Experience matching 1986 paint Grand Prix White

[49willard]

I just had a minor door ding repaired/painted in base coat/clear coat and the whole car buffed. It looks fantastic except for the newly painted door which has a yellow tint compared to the rest of the car which is original paint. Has anyone had a similar problem? Is the problem related to the basecoat/clearcoat? If you have had good experience what paint type and brand did you use?

[joefrantz]

I've tried to have GPW mixed, by formula, for touch-up and small job work several times, from several sources, without success. There are at least three different formulas for it.

The only way I've had success is via a custom scan of the actual paint on the car, further customized by a guy with a really good eye.

[bhmkv]

Was it a blend within the panel or a touch up?

[Autoban]

My Grand Prix White car doesn't look like it has a clear coat on it. Are you sure the original paint is with a clear coat?

Juergen

[49willard]

Thank you for your responses. The paint was repaired with base coat clear coat. The painter indicated that the door did have clearcoat on it. Perhaps it had been clear coated on the same door in the past. Was Porsche clear coating in 1986?

Joe,
Thanks for sharing your experience matching Grand Prix White, misery likes company!
I have not had good experience with the color scanners.

I do some of my own painting however not in this case, not base coat clear coat and in all cases a whole vehicle. Note that I always buy extra paint for repair/touch up.

[bhmkv]

There would be 3 ways they could have done the repair. If they painted the door edge to edge with no blends to the fender and quarter most people will notice. When possible a good painter would try to blend the paint within the panel. This way there s old and new color. They then reclear the whole panel. This is good to hide paint work. If the repairs were close to an adjacent panel that panel would normally need to be blended.
If the painter just touched up the area anyone would likely notice that.

[sandgroper]

Go on to the paint and body work forum and quiz 962porsche he is a longtime body shop/painter that gives expert advice.

[MattTHEpainter]

White is a pain to match no matter what code it is. Odds are the painter didn't blend the adjacent panels or a spray out to compare to the existing color.

Where was the repair work done on the door?

[GH85Carrera]

The paint was for sure single stage from the factory. Finding a paint shop with the equipment, ability and the will to paint with single stage in 2016 is almost impossible. They all want to use the two stage paint now. It is almost impossible to match single stage and two stage on one car. There are several different paint codes that all come up to Grand Prix White.

I don't know what the answer is. I wish I knew.

[bpu699]

You can't just paint the door. You have to blend over the adjacent panels...

I painted a rear valence on a white car. Computer matched, etc... its a 90% match, at best... As its under the bumber, I can live with it. On a door, not so much...

Single stage and clear coat also look very different...

[ROW911SC]

My SC had a single stage bare metal respray 1 1/2 years ago; I remember looking at the Glasurit 22 Line color samples for GP White provided by the paint shop. There were at least three formulas to choose from: one had a blue tint, the other red, and the third kind of grey. After quite some time looking at the samples both indoors and out, we went with the purest, brightest white in outdoor conditions, which I believe was the red tint.

[Trackrash]

There are a couple of other factors to consider:

Your car's paint could have "faded" from age.

Over the years paint manufactures have had to change what pigments are used due to "environmental" reasons.

Professional painters may not be able to use older types of paint due to EPA restrictions.

A few years ago I tried to buy some matching paint for my car. I had painted it in the '80s with Dupont Centari in '74 GP White. Most auto paint suppliers I went to would no longer mix Centari.
I found a vintage and hotrod paint supplier that would mix Centari. I even had the original can from the '80s. Unfortunately, long story short, the panels I painted recently are not a perfect match.

[75 911s]

Crud. I Didn't realize GP white was such a pain to match. I think part of the issue is that at some point they shot enamel (early cars like mine) and then later switched to the clear coat to provide the gloss. (The two stage everyone is talking about)
I was hoping to get my back quarter resprayed. It's dull and the red primer is starting to show through. One tip, don't shoot red primer on a GP White car!
Though I think ANYTHING would be better than the current section.

[49willard]

Thank you all for your responses. The painter said he blended in the door and then cleared the whole door (old and new paint). The door looks good and if there is both old and new, it is a good match. He buffed the whole car and the significant difference is between the door and the quarter panel (which is original paint). My plan is to try a color camera on both the original quarte and also on the repainted door and compare both to the formula used to repaint the door. Hopefully that will provide some guidance on where to go and either I or the painter that I used will respray in single stage.

[bpu699]

Originally Posted by 49willard

Thank you all for your responses. The painter said he blended in the door and then cleared the whole door (old and new paint). The door looks good and if there is both old and new, it is a good match. He buffed the whole car and the significant difference is between the door and the quarter panel (which is original paint). My plan is to try a color camera on both the original quarte and also on the repainted door and compare both to the formula used to repaint the door. Hopefully that will provide some guidance on where to go and either I or the painter that I used will respray in single stage.

The painter needed to blend the door and adjacent panels... Not just blend the door.... Is that what he did?

[Trackrash]

Why did the painter use two stage paint with a clear coat? Is that what was on the car?

[Gaspassin]

I have had good luck with these guys. Perfect match for my 908 '79 911.

Touch Up Paint and Accessories | AutomotiveTouchup

[49willard]

The door suffered a dent just behind and a little below the drivers side mirror- something fell from above when owned by my sister in law. The painter did all of the blending in the door proper, cleared the door and buffed out the whole car. It is rare for shops today on repairs to use other than basecoat/clearcoat. It sounds like trying to match with the 2 part process on at least my 1986 is not going to end well. I have always resprayed an entire panel/door etc when shooting with single stage be it lacquer, acrylic enamel or urethane. I know that before the advent of the basecoat/clearcut system became popular painters use to blend with single stage. It is just simpler to blend with basecoat/clearcoat.

[rfloz]

If you want the car to be one color all over, you have two choices - paint the whole car. Or, find some one who can match the rest of the car w/ single stage paint.

It can be done. I added a fiberglass duck and rear bumper and the match is perfect. The bad news is this was done 3,000 odd mikes to the east of you.

Try going to local concours and PCA events and asking people who have great paint jobs. Someone will know "that guy."

[pmax]

Originally Posted by 49willard

I just had a minor door ding repaired/painted in base coat/clear coat and the whole car buffed. It looks fantastic except for the newly painted door which has a yellow tint compared to the rest of the car which is original paint. Has anyone had a similar problem? Is the problem related to the basecoat/clearcoat? If you have had good experience what paint type and brand did you use?

GP white is single coat for 86. I wouldn't repaint it with a clear coat if there's a choice.