Original color repaint advice (Purists please chime in !)

[Kingbird6]

Guys,

After recently spending 15K on a complete tear 3 year down with concours quality body restoration on my 1/1970 240Z, I came to realize that the shade of red that was sprayed did not match the original paint shade as delivered from the factory ! This is driving me nuts ! What the painter used was a water based PPG that is more of a Ferrari red than than the red/orange Datsun supplied (I was convinced he had the correct shade until I discovered original paint afterward under a place covered by the dash).

Now since this was my original car from high school owned since 1983, it has become an obsession of originality and utmost restoration for me. I have every nut bolt and screw replated and the car's suspension is completely restored and installed but everything else is still out (interior, motor, wire harness etc. I'm really tempted to have the whole car resprayed all over again now that I have the original shade dialed in. Am I crazy or should I go for it assuming I'm not going to do a repeat of the $15K expenditure. Forget personal preference, I love the shade of red that is on it now. But as a classic, it might just eat me up later knowing that it fails to be a historically accurate example...

Brian

[conedodger]

How close is it Brian. Sometimes, what was on there before the paint was faded but you're describing painted areas that shouldn't fade. I wouldn't obsess over it and mine is original and I advocate original. Unless a paint job is complete so all areas that can be seen when the car is fully assembled are the same color, you have lost value. Painting the original color preserves value. The highest value is always a 'Preservation Car' that has just been kept in as good a condition as possible. I have owned one, (Porsche 911) and it sold for $400 more than the original sticker price.

[Kingbird6]

Thanks for the thoughts...It's a few shades off. When you hold the two colors on a chip side by side you say one is red and one is almost orange with the orange tint being the factory color.

The car was stripped to bare metal and painted completely disassembled on a rotisserie...The only reason I noticed the color difference was because a corner under the dash where the drain tube passes had an original shiny swatch letf and I noticed it was more orange in color value. Thats all it took to get me on my obsession :-)

[hr369]

what angle are you looking at it from? to get a true

idea of what the color looks like it should be flat and facing you and preferably outside under the sun.

fluorescent lights inside the shop change what the

true color looks like. did they mix the paint using a formula or did they computer match?

[Kingbird6]

Was mixed with a formula...I was told every manufacturer has a different variant. When i hold the two paint samples in sunlight as you describe, the original color looks darker due to a higher orange content.

[kjohnson2444]

This is a predicament. My two-cents worth... If it is driving you crazy now, and you can afford to fix it, then go ahead and fix it. Otherwise, it will bug you forever. I too have a 905 red 1970. When I had mine painted, the paint shop told me that they had a PPG representative out to the shop and he used some sort of sensor to analyze they color inside of the door jamb. I did not see them do this and he could have made it all up for all I know, but I am happy with the color. It looks just like the original. People sometimes think I have an orange car. I used to have a 918 orange '71. Now that was orange. I would notice a 240z that was the "wrong" red, but I wouldn't hold it against anyone.

[Diseazd]

How about a picture?

[Travel'n Man]

There is an important question here - are you working on this car to keep it - or - somewhere down the road you are planning to sell it for an investment? If you are keeping it since you have owned it since 1983 then do it the way you want to - if you are planning on selling it as an investment (I doubt this is the case seeing how you spent the $ on the body and paint - and the car is not worth that kind of money - much like mine) then make it the way you want it - be happy and enjoy every minute!

Edited November 19, 2013 by Travel'n Man

[Dr. 240Z]

Some random thoughts:

Could the car have been repainted between 1970 and 1983?

Have you compared your Z's 905 with that of another Z with 905?

Take a look in my 'garage' and click on the four pictures. You will see the same 905 paint on my Z looks very different in red/orange content when viewed in different lights. Google: Metamerism for a better understanding as to why.

The "more orange in value" really is in 'chroma'. Chroma is the intensity of a specific colour. Value equates to a colour's brightness.

Please give us some pictures of your Z taken with different light sources.

[Oiluj]

First, let me say I appreciate someone going to the level of restoration you are doing. It represents a significant amount of commitment, work and investment.

.

While I lean towards the "keep it original" side of the road, I'm also a realist when it comes to owning classic cars. If it's going to be a very nice driver, (as opposed to a show car), the color being a bit "off" is not an issue, unless it really bugs you.

.

My car is a resto-mod, (not original, but purposefully returnable to stock, as the changes are "bolt-on"). What is most important is that the car represents "my" vision, as I intend to keep it for a long time. As others have suggested, if you plan to keep the car, do what makes YOU happy.

[palosfv3]

Areas ( under dash , floorpans , ect ) that have untouched original paint may not have the same mil thickness of color as exterior panels which can result in a lighter or different shade compared to other areas of the car . This can be even more evident on reds as the current mixing toners tend to be transparent. So much so that the sealer color can affect the appearance of the overall color. As an example if you took a test panel and masked it off in quarters, sprayed each quadrant in as different color of sealer ( tan , light gray, dark gray and red oxide ) and then sprayed the test panel with your red color of choice you would get 4 different shades of red on the test panel . This is due to the transparency of the color film. Solid yellows are even more sensitve to the base color. The color transparency can vary dependent on the brand you are using .

How much does the color vary from a large unfaded color sample of the original color ? Does the color have an orange or blueish cast overall?

[Diseazd]

Would anyone else other than me like to see a picture before they "make the call"?