kind of hit and miss. When you consider the thousands of paint colours used by all manufacturers over the last 50 years, surely there must be quite a few that very closely match the original Ford colours.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Brent, perhaps my final comment wasn't quite clear. What I was trying to say was that in my case, the match for my paint was 1979 Ford Fiesta Midnight Blue, Ford code X9. I should be able to take this information into any paint supplier and have them mix this colour in whatever paint they supply or I choose. The formula they use will probably change depending on the type of paint, as you noted. It would be nice if somebody could compile a data base of similar information for as many Model A colours as possible. Right now it seems the best source is a search here on fordbarn and its kind of hit and miss. When you consider the thousands of paint colours used by all manufacturers over the last 50 years, surely there must be quite a few that very closely match the original Ford colours.

May I ask what paint manufacturer were you trying to find a match with?

 

[30Murray]

May I ask what paint manufacturer were you trying to find a match with?

PPG. The sample I used for the scan was painted with PPG nitrocellulose lacquer with the original Ford paint code IM 121 on the can's label. It would be interesting to know how the colour I used compares with what you used on the Business Coupe on your website, which may be more accurate.

 

[jb-ob]

Used to be 'the guy in the back' could match body colors by eye.

Additionally search European car colors and Commercial Fleet colors.

Years ago discovered Bronson Yellow matched an '80's Volvo yellow.

More recently Vagabond Green was matched by a 2015 Ford color Amazon Green.

Better luck with recent colors in modern paints. Usually expensive paint lines have a larger assortment of tints for a better color match.

 

[Hitman]

What I was trying to say was that in my case, the match for my paint was 1979 Ford Fiesta Midnight Blue, Ford code X9. I should be able to take this information into any paint supplier and have them mix this colour in whatever paint they supply or I choose.

That's always worked for me, as long as I have the vehicle manufacturer info (Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, etc.) and their code and name for the color I want, I have no problem getting the paint mixed across a variety of usually higher end paint manufacturers/products. I always order at physical locations nearby and not online.