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Hey Folks, '56 Dave here... new to the forum.
I'm restoring a '56 400 (KM in the colour). I am aware there is photo technology out there to identify colour with reasonable accuracy yet I would like to go with a recipe that is more commonly used... if one exists.

Cheers '56 Dave

Hi Dave,

Welcome to Packard info; great site. Can't help you with your paint query, but there are LOTS of folks on here who can/will. I just noticed you were from Ontario and it's always good to see a fellow-Canuck join the ranks... good luck with your restoration. Chris.

Is KM Scottish Heather over Dover White?

Hello BigKev... Sorry for the horrendous delay in response... my bad.
Yes, Scottish Heather & Dover White.

FYI All: a link to save.
I found this alternate to the TCMglobal www.autocolorlibrary.com

paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedisplay.cgi?make=Packard

I like it as it gives all the years just scroll.
I'm not sure you'll be able to get "exact" paint for your car. But a reasonable match in modern finishes is a better choice anyway. DIYers, I recommend acrylic enamel.
A lot of the old pigments, etc. are obsolete/EPA issues. You have to run the old codes and most of the major suppliers that have the info archived require you to be a commercial acct anymore to even check. See your local authorized bodyshop or paint store for more info. I tried to get an account and have been turned down without a commercial address. I gave up my LLC.

And as I am sure you are aware, if you are painting the entire car you can come to a very close if not exact match with modern formulations to the old colors. If trying to paint just a panel or two, reds seem to have been a bit more prone to fade than other colors and could be impossible to match with a made to formula paint. That would be the time to see if one of the computer color match places could get close to what is on the car as it exists now. Also, the metallic flakes available today do not seem to come close in size to those available in the 50s. Trying to panel spot match to one of those metallic colors is all but guaranteed to stand out.

Most modern metallic colors don't match, you are right, because the flake is too big and too much used. If you custom select the size of aluminum flake and the level you can come quite close. There are only a couple of companies making the metal flake and they don't typically sell retail, so you need a good paint supplier working with you