Paint color question

[Charlie1717]

I want to repaint the roof of my festy to match the rest of my car. It's a 91 blue festiva -> M3/2R Bright Blue Met BC/CC

So my question is what do I look for at the store?
I just want a rattle can Duplicolor or something.

I did do some searching but didn't find an answer. Basically I just don't know how to find the right color. Any help is appreciative

[eurotiva]

Most auto parts store and even wal-mart have little paint code books to help you match up their brand to your paint color. Hope this helps.

[Charlie1717]

I actually didn't know that ha so I'm sure that will help tremendously
Thanks!

[m715]

What do you have to work with equipment wise would be my first question. We are a auto paint and body shop supply company, so I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Michael

[Charlie1717]

I have a latter and two hands The paint job overall on the car is actually very good for how old it is just the roofs clear coat is gone and it's faded blue so I was just going to sand it down and spray paint it just to make it look a bit better and protect the roof.
I just wanted to use the same color as the rest of the car

[m715]

Well, of course it is best, and cheapest (material wise) to use a spray gun and compressor. That said, using spray cans will present a couple of challenges. The biggest drawback to spray cans is that you will be trying to cover a "fairly" large area with a small amount of paint in each can. Spray cans custom mixed and loaded only contain .25 pint of paint. They are not cheap either. We sell these at 16.00 a can in straight enamel non catalized. What this means is a product that dries slowly, and has "average" durability. The plus side is that it requires no additional equpment to spray. I have cheated these cans having the equipment here, and added hardner to the mix, and used acrylic enamel, but the clock starts ticking as soon as you load it in the can. There are spray cans available also of urethane clear that is is a 2 part that you pop a cap underneath releasing the hardener. The base is cutom mixed in a separate can, sprayed first, then after flash off, you follow with the clear. This gets pricey, but would likely be the most durable finish of the "rattle can" type. I used this system on a older Dodge truck cowl panel, with good results to test out the system when we got it in. The top of your car is most likely fading also on the hatch top too, and this system "could" be used in a blending situation, while the straight enamel can only be used in a panel painting use only where there is a sharp edge where painting ends. The base/clear will also actually give you a much closer color match than anything else you can use. Each can runs 16.95 of the clear.
See the next post for option # 2

Michael

[m715]

Another option is to use a custom mix yourself device called a Preval unit. This is a glass container which is graduated for mixing up your paint, reducer, and hardener, then has a refill type spray unit screwed to it. The only drawback to these are you must work with these some to figure out the trickier spray pattern they produce. If anything is off in the mix, or if you use them too long, they begin to sputter the paint.
What you have as a challenge with your color as compared to a solid color is keeping the metallic in you color even. That formula is MOSTLY metallic. What you can end up with is an effect known as "striping" which means you leave a heavier line of paint in the center of the fan of paint, and a lighter, less metallic line toward each side. You also have to keep in mind that you need to be spraying wet on wet with each pass of paint to keep things even. That said, this is the option I would try first, using an acrylic enamel single stage paint with the Preval to get started. Something to keep in mind......This is a good time to play around with using this to do some simple repairs, that in the grand scheme of things can be a skill you will use time and time again.

CAUTION>>>>> be sure that you use a REAL paint mask while you use a catalized product!!!!!!! These use isocyanates which WILL damage your lungs!!!

[Festiva_tunner]

I want to repaint the roof of my festy to match the rest of my car. It's a 91 blue festiva -> M3/2R Bright Blue Met BC/CC

So my question is what do I look for at the store?
I just want a rattle can Duplicolor or something.

I did do some searching but didn't find an answer. Basically I just don't know how to find the right color. Any help is appreciative

Being that it is a 91 I doubt that the color is M3/2R - I had to do some heavy research on mine because I'm getting ready to have the door repaired after an accident. in 91 the only two blues offered were Bright Blue and Surf Blue - however - the Bright Blue differed this year for some reason from the other Bright Blues - in 91 it was M3 Bright Blue Met C/C without the 2R. What does your drivers door placard list? just above where it says exterior color? Most likely it will be M3 only
I noticed this when I tried to install my hood from another "Bright Blue" car - the blues did not match up as if they were two totally differnt shades of blue - And not like a different lot number shade eaither like one was dark and one was light.

CAUTION>>>>> be sure that you use a REAL paint mask while you use a catalized product!!!!!!! These use isocyanates which WILL damage your lungs!!!

You can pick these up pretty cheep online

[m715]

The book shows the same, but I would use the M3 to formulate for a mix on the computer. This is the page for 1991
91 was a strange year, and I agree that you need to double check the paint code of YOUR CAR, and it is ABOVE exterior paint code on the tag. You wouldn't believe all the people who come in with the wheel base, or other info for a Ford product. Best, take the vehicle with you, and let them make the call. We advise people to do it.

[m715]

Gerson has masks (8111P Small 8211P Med 8311 Lg) or 3M (07192 Med 07193 Lg) that can be used 40 hrs, and bought for less than 20.00. Just keep track of how many hours you actually use them, and reseal them in the ziplock bags they come in when not in use. I found out the hard way that using isocyanates is something I don't ever want to play around with again. If you have luck with others, GREAT. I like these because they are what we sell every day to professionals who live in the stuff.
Just an opinion.
Oh, and here is a picture of a Preval unit. I guess it did not load above.

HTH

Michael

[Festiva_tunner]

Oh, and here is a picture of a Preval unit. I guess it did not load above.

Take some practice shots on some scrap before you go on the car - they are easy to use but have a little finness to get them right.

We have the same as pictured here and they are great

[m715]

I have used them for some things to keep down overspray and such on small jobs for myself over the years. They DO take a little practice to get used to, but allow you to spray more economical but better quality paint. I agree!!! a test panel will give you actual results you can practice on, and improve the final product including allowing you to:
thin the product for best results
adjust the color to help color match

[Charlie1717]

The book shows the same, but I would use the M3 to formulate for a mix on the computer. This is the page for 1991
91 was a strange year, and I agree that you need to double check the paint code of YOUR CAR, and it is ABOVE exterior paint code on the tag. You wouldn't believe all the people who come in with the wheel base, or other info for a Ford product. Best, take the vehicle with you, and let them make the call. We advise people to do it.

Yeah it's actually just M3 I just copied and pasted from another thread.

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm finally home from school and will be putting photos of my festy up. I just finished redoing most of the interior. Unfortunately I don't have any before pics but I'll have a lot of afters.

I'll let you know how the roof turns up

Special thanks to M715- Thanks for all the info! It's much appreciated.

[m715]

If I can help, let me know. Thanks to Trevor for his input also.

Michael