Authentic Exterior Paint Color

[66 C10 383]

This is in reference to the realistic paint shading of the truck.

I have a 1966 C10 which was originally painted the 536 tutone paint, being Dark Aqua Poly and white roof and side trim. Other codes for this shows W83E5142 and also 13184.

I know any paint dealer should be able to mix the paint (like a PPG dealer) or even TCPGlobal shows this paint. I'd like to know how accurate the shading is before I buy it. Is it "close" ... "exact" or not even close ...

The truck isn't ready for paint yet or even drivable but I'm wondering about the paint itself.

I've seen a truck that was claimed to be the 66 Dark Aqua Poly painted with BC/CC but it looked nothing even close to mine. It was a lot darker blue. When I bought my truck the bed was removed and the unfaded rear of the cab between the bed and cab can be seen. Also, the insides of the bed, even being scratched and dented shows the actual color of this paint. I could have the rear of the cab polished & buffed for a truer color representation.

I'd like to have this truck repainted in the actual shade of correct Dark Aqua Poly paint.

I know little about paint work (or bodywork for that matter) so that's why I'm asking here instead of the bodywork section.

I understand it was originally a laquer paint. Would an acrylic enamel mixed using the original paint code be the same shade?

I'd like the paint to be as durable as possible but also accurate shade wise. I've heard the paint color being a 1966 Chevy truck color is a rare color with estimates being 10% as a single color and then even lower being a tutone color.

It's not going to be an exact reproduction restoration but body-wise, especially with the paint, I want it as came from the factory.

[Wikid61]

One sample.

[Wikid61]

https://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorco...20Aqua&rows=50 Another.

[Wikid61]

How close is this example? Also, todays 2 stage will need a primer that will allow your desired shade of this dark aqua. It may be a dark primer. Layers of color (like candy of old) will also effect the end result.

[Wikid61]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16683909209...fabd45598226ed

[Wikid61]

These.

[Wikid61]

Shine up some of your OG paint. Post it here. There may be a close by PPG/ect place that can match it.

[66 C10 383]

I've studied each of these pictures in the past.

All the trucks in these examples look exactly like my color except for the freshly painted blue truck, no camper shell, with the red truck sitting behind it. It's a nice truck but the color just seems "too blue" to be the correct shade.

Here's the "too blue" truck. https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...07&postcount=4

The truck with the camper shell is the truest to what I have.

All my pictures were uploaded to photobucket so I could download them but have since disappeared.

Here some early photobucket pics from my first build thread but the pics are so small and can't be pulled up bigger.
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...28&postcount=9

In this older post, my color looks exactly like this truck. Color looks almost like it flip-flops from blue to green.
https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...7&postcount=17

https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...4&postcount=19

Another good example of my truck color. https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...8&postcount=21

Here's some better pics of my truck.






I've got more pics if needed.

[66 C10 383]

Here's pics of my truck in groups of 5 now that I know how to post pics here.

You can see how the paint changes from blue to greenish depending on the light. I assure you these are the same truck.

[66 C10 383]

[66 C10 383]

And one more set for now. Last pic is my trim tag on the drivers kick panel towards the bottom it says 536 AD It's hard to read but it's there.

[66 C10 383]

I thought I read somewhere these trucks were painted in laquer paint.

According to a factory brochure I ran across for 1966 Series 10 - 80 trucks (dated November 1, 1965) that all GM trucks were painted with "High-Luster Enamel Paint".

So I guess that rules out the question on the laquer paint.

Now, what kind of enamel was it?

[Wikid61]

What is/was the base primer color from GM for your truck? After wiping a good sized area of the rear cab, you need to layer some Maguire's # 7 glaze https://www.harborfreight.com/16-oz-...35d0385fba5d5d After 4-5 layers (2 a day-leave overnight-re-apply) you will have a very good deep wet look & not remove too much paint. Just spread it evenly & firmly (not aggressively) w/a fiber pad wet w/product. Put used pad into ziplock bag to re use next day. This will restore a good luster for nice close up ix. A really good paint guy may hit a home run w/ modern materials, given this 'restored' example.

[HOTFUN]

Re: Authentic Exterior Paint Color
I've studied each of these pictures in the past.

"All the trucks in these examples look exactly like my color except for the freshly painted blue truck, no camper shell, with the red truck sitting behind it. It's a nice truck but the color just seems "too blue" to be the correct shade." Quoted from author of this original post.

I just ran across this post and this truck pictured above with the red 1999 Cummins Ram was restored with almost total nos parts from back in the late 1970's and finished in 1999. As our DuPont rep at the time said they did not have a newly reformulated base clear for this dark metallic blue they had reformulated the 1967 Camaro Tahoe Turquoise metallic paint. in the 1990's I had found some original trucks just like yours and I agree with 30 years of age the original laquer paints were not good samples but were a darker blue metallic on hidden areas such as the firewall and cab back panels. That truck was painted with DuPont base color for that 1967 Chevrolet line "tahoe turquoise and was straight up mixing card mix. No deviations to the metallic or any alternate shades of the formula at that time. The blue color metallic would flop in any different view angle, just as you're eyes are seeing in that photo the dark blue from an indirect angle of the sun in the late afternoon. Just take a close look at both painted(exact same mixed paint) wheels and you can see the true tahoe turquoise greenish blue hue. It probably represents every GM model vehicle with that color code from 1966-1968. Also this truck was base sealed with light gray sealer so if you used black sealer or even dark brown that color is going to get very dark blue in direct sunlight. I should have followed my gut on that truck and built it with a 115" frame and nos fleetside bedsides as the trucks value would have easily doubled or tripled. I traded that truck straight up for a $11000 1995 Tahoe 4 door around 2000 and the GM dealer I traded it to finally sold it at a Kansas City collector car auction around 2001. It was a beautiful restoration with NOS ps and pb GM kits. Factory air conditioned with 283 and powerglide and all panels were NOS GM sheet metal. All NOS Custom Cab upholstery and trim. Even all nos hubcaps.

[Wikid61]

A close one.

[66 C10 383]

It is very close. I've heard that 67 on had a Dark Aqua Poly but the paint codes are different. I had wondered how close they were.

Thanks for that pic.

[bigmoe]

I have a 65 GMC truck paint chip page. 536 is the code they use for two tone Aqua metallic + white. If the truck was just one color of Aqua metallic the code is 511 for the same color.
Also you really can't rely your computer monitor for true color.

[Wikid61]

You (the OG of this post) will have to go to a paint place that has a guy who can do miracles. Using modern material to recreate what YOU see as original shade/color. The paint you still have on the truck is aged. Compared to a OG color chip, its still near 60 years old. Factor in that to what the stores has to factor in. I mean, even a gallon of NOS paint may have changed over the decades.

[350TacoZilla]

I think the main difference was touched on about the primers. It seems like the old paint could be shot over the 3 main color primers (gray-red-black) all on the same truck and would be close to an even shade but now the primer shows through the paint more.