wimbledon white 9A

[wwhite72]

I will be looking to have body and paint done this year. my question for any owners, and especially OLE PONY is this; the original PPG paint code 9A is a very warm shade. almost off white. Has anyone used this original paint code in the last 5-10years? How does it compare the the original paint color? Im wondering if my original paint just looks beige due to age and that a new 9A code paint job would be a little brighter? I know very little about paint and the environmental laws that have changed the formulations since 1972. I believe we originally had enamel single stage paint? and now painters only do 2 stage/clear coat paint jobs? any input is very welcome, thanks.

 

[Austin Vert]

Hi W,

If a formula exists for Wimbledon White, you could get paint made up by the companies.But paints have changed since the seventies in several ways, and how dead accurate that would be to the seventies original color, who knows.

The only dead accurate way to get the color match, is to find a 71-73 Mustang in that color and it still has some or all of it's original mono enamel in very good condition on the outside panels of the car.(The car should have preferably spent most of it's life out of the sun) A good spraypainter will then be able to color match by eye an accurate match of the original Wimbledon White.I know that is a hard ask to do, and not practical. This above description applies to all our old Mustang colors as well. You will find that there are lots and lots of different shades of Whimbledon White claiming to be that color running around out there.

Today, you can spray in clear over base (basecoat color/ 2pak clearcoat) or solid 2pak white enamel.I would choose 2k solid white rather than base/clearcoat as the better way to go.(there are several reasons why, cost/ durability/ ease of application/easy touch up/ easier to match color/less chance of showing contamination when applyng paint/ lower refinish cost on materials/ and clears breakdown more quickly under UV sunlight)

Hope that helps.

Greg (pro spraypainter)

 

[OLE PONY]

The 9A Wimbledon White is definitely an off white, almost a creme color. My 73 was painted in 2010 with PPG paint and is the two stage with clear coat. Since mine was disassembled and painted in parts I was able to compare an original piece with the new paint and it appeared to be the same tint, but the clear coat does give it that extra shine.

I was tempted to go with Oxford white when I painted the 73 to match my 2004 Mach 1, but I'm glad I stayed with Wimbledon White. Here are several pictures and you can see the Oxford white is a very bright white as you can see in the picture as compared to the Wimbledon white on the 73.

 

[wwhite72]

OLE PONY, that is exactly the information i was hoping for. Big thanks for the pics as well! the members here are a great resource, glad i finally found this site!

 

[OLE PONY]

OLE PONY, that is exactly the information i was hoping for. Big thanks for the pics as well! the members here are a great resource, glad i finally found this site!

No problem at all; I'm always happy to show off pictures of my babies!

 

[wwhite72]

Easily the finest example of a Wimbledon White 71-73 Mustang i have seen pics of. you must have a lot of concours trophies. is it a Cleveland? I also own a non-Mach I convert. your car's transformation from the 14" trim ring steel wheels to the OEM option Ansen alum slots show how easily our cars were personalized! A real beauty!

 

[Austin Vert]

Hi Mike,

Out of curiosity,did your painter or paint shop make the color up from a formula and then eye matched it to the original 'piece' of paint you say you still had on the outside of your car, or was there no formula to go on, and they started from scratch and eye matched the color to the old original panel, or did they just make up a color from a formula and go with that and that alone without checking or matching the color?

From my perspective, that would be interesting information to know if you happen to remember that as well, and yes your Mustang looks great in that Wimbleton White, in which off creamy whites happen to be one of my fav colors in cars too.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[OLE PONY]

Easily the finest example of a Wimbledon White 71-73 Mustang i have seen pics of. you must have a lot of concours trophies. is it a Cleveland? I also own a non-Mach I convert. your car's transformation from the 14" trim ring steel wheels to the OEM option Ansen alum slots show how easily our cars were personalized! A real beauty!

Thanks for the compliments.

Actually I have not put it in many shows, but is has won a couple of trophies. It is not a concours restoration either as the engine compartment and the undercarriage has not been done. But a lot of prep and care was put into the body work and paint. Every thing that could be taken off the body was removed and media blasted or stripped. The body shop kept the car for 9 months and it had it's own separate garage there. It is original in appearance from the day it left the dealership except for the the clear coat paint and the upgraded aluminum factory wheels, as you noted. Interior is original except for the carpet and dash pad!

Thanks again.

Hi Mike,

Out of curiosity,did your painter or paint shop make the color up from a formula and then eye matched it to the original 'piece' of paint you say you still had on the outside of your car, or was there no formula to go on, and they started from scratch and eye matched the color to the old original panel, or did they just make up a color from a formula and go with that and that alone without checking or matching the color?

From my perspective, that would be interesting information to know if you happen to remember that as well, and yes your Mustang looks great in that Wimbleton White, in which off creamy whites happen to be one of my fav colors in cars too.

Thanks,

Greg

I'm not entirely sure, but I believe they just used the PPG paint code for the Wimbledon White. I gave them a copy of the original PPG paint chip chart from 1973. There is a 9C Pearl White used on 73 Fords, but not on the Mustangs. The Pearl White is a lot whiter that the 9A if you look at the chart.

The body shop did have a lot of problems trying to match the satin black on the decor option accents. They painted several different test pieces before we agreed on the right one.

The front bumper was the hardest for them. They had to strip it and paint it twice and finally had the PPG rep come in and help mix the flex agent and get the right 9A color match. Apparently the flex agent throws off the color some.

 

[Austin Vert]

Thanks Mike,

It's a pity you're not sure about how your paint shop arrived at that color.

Maybe, and only if you are interested in doing so, you could contact the shop and see if anyone there remembers what took place to get the color.

Just out of interest, were you aware, that the number of clearcoats that are sprayed over a solid colored white basecoat can change the finished color appearence in a certain way, and yes you're right, adding flex agents can throw a color out as well.

One thing to note as well, is that the old PPG color charts were presented in inks and not in 'actual paints' that were used on the cars of the day.This means that the color chip samples are not accurate because of ageing and yellowing etc, and therefore cannot be relied upon as an accurate guide to what the real colors were, only a close ball park representation if you like. That goes for all the '71 - '73 Mustang colors as well. I've been told that paint formulas are still available for these old Ford colors in America, so the old colors can be made up again and sold on, but as to the accuracy of these formulas i don't know. Mainly because new paints and tinters are used now to make the colors, and the ingredients and paints used back in the 1970's are long gone and not in production by the major paint companies anymore.

So you can't use the color chips as an accurate guide to color match your finished paint, and the new mixes are questionable.So i always get back to eye matching from an original paint panel in good condition,as the best and most accurate way of getting the color right in relation to how they used to be in the early Seventies.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[OLE PONY]

No, I'm sure they did not use the color chart to match the paint color. I just gave it to them to make sure they did the 9A and it had the PPG number on it. The one I gave them was a computer print out anyway so the colors would not be true either. I do remember them showing me their setup for mixing the paints according to the PPG codes, computerized I believe. I do remember that I held an original panel up to one of the painted fenders to compare the color and it was a match.

 

[Austin Vert]

No, I'm sure they did not use the color chart to match the paint color. I just gave it to them to make sure they did the 9A and it had the PPG number on it. The one I gave them was a computer print out anyway so the colors would not be true either. I do remember them showing me their setup for mixing the paints according to the PPG codes, computerized I believe. I do remember that I held an original panel up to one of the painted fenders to compare the color and it was a match.

I understand what you're saying Mike, and it sounds like you've had a win with the end result, and that's what matters at the end of the day.

Greg

 

[kidwithfastback=fast]

Paint your mustang the color that YOU like. Sure the factory says Wimbelton White, and a factory color is more desirable, but it really comes down to if you like it!

I think that Wimbelton white is a great color, looks amazing on the sprint cars with the blue and red accent!

 

[Boss1Ray]

Paint your mustang the color that YOU like. Sure the factory says Wimbelton White, and a factory color is more desirable, but it really comes down to if you like it!

I think that Wimbelton white is a great color, looks amazing on the sprint cars with the blue and red accent!

For me, I have always hated to even try color changes. If I can find a car in the color I like - I'll try and buy that car. It has been very difficult to find a car that has had a color change that was done correctly. I have seen what appear to be many examples on this site but have not seen any of those in person.

Basically - the color change take a lot of extra work that many seem to try and hide or just mess it up completely.

I have always liked the Wimbledon White. It reminds me of my friend's old '65 GT-350.

The color is named for the very presitious and oldest tennis tournament in the world. The rules required all players to wear all-white uniforms.

Anyway I sure am glad Grey Poopon wasn't another 'prestigious' color choice!

Ray

 

[vamach1]

My sprint still had the original white 9A paint when I sold it last summer.

 

[Totalled]

You rang?