Paint Meter Readings

[speedster911]

Need help from the paint meter experts.

What is the correct range meter readings to indicate OEM paint?

Example: front hood meter #s range from 4.3 -5.7

Doors (both) range from 4.4 at the top center of door to 6.4/6.5 at the rear edges

Rear quarters: 3.6 - 5.2

MY1994 if that makes a difference, no physical indications of paintwork. Thank you

[asphaltgambler]

Anything above 4.5 seems high to me. You'd think by '94 their paint process would be completely automated and would be fairly consistent throughout

[Marine Blue]

964’s tend to range from 3.5 up to 6.0 so the measurements you’re citing are close to normal ranges. 964’s were still hand painted for the most part and the paint isn’t nearly as consistent as the 993 and later cars.

Having said that, a good paint/restoration shop can get pretty close to similar readings if they’re good. Look for tape lines, overspray, misaligned panels and trim that doesn’t fit correctly for hints of previous respray and or body damage. If you have difficulty finding any of these then its likely original and or restored well enough that it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s also a good idea to look at the undercarriage and inside the wheels wells for clues of previous damage and or paintwork.

[ChrisHamilton]

Originally Posted by Marine Blue

964’s tend to range from 3.5 up to 6.0 so the measurements you’re citing are close to normal ranges. 964’s were still hand painted for the most part and the paint isn’t nearly as consistent as the 993 and later cars.

Having said that, a good paint/restoration shop can get pretty close to similar readings if they’re good. Look for tape lines, overspray, misaligned panels and trim that doesn’t fit correctly for hints of previous respray and or body damage. If you have difficulty finding any of these then its likely original and or restored well enough that it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s also a good idea to look at the undercarriage and inside the wheels wells for clues of previous damage and or paintwork.

If it's been repainted correctly it's not about millage. Refinish done right, strip to bare metal, epoxy primer as your base,millage is immaterial. Especially when a car is primed, blocked, re-primed, blocked, and so on to get it mirror straight, you will have millage. Put 6 coats of high solids clear on a car and then sand it and buff it, you will have millage. Low millage equals low quality(thin clear) IMO when talking about a quality refinish job.
A paint meter is useful in verifying original paint and it is useful in finding areas with excessive filler. It does not measure quality.

[Marine Blue]

Originally Posted by ChrisHamilton

If it's been repainted correctly it's not about millage. Refinish done right, strip to bare metal, epoxy primer as your base,millage is immaterial. Especially when a car is primed, blocked, re-primed, blocked, and so on to get it mirror straight, you will have millage. Put 6 coats of high solids clear on a car and then sand it and buff it, you will have millage. Low millage equals low quality(thin clear) IMO when talking about a quality refinish job.
A paint meter is useful in verifying original paint and it is useful in finding areas with excessive filler. It does not measure quality.

My point was that if its a respray that is difficult to detect and done to high standards then it shouldn’t be a negative factor on the cars quality. I’ve seen resprays that fall within the factory thickness and look excellent. Without knowing the process I can’t comment on how it was done but again finish, depth and match were excellent.

A large percentage of 964’s lead neglected lives and it seems a large percentage have had paint work of some type. Some to high standards, others not so much.

[88911coupe]

I was just at an event here with PCA at Park Place Porsche and they were showcasing a ground up restoration on a 993. The guy who did it is part of the Porsche program to showcase dealers who are offering this insane level of restoration. He was a WEALTH of knowledge. Anyway, one of the things he said was the way they did paint on the air-cooled cars resulted in substantial variations in paint thickness. He said it can lead people to believe a car has been repainted when in had not. I don't recall the details of WHY it varies but he really seemed to have a detailed knowledge of the process. BTW, the 993 looked like new. I can't imagine the cost!

[speedster911]

Thanks everyone for your input. Regarding the car, I believe its original paint as the bar code is still on rear bumper license plate area and no visible tape lines, all gaps look factory.

Regarding Bar codes: should there be factory bar codes on doors or door jams, front trunk or hood?. Can anyone provide an accurate listing as to their location

[tholyoak]

Not sure if it carries to the 964, but here are the TSB pages for locations when the practice was introduced.