I am going to respectfully disagree with you. The paint as mixed from the factory is definitely "batched" before any car is painted. This ensures that many, many vehicles are all painted from the same huge homogenized batch, making them all exactly the same.
The production of the paint mixing for factory paint is extremely accurate so that the paint can be effectively matched by a bodyshop repairing a typical fender-bender. If it couldn't be matched that way, what would be the point of having mixing codes in the first place?
There is of course the issue of trying to panel-match to faded, aged paint and that is where a painter with a good color-matching skill comes in.
But...if you are doing a complete repaint of the entire car, why in the world would you want to go to the trouble to try to color-match your paint to another original, faded vehicle?
Just mix your new paint according to the code and you will nail it.
It is true that getting your paint from different sources can lead to cans of paint tha tare all tbe "same color", yet will vary just enough to notice by eye. That is why any reasonably experienced painter will ALWAYS batch all the paint together before painting anything.
Hi Kit,
Thank you for your response. I'll try and explain it as best i can based on my own experience and what i've known over the last 37 years.
Let's say Ford does a production run on a particular color, for a particular car model. That color run may last one year, or two. That doesn't matter. Whilst using that color, Ford will end up ordering and use thousands of gallons from the paint company, and would be surplied in batch quantities as needed. So yes, logically you would think that the paint company when mixing and surplying all that paint, would have the color recipie down to a fine art for accuracy and color consistancy.
The reality is however, that you will get subtle variations from batch to batch. Over my career, i have continually experienced this many times and to this day, am still getting this problem. There can be differant reasons for this. Pigmentation settleing and agitation issues can be one for example. For instance, i am using Glasurit Paints at the moment, and there is a solid color called Candy White. When us spraypainters go to make up that color on the computer, in the sprayshop, based on a factory color code, you can choose from around eight differanrt shades or color variations of that color, based on the factory code. Bare in mind, this is a new car and new color. As well,nine times out of ten, the painter will have to spray out the made up color on a test card, and check to see what it's like to the rest of the car. He will then have to add extra tinters to play around with and change that color and accurately match the color to what's on the car anyway. We have around forty or so differant tinters to change colors to match with.That's where the great skill comes into play.It's knowing what tinters to use and how much tinter to use to change any color. In my trade we were taught to make up a color from scratch with no code or formula as a guide to go by.
So your factory colors will most definately vary. When you look at it that way, there may have been a paint starter formula or recipie for Gold Glow for example, but there would be many slight variations of that color running around out there in reality. (Will the real Gold Glow please stand up!)
That also holds true for any of the Ford Mustang colors on offer for '71-'73 as well.
When it comes to the refinish industry, finding old paint Codes is not an issue. Paint formulas are harder to find, and are mostly not released to the public as public information.(A paint formula is a list of differant tinters that when mixed and combined together, go to make up any particular color). Formulas are left to the paint companies to keep upgrading over the years. Sometimes they do this and sometimes they don't upgrade. Paint companies and paint chemists are forever changing the chemistry of paint for the refinish trade over the years, and as new technology comes on line, some old formulas get left behind and don't get added to the new types of paints. New tech tinters are differant from the old paints can be an issue for color variations as well.Going from old mono single stage enamels used in the Seventies to modern clear over basecoat 2pak enamels can change colors and give variations as well.
Having said that, i've ordered an used old classic car colors based on so called 'original' formulas and have found them sometimes not really accurate when sprayed out on a test card and then checked against the original color which is in good condition.
Lastly, as i have said, your key objective for best original factory match is to find a donor car with the original factory paint work still on the car, and in as best condition that it can be. I know that is a hard ask, but sometimes it can be done. So in reality, when you look at the whole big picture, there is no such thing as the dead accurate holy grail of any color, as an ultimate yardstick. No matter which way you go, there will always be variations of any color for any car. So when a customer buys auto paint across the counter and he wants to buy say Gold Glow for example, he will be sold Gold Glow paint, spray the car with that color and be satisfied with that color. Most people either don't care or are not aware of the accuracy of what they have ended up with.As other forum members have said in the past; It sure looks like Gold Glow to me!
But it is understood that if you were doing a touch up or partial repair somewhere on your car, you would have to match or throw your purchased color to match and blend in with what's on your car already. No question there.
Okeedokee? Hope that helps,
Greg
