Color Help

[Misled]

Not sure if anyone here can help with this questio or not, but.......

A friend of mine has a powdercoat shop and can get custom colors if he can send them a chip or the paint codes. I'm not sure they can use the GM color codes.

I remember hearing paint store guys using some number formulation to mix paint based on a reading they get from a "proffitt meter" (I think that's what they called it) Somehow these numbers gave them some sort of universal numbering system for the mix of the primary colors or so I am assuming.

Anyway, I don't have a chip to show them or any non-faded body panels that could be scanned. The color I'm looking for is a 1978 Chevy red called Cardinal Red I believe.

Does that make sense to anyone?!?!?!?!

Thanks a bunch in advance!!!

Barry

[terryj]

I thought that Cardinal Red was a fairly new paint from GM.
Most of the reds from the 78 pickup lines were "red" code 70 and Red Metallic code 71.
If the paint in question is the truck in your Avatar, then I'd say Red Metallic.

[Misled]

According to the brochure I have there was "Cardinal Red" and "Red Metallic"

As I remember my parent's Chevy Sport (the avatar) it was very red, but not metallic at all. The 1978 I bought to restore seems to have the same color.

(I did see the Cardinal Red in the newer vehicles like the Equinox, but it does seems metallic or more pearl)

[Prong]

Try 73L. That's what is listed on my 79's SPID as being cardinal red.

[AuggieStyle]

http://www.tcpglobal.com/aclchip.asp...truck-pg01.jpg

When your PPG distributor uses the prophet to measure the color of paint on your vehicle. They are searching for the match in omni or dbc or shop line If you give them the vehicle and year and they try to search they won't find it because their system is looking for urethane paint brands in 1978 your truck Was probably painted in acrylic

This site always helps me with restorations if you want that color but in today's urethane paints you will have to use the paint stores color chip book or color map
Posted via Mobile Device

[Misled]

OK, that makes sense.....maybe if I buy one of those chip sheets the powder company can replicate it......

Thank you!!!

[Keith Seymore]

I'm not going to be much help, but I am going to try anyway:

1) When I started in 1979 we were painting "high solids enamel". If you go with acrylic make sure you use acrylic enamel (rather that acrylic urethane). Also - when I redid my '87 I used base coat/clear coat in the original color (which I think was a good move). It mimics the original shade but has a lot more gloss, is easier to take care of and (I trust) is going to be a lot more durable.

2) Don't trust your memory in terms of colors. You will be surprised how far you can be off, especially as you get older.

3) Don't go by the "noun name". The different marketing divisions have different names for the same color. Remember "Hugger Orange" on a Chevy was the same as "Carousel Red" on a Pontiac.

4) AutocolorLibrary shows a code "70" but just calls it "red". It appears to be the only true red they show for full size trucks.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/aclchip.asp...truck-pg01.jpg

K