Some Nice Paint Formulas for Restorers
Some Nice Paint Formulas for
Restorers
For you weekend restoration fanatics, here are some paint
info, paint numbers and formulas I’ve gathered over the years. This
stuff comes in really handy when you’re doing detail work and when
you want things to look correct, original, and fresh:
1. Order 3
things from Eastwood:
a. 1 can of “AlumaBlast.” This
stuff is amazing. It looks EXACTLY like cast aluminum. Even when
you’ve bead-blasted your intake manifold and alternator, and after
you’ve Hotsie’ed your tranny, the aluminum never looks just
like it did when it was new. A light coat of AlumaBlast will make the
parts look exactly as they should – fresh, new aluminum. Good
stuff.
b. 1 can of “Spray Gray.” Again – amazing
stuff. It looks just like cast iron. Use it on your master cylinder,
steering box, tie rod ends, and other parts you want to look just like
fresh cast iron. You can’t do without this stuff.
c. High Temp
Stainless Steel Coating. Brush or spray this onto your exhaust manifolds,
and they’ll look brand new – show quality. The stuff
won’t burn off, and will make your manifolds look brand new for
years. I use it on all exhaust components for a lasting good
look.
2. Ever wondered what to do with your crappy-looking power
brake booster and other cad-plated parts that you don’t want to
spend the $$ and time having re-plated? Here is a lacquer paint that you
can shoot through your paint gun that will give you the greenish-hue
you’ve been looking for. You can even use it on carb parts to
simulate the carb plating. Thin it down 50% with thinner and spray it on
in light coats. Do not clearcoat:
PPG Lacquer, “Sauterne Sage
Poly” DDL #43433
3. How about those silver painted Rally
Wheels? The factory used lacquer, but lacquer on wheels just
doesn’t hold up. You can re-shoot them with some good, catalyzed
Urethane for a very good quality, lasting finish. Here is the info on both
lacquer and enamel for the wheels. This is the correct, factory
color:
PPG Lacquer: “Non-Smudge Aluminum” DDL #8568
(thin 50% with thinner).
PPG Delstar (Mix 8:6:1 Delstar/DTR601
Reducer/DXR80 Catalyst):
“Argent Silver” DAR
#8568
Mixing Formula (1 qt):
DMR 433 416 units
DMR 435 420
units
DXR 495 20 units
DMR 499 160 units
If you want to
prime the wheels first, I recommend using PPG DP40LF Epoxy Primer mixed
2:1 with DP402LF Catalyst. This will give you a bullet-proof
finish.
4. On to the engine. I see guys with nice ‘Vettes
using paint out of a cheap spray can that they bought at the local parts
store. People with nice ‘Vettes who use spray can paint on their
engines should be charged with Vette-abuse, and sentenced to restore Honda
Civics for life. If you want your engine to look perfect, to be the
perfect, correct color, and to have a durable, lasting finish and shine,
you want to shoot it with Delstar catalyzed urethane enamel. Here is the
factory-correct color code and the whole mixing formula:
PPG
Delstar Chevy Engine Orange, DAR #60524 H
Mixing Formula (1 qt,
cummulative):
DMR 400 4.0 units
DMR 405 160.0 units
DMR 464
660 units
DXR 495 680 units
DMR 499 1250 units
Mix the
paint 8:6:1 Delstar/DTR601 Reducer/DXR80 Catalyst and shoot it with a
paint gun. If you have a new engine back from the machine shop and
it’s bare metal, prime the entire engine, block, heads, etc. with
PPG DP40LF Epoxy Primer mixed 2:1 with DP402LF Catalyst. You won’t
believe how good it will look.
As always, contact me if you need
any assistance or if you have any questions.
Here’s another
one for you. This one took a bit of research and color matching
development, so stash this with your restoration files:
The BACK
side of the steel GM Rally Wheels and the rim/bead area was not painted
silver. Rather, the entire back of the wheel and the bead area was
painted an odd light grey color. This color is perfectly matched with the
following Delstar mixing formula. This is the tip-top finishing touch for
a set of perfectly restored Rally Wheels:
Lars’ GM Wheel Back
Color, PPG Delstar (No color code)
Mixing Formula (1 qt) (cumulative
units)
DMR 475 6
DMR 490 106
DMR 400 272
DMR 487
442
DMR 415 447
DMR 476 457
DMR 491 477
DXR 495
497
DMR 499 1000
Mix the Delstar 8:6:1 Delstar/DTR601
Reducer/DXR80 Catalyst and shoot it with a paint gun.