Where to find Lucerne Blue base coat

[Lew]

Hi everyone,

new to the forum here. I’m restoring a 1970 Tempest GT-37 with 400/400 drivetrain. Anyway, I have searched for days and can’t seem to find any paint manufacturers that will straight up tell you “yeah, we have the Lucerne blue paint that was on your car”.

They all seem to tell me “we can get a close match”. The couple that I got paint samples from look dark to me.

Has anyone else run into this? I’d really like to put the original color back on this car.Suggestions or guidance is greatly appreciated!

 

 

[Frosty]

I find that extraordinary hard to believe. My '72 Lemans Sport was originally Lucerne Blue. I checked the internet -  if you check the paint code on your VIN tag, the paint code should #26. The Fisher Body paint code for Lucerne Blue is WA4069. All the original paint codes from back in the day have know formulas that any paint company should be able to reproduce given the proper OEM paint code.

 

I prefer PPG for factory base/clear colors myself. It is Ditzler PPG 2213.

http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/paintdetail.cgi?ppg=2213

It is also available as:

Dupont : 5190D, 5564, 5327A, 5327L, AF17, 5190, 5190L, 5327, 5327D
Martin Senour : 4509
Sherwin Williams : 3195

 

However, I found this from the Coating Store.

https://shop.thecoatingstore.com/1970-Pontiac-GTO-Lucerne-Blue-Poly-26-Car-Kit-1970-PONTIAC-GTO-26-CKIT.htm

 

Edited February 8, 2019 by Frosty

[Wrongway]

Welcome Lew

 

[Lew]

Thank you for the response. Yes the paint codes you stated are the ones I have been looking for/at. I am usually very good at locating parts and stuff on the internet but the colors I see seem off. The color on the link you sent from thecoatingstore looks darker than what I have found in the door jams etc on my car.

Have you seen this in real light?

Thanks again for the response! A lot of work goes into body work and I want the paint right the first time!

[Frosty]

Well a few things you have to consider. The exterior parts are probably sun faded after 40 years unless they were protected in some fashion (e.g. the inside door covered by the interior door sills), or underneath the rear deck lid. So it is reasonable to expect a freshly painted part to look much brighter than what is on the car now. Second batches of any paint vary slightly, so when your car was painted the batch that was used might have been slightly lighter than normal, thus everything else looks dark to you.

If it possible to take a small, unfaded painted piece with you to the paint store, you can ask them to do a small spray out card and compare it against your part. Take the part and spray out card outside and compare the two.

While my car was born Lucerne Blue, it technically isn't anymore since it has more than the normal amount of metal flake in it. So I take the passenger side door rear view mirror with me to match the paint.

Last thought, are you going to repaint the entire car, including the door jams? If so, as long as you get all your paint at once and mix it all together, and paint the car all at once, no one will see or notice the difference. Obviously you need to be happy with the paint color first.

[Last Indian]

4 hours ago, Lew said:

Thank you for the response. Yes the paint codes you stated are the ones I have been looking for/at. I am usually very good at locating parts and stuff on the internet but the colors I see seem off. The color on the link you sent from thecoatingstore looks darker than what I have found in the door jams etc on my car.

Have you seen this in real light?

Thanks again for the response! A lot of work goes into body work and I want the paint right the first time!

As Frosty indicates paint batches vary slightly, but I doubt that is the problem. Fading or even pigment migration are likely the problem, with one exception! Are you the original owner? From your writing I take it you're not. Which means there is no assurances that the paint is original.

I would suggest you find a shop that has a color gun. They can tell you exactly what the paint is on the car and match it perfectly.

Edited February 8, 2019 by Last Indian

[Lew]

All great input! Thanks guys!

I am the second owner, the first owner bought it new, hardly ever drove it, and never had it painted.

I will take your advise and either take the car or maybe a piece that hasn’t sat in the direct sunlight (like the valance) to a shop and get it matched, or get some spray out cards to compare in direct sunlight.

I am trying to decide if I want to do all the extra work to do the door jams etc. when the paint is so good in those areas. I’ve already used “Chassis Saver” to seal the interior after roughing up the surfaces. Amazingly, the cabin of the car is rust free though the trunk area has some spots that have rust so it will get a new trunk floor.

 

[Wrongway]

Hey Lew, something else to think about is that you will shoot a car differently then I will even with the same color. That's just how it goes. Even if we both spay 3 coats, you may walk your line a bit faster or slower then I do meaning yours will be a shade lighter or darker more then likely. Anytime I paint a car I personally always have a sample mixed up that I can shoot and play with. That way I can see how the color lays out and which way looks the best.