colour code

[bcsparky]

Hi everyone, I'm newer to early model restorations. Im looking to return my 1948 P15 special deluxe back to factory original colour. It's a canadian built car and on the engine firewall it says it has a colour code of 4002. I've been unable to find anything so far and was wondering if anyone has any ideas, or has found the codes for the canadian built models, as the build cards are only available for the american built models.

[dpollo]

That is a Canadian colour code all right.   However, many colours prior to 49 were impossible to match exactly because of a major change in the mixing colours and pigments.   Your best bet is to have the paint mixed with modern pigments.  Auto paint suppliers can spectrograph the old finish, come up with a near match then adjust to suit.   Old time painters could do this by eye !

My colour book starts in  1949 with color 4100  New Brunswick Blue       wish I could be of more help but I still think it is best to go foe a near match using modern pigments.    Also, it is very difficult to make a choice using the samples found in colour books.  The samples are too small and I have seen some vile choices made this way.  Better to look at complete cars  noting the year and make  or better yet have a look at the code.

[bcsparky]

Thanks you, that's actually very helpful. I was wondering why I couldn't find anything. Ill take it to a paint shop and get it spectrographed like you suggested.

Thank you for your help. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

the advice above is dead on on dealing with pigments and resins no longer available....are you painting this car yourself?  I ask for some painters like to stick with their system/brand and if you have a preferrable shop chosen, ask them what system/brand they are comfortable with.  May head off headaches in the future to ask early in the project.

[BobT-47P15]

There are some US Plymouth color chip sheets for sale on eBay currently.......but I don't know if the

US and Canadian colors were different.  But these charts are good only for reference since, as was

just said above, the codes are not now workable.   

[dpollo]

For some demented reason-- long forgotten, Chrysler Canada's codes and colours were different from US colors.  Just for your info,   Mexico Red, a color used on convertibles 49-52  has an exact match in 1977 Chrysler   Claret Red and Cruiser Maroon can be found in a very close match in 1970 Ford commercial colours.  It also appears that Sea Foam green ( also found 49 to 52)  has reappeared on recent Fiat 500s .  Using a modern formula and keeping a record of it will be a big help if a repair needs to be made.

Edited June 9, 2017 by dpollo
punctuation

[T120]

The 1948 Chrysler Canada colour code 4002 was called, "Tuxedo Blue"

[dpollo]

Tuxedo Blue is a close match to Oshawa Blue which may be  a GM colour of that era,  It is a very dark blue which can be mixed using Centari  2 parts 725A and 1 part 724A/  I am not sure if these Dupont numbers are still viable but this was essentially 2 parts black, 1 part blue. ( the ratio may be reversed, it has been a long time.)

[Dan Hiebert]

Actually, you can still use the original color codes, in a fashion.  In addition to the spectrograph, any good auto paint shop or store can use the original paint code to formulate a batch of paint for you.  BUT, as with the spectrograph method, modern paints are simply engineered differently than those of 50 or so years ago and will appear different.  There will be some exact matches, but that is rare.  I've always used NAPA stores that have automotive paint departments, and I've always liked the results. 

[Desotodav]

I have been reading this topic with interest as I was searching the internet for a reference to color codes just the other day.

Is it possible that Canadian color codes may have made their way to Australia?... and is there a way of deciphering the color code from the small data plate fitted to our vehicles here?

I have attached a photo of the color data plate fitted to my 52 DeSoto truck here in Oz (truck built in Canada but assembled in Oz). I believe that the color is 'Waterway Blue'. My research only found small pieces of information/suggestions from other vehicle makes. Is it possible that the 'DC' at the start of that plate number may stand for Duco, '51' may possibly be the paint color year, and 'U' is maybe a reference for acrylic paint (or something?), and the final number could be the paint code # ? Does that make sense to you in the know?... or can you point me to somewhere where I might research some more?

My curiosity of paint codes arose when I was reading a Facebook post recently and the owner posted a photo of the paint code tag from his 52 Dodge truck (also built in Canada but assembled in Oz)... photo of his tag attached also. Both his truck year and the paint code show similarities to mine.

[dpollo]

Canadian trucks that I have owned did not have such a tag however they did have a tag with similar hole spacing which had a number.This was found on the firewall on the driver's side .  An identical tag was attached to the left front corner of the box where it could neither be read nor removed while the box was in place.  I did not reattach these when I restored my Fargo  partly because they have nothing to do with the serial number for registration purposes .    I think I will dig them out and see if they match any paint codes.

[Desotodav]

5 hours ago, dpollo said:

Canadian trucks that I have owned did not have such a tag however they did have a tag with similar hole spacing which had a number.This was found on the firewall on the driver's side .  An identical tag was attached to the left front corner of the box where it could neither be read nor removed while the box was in place.  I did not reattach these when I restored my Fargo  partly because they have nothing to do with the serial number for registration purposes .    I think I will dig them out and see if they match any paint codes.

I'd be interested to see what your paint codes are like.

Some of the other paint tags which I have seen here in Oz seem to four digits then a dash and another 4 digits... 'XXXX - XXXX'

Edited June 10, 2017 by Desotodav

[dpollo]

During the  late 40s and early 50s the  Chrysler paint code was 4 digits  which then could be crossed with a paint supplier's code.

The vehicle body tag would be .... say 4154... you would then go to a colour book and cross that number to   a Dulux Number, in this case

  DU-4  Opal Grey .   ( DU was  Dupont  .   Duco was the trade name for lacquers.  Dulux was enamel )  

  U S codes were different   for example  321 which was stenciled on the firewall and could be  translated into RM # 49D32G  Andante Green      ( RM would have been the paint supplier  )

Other 4 digit codes would translate into two tone combinations.

and that is about all I know other than the same colour could be known by a different name the next year or even from make to make. I found it fascinating that any number of names were given to the same formulation of Black and some would argue that one was a better black than the others.