Re: Paint colour/color opinions

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2009/2/4 9:49:13

You might want to go over to the PAC website and view the paint chips for your year, but really, this is an exercise in some futility, as is trying to match a color by looking at a scanned photograph or digital image thru a color monitor, and in the case of the paint chips add in their degradation from age as well.

If you're committed to a color and don't care whether its stock or not, it's really easy. Take something in the color you want and either have it scanned and matched by a good paint shop, or use something like the Sikkins system to get a current paint #. If the color appeared on a car, borrow a fender skirt or gas tank filler door for matching.

Matching an original color by matching that of a repainted car is also questionable as you don't know how well that owner did his match. It's not failsafe but matching an original color by scanning or matching from an original unrepainted car could yield good results though the piece you match from should be compounded and polished to try to get it back to a fresh surface. Or use something that was protected from sunlight, for example often the wheel of the spare tire in trunk had a plain black hub cap over it, and the paint beneath it is about the best preserved original paint you'll likely find. Inside door jambs also a possibility depending on condition.

I believe you expressed a preference for a maroon earlier (or was that someone else)? There were two maroons for the 22nd series, the earlier Cavalier Maroon was replaced during the production run with Grenadier Maroon which was just a bit darker.