Correct Paint I

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Joined
Jun 10, 2016
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Location
England
My Car
1971 Mustang Grande
I am probably going to be ready for paint before the end of the year. My paint code is "I" Grabber Lime. I am sure that paint will not be available here in the U.K. without a reference to mix from

So is there a company in the U.S that make paint for the purist?

And will they supply samples so i can get the correct paint made up here in the U.K? I don't think the U.K laws allow import of motor industry paint and no shipper in the U.K will move liquids around

Is the engine bay color matched to the rest of the body, Grabber Lime?

I also need to know the correct blue for the engine( I understand theres 2 shades of blue)

And what exactly is painted on the block and any item that bolts on to the engine

And i understand paints of today are water based as opposed to the original paint of 1971. So is the original paint ingredients still available and sold?

How much paint do i need to order?

 
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I am probably going to be ready for paint before the end of the year. My paint code is "I" Grabber Lime. I am sure that paint will not be available here in the U.K. without a reference to mix from

So is there a company in the U.S that make paint for the purist? http://www.autocolorlibrary.com/default.aspx

And will they supply samples so i can get the correct paint made up here in the U.K? I don't think the U.K laws allow import of motor industry paint and no shipper in the U.K will move liquids around

Is the engine bay color matched to the rest of the body, Grabber Lime? No, satin black

I also need to know the correct blue for the engine( I understand theres 2 shades of blue) Ford Corporate Blue which is the darker shade of blue

And what exactly is painted on the block and any item that bolts on to the engine Search posts from C9ZX (Chuck). He has posted pictures of his engine bay which is correctly detailed.

And i understand paints of today are water based as opposed to the original paint of 1971. So is the original paint ingredients still available and sold?

How much paint do i need to order?
 
Who is doing the paint work on the body?

You need to talk to the painter

 
Who is doing the paint work on the body?

You need to talk to the painter
Agreed. Buying paint is not like ordering a sandwich, the painter needs to be familiar with the materials and procedures in order to ensure a proper job outcome. FWIW, most can simply call their suppliers and have them research the proper mix for your paint code.

Many of the paint companies are international; BASF, Azko Nobel, RM Diamont etc. All of the colors will vary ever so slightly from original, but once it's completely painted you'll never even notice.

Engine compartment is low gloss black, I used a flattening agent mixed into mine to the "eggshell" recipe. I highly recommend single stage urethane in the engine compartment for the speed of cure and durability.

Excellent site for component color references.

http://429mustangcougarinfo.50megs.com/

 
Your painter, like stated, should be able to get any formula for any color there. Yes the under hood paint was satin rough looking black unless a Mexican car and it was body color. The only color used on the engines was Ford Corporate Blue, many threads on the forum on that one. Engine was painted assembled without carb, fuel pump. Valve covers were in place so gaskets got paint. The oil filter was even painted and some on the exhaust manifolds. But look at MCA rules they might be different if you are going Concourse there is no bending their rules.

That will be a great color wish I had one.

 
The thing to remember about Corporate Blue for the engine is that you need to get 'no kidding' Corporate Blue. Don't rely on pictures to give you a ball park estimate of what you think Corporate Blue might look like - I did, and wound up getting Duplicolor 'Old Ford Blue,' which honestly, I like better. Some of the pictures with items painted Corporate Blue can get washed out, and the color looks much lighter that it actually is.

As a result, I've taken some crap for it over the years... to which I maintain the stance, "Restomod - deal with it." ;) rofl

TommyK and HemiKiller are correct: matte/low gloss black underhood, and Corporate Blue engine paint. David brings up a great point about the engine being painted after being assembled - MCA judges might be looking for the paint on gaskets and whatnot, and deducting points if it's missing.

Good luck chasing this all down. I can't wait to see this car when you get it all done! ::thumb::

 
In the 1971 - 1973 Concours Trailered / Driven class paint info taken from the latest judging rules:

Orange Peel - typical factory finish, consistent orange peel throughout, no deduction. Sanded & buffed, up to 3 point deduction depending upon remaining visible orange peel and consistency. No credit for orange peel in a single area.

This category is further broken down by body location/respective points, i.e. main body, rear valance, truck lid, etc.

Semi-gloss black (engine) componets: fan, fan pulley, crankshaft pulley, alternator bracket and adjustment arm.

Semi-gloss black or natural (no finish): engine mount brackets, harmonic balancer.

This info, along with additional Ford Corporate Blue application info can be found on the MCA web site.

Hope this helps,

Mac

 
In the 1971 - 1973 Concours Trailered / Driven class paint info taken from the latest judging rules:

Orange Peel - typical factory finish, consistent orange peel throughout, no deduction. Sanded & buffed, up to 3 point deduction depending upon remaining visible orange peel and consistency. No credit for orange peel in a single area.

This category is further broken down by body location/respective points, i.e. main body, rear valance, truck lid, etc.

Semi-gloss black (engine) componets: fan, fan pulley, crankshaft pulley, alternator bracket and adjustment arm.

Semi-gloss black or natural (no finish): engine mount brackets, harmonic balancer.

This info, along with additional Ford Corporate Blue application info can be found on the MCA web site.

Hope this helps,

Mac
Thank You Mac

I did try MCA site but i am not a member as i am in UK.

The underside where transmission runs is black. Is it same black as engine bay? Could i use ceramic paint for toughness and its chip resistant qualities

 
In the 1971 - 1973 Concours Trailered / Driven class paint info taken from the latest judging rules:

Orange Peel - typical factory finish, consistent orange peel throughout, no deduction. Sanded & buffed, up to 3 point deduction depending upon remaining visible orange peel and consistency. No credit for orange peel in a single area.

This category is further broken down by body location/respective points, i.e. main body, rear valance, truck lid, etc.

Semi-gloss black (engine) componets: fan, fan pulley, crankshaft pulley, alternator bracket and adjustment arm.

Semi-gloss black or natural (no finish): engine mount brackets, harmonic balancer.

This info, along with additional Ford Corporate Blue application info can be found on the MCA web site.

Hope this helps,

Mac
Thank You Mac

I did try MCA site but i am not a member as i am in UK.

The underside where transmission runs is black. Is it same black as engine bay? Could i use ceramic paint for toughness and its chip resistant qualities
I am in Canada, you can still be a MCA member if outside the USA, just costs more $$$ + the current conversion rate...

The trans tunnel area questions depends on what level of restoration you are doing. Typical Concourse, requires that you bring it back to the factory appearance, this is best accomplished by documenting the teardown of your car (if the car has not been restored in some fashion before) and restoring to a similar level. Failing this, I use the MCA Concourse Street Driven rules as the guideline for my current restoration. Keep in mind that most if not all trans tunnel areas received a coating of sound deadener in this area, which also adds the toughness component you are seeking.

I was informed by some on the Concourse site that the level of sound deadener a car received was based on the interior option ordered for the car, i.e.. If you had the Deluxe/Sport or Mach 1 interior, the sound deadener application was applied heavy and spread out through the floor pan area, a standard interior did not receive excessive sound deadener. I then presented the underside of my car (standard interior) and some on this site were surprised to see that the level of sound deadener applied to my car was similar to the upgraded interior application. I can only assume that it depended on the person doing the application on the factory floor, hit and miss maybe. I could see the possibility of Ford applying the sound deadener level based on the level of interior upgrade, came down to $$$ spent by the purchaser. I am sure some here will have an opinion, this is mine based on my personal experience with these cars. Mac will be able to confirm the MCA rules in this regard. I have applied the level of sound deadener similar to what was on my car, and have many original photos to prove when the 'naysayer's come a 'knockin...

 
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For reference purposes... Note the heavy concentration inboard (tunnel area) and then it fades out across the floor panel area to a point where you then see remnants of the original body colour over spray as you reach the rocker panel areas. On bright painted cars, there should also be some blackout evident around the lower rocker panels, as Ford did spray a blackout paint along the lower rocker panel areas.

convertible37.jpg

 
For reference purposes... Note the heavy concentration inboard (tunnel area) and then it fades out across the floor panel area to a point where you then see remnants of the original body colour over spray as you reach the rocker panel areas. On bright painted cars, there should also be some blackout evident around the lower rocker panels, as Ford did spray a blackout paint along the lower rocker panel areas.
So it looks to me like Ford or the employees had a mindset if you can't see it then it aint worth bothering with. The underside looks like it never really got a good coat of paint to protect it in its most vulnerable area to rusting

 
That is for the most part correct. Remember these guys were not building a car to last 15 years back in those days. The guy on the assembly line usually had between 45 sec to a minute to finish their task before the car was out of their reach in their workstation. While paint had a little more time to get the car sealed and painted once the unibody was loaded on the line for assembly it was all about moving it down the line. The guy spraying the sound deadener probably sprayed a couple hundred cars a day. It becomes pretty boring shooting that many cars in a day at some point it is just get it on there so it passes inspection for my station.

 
So what product would be used as a sound deadener. Having a Deluxe interior it would have been laid down thickly.

Spoke to mechanic and sprayer today near me. I explained what i was looking to achieve and they both understood my needs. They both work exclusively on classic American cars. Sprayer will document everything before stripping the car down. I have made a note of everyones imput. Thank You to everyone that posted in this thread.

 
Any undercoating like material usually works fine, Here in the states products like Shutz, or Spectrum Second Skin Sludge are examples I have seen used. Your sprayer may have a product they prefer. If he does ask him to spray out some on a test sheet to see if it duplicates the thickness of what is on your car. It goes on thick in many areas. I am of the opinion interior trim level did not make a difference. The guy under the car in the pit spraying the sound deadener probably did not know the trim details from the build sheet. It was just another mustang or cougar floor pan passing over the top of him.

 
Any undercoating like material usually works fine, Here in the states products like Shutz, or Spectrum Second Skin Sludge are examples I have seen used. Your sprayer may have a product they prefer. If he does ask him to spray out some on a test sheet to see if it duplicates the thickness of what is on your car. It goes on thick in many areas. I am of the opinion interior trim level did not make a difference. The guy under the car in the pit spraying the sound deadener probably did not know the trim details from the build sheet. It was just another mustang or cougar floor pan passing over the top of him.
Waxoyl comes in black. Would this be a acceptable product for concours?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waxoyl

 
I am not familiar with the product and the Wikipedia description really does not give me enough information. I looked it up on Youtube, but only found an application video nothing showing the product. The material needs to be a thick rubber/asphalt like material. I would consult with you sprayer and get his feedback on materials. Knowing that they specialize in American cars they should have a product they use already.

 
I am probably going to be ready for paint before the end of the year. My paint code is "I" Grabber Lime. I am sure that paint will not be available here in the U.K. without a reference to mix from

So is there a company in the U.S that make paint for the purist?

And will they supply samples so i can get the correct paint made up here in the U.K? I don't think the U.K laws allow import of motor industry paint and no shipper in the U.K will move liquids around

Is the engine bay color matched to the rest of the body, Grabber Lime?

I also need to know the correct blue for the engine( I understand theres 2 shades of blue)

And what exactly is painted on the block and any item that bolts on to the engine

And i understand paints of today are water based as opposed to the original paint of 1971. So is the original paint ingredients still available and sold?

How much paint do i need to order?
Pegleg,

Unless I missed it, a couple of your questions were not answered. The original paint in 1971 was likely a dispersion lacquer but at best may have been a single stage enamel. Both types of paint are probably still available although I would stay away from lacquer even though it's probably the cheapest finish. Single stage enamel (with a urethane hardener) is an okay choice and would be able to be buffed (orange peel, contamination) since in your case, there's no metallic to disturb. Urethane basecoat/clearcoat systems are the most expensive but are the most durable. The clearcoat allows for good buffability and blocks UV rays that can fade the color. I'm not sure of the EPA rules in the UK but most paint here is solvent based. California may be the only state that requires waterborne systems. I've been away from the automotive painting scene for a while so there may be other options and certainly other opinions. My car is also Grabber Lime and I will be using base/clear for the final finish. Good luck.

Dave

 
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