Body kit and matching paint

PorscheGAL · PorscheGAL's Garage

Gents,

I am looking at replacing the spoiler and bumper on the 930 with a fiberglass kit. My car is GP white.

To those you have body kits, did you blend the paint on the bottom half of your car to ensure the newly painted spoiler and bumper matched?

Paint blending make sense except I have never read a discussion on it when body kits are discussed. I'm nervous that without blending the paint the parts will "look off" in color.

Ken911 · 11-14-2011, 01:51 PM

Painted the whole car. make sure you use the very best clear coat possible. mine was painted in 2006 and the clear coat started to go a couple months ago. Just outside of the 5 year manufacturers warranty. so when it gets redone I will do it myself so I can ensure the paint i paid for was what was actually used on the car.

PorscheGAL · PorscheGAL's Garage

Ken911,

Did you feel that it was necessary to paint the whole car to match the body kit or because the car needed a whole paint job?

My current paint is very nice and it just seems a shame to paint the whole car.

Ken911 · 11-14-2011, 04:19 PM

well mine needed it and honestly yours is white which doesnt show defects as easy and alsways looks great. Thing is if you do decide to reclear every thing use the very best one possible. but mine had been wrecked, a new rearend welded on the then a crappy repaint. i then turned it into a slant nose which meant the whole thing needed painted anyway. The car looked flawless when done. But 5 years of driving it to work every day and the florida sun have already killed the clear coat. My neighbor who is an autobody instructor at a local technical school told me the clear coat most likely went on too thin and the product used wasnt necessarily what i paid for. I requested good quality ppg urethane but he told me they have several different grades and the waranty on it is only 5 years anyway.

onboost · 11-15-2011, 03:48 PM

PorscheGal..

Your car is white.. that's usually the easiest color to match.. I would not get into a blend to match the paint on that car. A good shop should be able to "shoot" a match. Metallics, reds, etc are a different story and even then. For parts that are being added/bolted on.. you be fine with GP white.

WANNA930 · 11-15-2011, 09:32 PM

If a competent shop is painting just the bumpers the match should be close enough not to touch any other panels. Just look at about any car on the road today and you will see from the factory a slight mismatch. It is also exaggerated with certain bumpers.

You blend base color not clear. So in order to blend the color that entire panel requires to be cleared end to end. You now have to R&I everything on the panel, add excessive paint thickness, increase the odds for defects, etc.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that black and white are so called easy colors. There are as many variations as with any other color. Actually metallics are easier to blend as blending additives play with the flake and it gives a better chance of a good blend if that is what was needed. With a solid color it is on or off with no in between.

With all the break offs with bellows and moldings you should b fine.

As for clear coats just because a shop uses PPG or Glasurit doesn't mean they are using their reducers, hardeners, etc. There are so many knock offs that are 1/2 the cost. That said the biggest Clear failures are in CA and Fla as they just bake. Then there is the guy who can't read the can and his partner who over cuts and buffs the paint.

onboost · 11-16-2011, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WANNA930

One of the biggest misconceptions is that black and white are so called easy colors. There are as many variations as with any other color. Actually metallics are easier to blend as blending additives play with the flake and it gives a better chance of a good blend if that is what was needed. With a solid color it is on or off with no in between.

I wouldn't say that's a misconception. However, it is widely known that there are variations of within these two colors.. the mix per color code for a specific year is what can sometime vary. In other words, although its Grand Prix white, the formula may be different for an 84 as opposed to an 89.. thus have both the year and the correct color-code are important.

Further, I would disagree that metallics are easier to match or blend as there are more variables at play. Formula can vary between paint manufacturers as well as the differences as noted above. Spray pattern and pressures play a role as do mixing of pigments.. Have you ever seen a silver car that looks shadowy? Or the pattern of the metallic looks grainier that what is on the car r vise versa?

A current example is a Petrol Blue Porsche that was painted in 05, has seen little use, and is always garaged.. an extended whale tail and aero mirrors are being added. The firs shop has the paint so far off its pathetic. They supposedly used the correct formula, year, and paint line.. yet match is off as the parts exhibit more of a blue hue and clearly paint on the car has more green in it.

Again, with a competent shop you should have no issue with your paint match.. as Wanna930 said previously most vehicles have a slight mismatch from the factory.. hmmm, not to mention the number of new cars that get touched-up at port from shipping damage!