Fascia painting front and rear color

[coreydmc]

I have painted my front and rear fascia's in the past. I would like to change the color. What DMC owners out there have painted their fascias using a spray paint from a local store? If so what brand and color did you use for the silver and black?

[Michael]

I have long thought the fascias would look better a lighter shade. If I were to choose a color for looks and not accuracy, I would go for a silver, but no so light that it would appear lighter than the stainless. I would Mask the headlight and tailight recesses and keep those the factory gray, but for the outside I would paint the silver color, then score it with sandpaper to give it grain, followed by a satin clear coat to lock in the detail. This would bring the stainless look all the way to the ends of the car.

[coreydmc]

i was thinking of using stainless steel paint. any thoughts?

[DMC3165]

My car has the glossy clear coat on the fascias. I personally like the matte finish better because I think it blends better with the rest of the car.

Having said that it might be a cool custom look with stainless or aluminum colored paint. Worst case you could always do it again

:D

[jawn101]

I have long thought the fascias would look better a lighter shade. If I were to choose a color for looks and not accuracy, I would go for a silver, but no so light that it would appear lighter than the stainless. I would Mask the headlight and tailight recesses and keep those the factory gray, but for the outside I would paint the silver color, then score it with sandpaper to give it grain, followed by a satin clear coat to lock in the detail. This would bring the stainless look all the way to the ends of the car.

Michael -

I can tell you that #2100's fascias were painted a light silver in an attempt to match the stainless. This failed. So what you end up with is a paint job that looks like a failed attempt to color match, instead of the darker "accent" colors. I expect this is why DMCL chose to go with a noticeably darker shade in the first place, to avoid the "bad match" look. I personally am very, very unhappy with how the fascias look and can't wait to get around to having them re-painted properly.

This is the best pic I think I have of my car next to a proper one (I'm in the foreground) - see what I mean about the color?

[Tillsy]

what you end up with is a paint job that looks like a failed attempt to color match
I was about to suggest the same thing. It is hard enough at the best of times to colour match plastic/fibre bumpers to painted metal panels - I can only imagine any attempt to match stainless panels would look like a bad colour match no matter how good a job it is. Sadly your picture demonstrates exactly that :(

Then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder - or my density has brought me to you... something like that ;)

[jawn101]

I was about to suggest the same thing. It is hard enough at the best of times to colour match plastic/fibre bumpers to painted metal panels - I can only imagine any attempt to match stainless panels would look like a bad colour match no matter how good a job it is. Sadly your picture demonstrates exactly that :(

Then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder - or my density has brought me to you... something like that ;)

Lol, she's still a beautiful car, just with bad makeup. Too bad it will cost so much to get her cleaned up :)

She's still my density.

[Kenny_Z]

I always thought the darker ones looked like a bad attempt at matching the stainless. The light ones I thought were just faded.

With today's paint technology you'd think might be easy to get a good shop to mix some paint to match the stainless. It is something I'm going to think about when the time comes for Red.

[jawn101]

I always thought the darker ones looked like a bad attempt at matching the stainless. The light ones I thought were just faded.

With today's paint technology you'd think might be easy to get a good shop to mix some paint to match the stainless. It is something I'm going to think about when the time comes for Red.

I invite anyone who thinks that matching the steel with paint is a good idea to come check out mine. I'll buy you lunch and show you what a bad idea really looks like. But act soon, cause I'm painting those bad boys as soon as I get the chance! :)

[TTait]

Dupli-Color BNS0604 Precision Grey (W40) is a very close match to the original...

I have it on my wife's car. Can try to take a photo of both side by side next weekend.

I tried a brighter silver on a fascia 5 years ago, it was terrible. Its unlikely you will get showroom results with paint from a can, but with minimal experience I got pretty satisfactory results with the Precision Grey.

[Michael]

Well that settles it, this week I am going to get a scrap bumper piece and paint it to see if I can match the stainless grain. I swear I think I can pull it off. I think the key lies in the proper silver selection, I will go with a very fine silver, a touch of blue and black to darken accordingly and a lot of flattening agent in the base(this is to prevent flop....a shifting of color and reflection based on light angle) I will score my primer with 220 so the silver will look grained, sand it as well, then clear coat w/semi gloss.

Maybe I will use multiple techniques on ther same panel and see what produces the best results.

[Ron]

I'm really interested in seeing that...Pics, Pics!!!
I'm wondering how that would look under different light intensity and sources...

Just got done reinforcing my rear fascia and installing heat shields that actually work....;-)
Hope to shoot it later this week.

[Michael]

Just got done reinforcing my rear fascia.....

Ya know, I did the same thing with mine. I noticed that if I scoped down the fascia, I could see the beginning strages of it starting to bow. If I pushed up at the tag location recess, it went away, so I rolled up a piece of closed cell foam, wrapped it with electrical tape and shaped it into a big "hot dog". I then removed the tailights and wedged it into place between the rear bumper and the rear rub strip location(right below the tag mount) which is away from any heat. Now she is back to being straight as an arrow!

[David T]

Just had one done using BASF # MA451.47. It came out looking great. A LOT has to do with how it is mixed and applied. For the black we used PPG # DBL9423. Then used flat clear with gloss added to get the desired result. The guy who did it was an artist (meaning he was very talented in mixing and applying paint). It is also very important how the parts are prepared. Not only does it affect the appearance, it is vital to how long the paint job lasts.
David Teitelbaum

[Ron]

+1...prep is THE key.

We have 3 days between the front and rear removing the old paint and a lot of aluminum angle reinforcement (it had a severe case of the droops due to a PO not shielding it properly (as in at all!) after installing a turbo evidently -- It's all but bomb proof now ;-)

It was all off before, but I'll try to get some during pics tomorrow...

=======

I have a question:
For a while no one could find a direct crossover for modern paint using the original codes. Then it was found that the problem was that they were under PPG "Fleet files" rather than with the other car manufactures...I posted them here (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?349-Paint-Codes), saved from .com, but haven't heard of anyone using them since.
Why isn't everyone using these "PPG- DAU, DBU or particularly the DBC 2000" formulas???

[DMCMW Dave]

IMO the problem with "trying to match the stainless" is that no paint will reflect the same as the stainless under varying lighting. You may be able to get it to match under one light condition, but if you happen to do it on a cludy day it will look wrong in the sun, and differently wrong under artficial light. I've seen quite a few attempts as well and it never seems to work.

Which is, as someone noted, why DMC didn't do it that way although they tried (see the early prototypes!).

[Jimmyvonviggle]

When I painted my front fascias I did it because the car came really badly scuffed up and faded. I knew that I wanted to do a fast touch up, and wanted to paint them on the car.

I also wanted to match the color that appears in current DMC literature (website, postcards and business cards) as being the "correct" color. I bought some spray paint at a local store and after some wet sanding and priming came up with the color you see in the photo.

The picture of my car in the driveway is the morning after picking her up and how she looked originaly.

In retrospect I feel that the color I chose was a little too dark for my taste. I was happy with my masking and cover of the car as I had no overspray. However the quality of finish you get from a spray can is not very good, so you really need a gun to do it properly. But for me it was just a quick fix and I knew I wouldn't achieve a high end result.

[jawn101]

IMO the problem with "trying to match the stainless" is that no paint will reflect the same as the stainless under varying lighting. You may be able to get it to match under one light condition, but if you happen to do it on a cludy day it will look wrong in the sun, and differently wrong under artficial light. I've seen quite a few attempts as well and it never seems to work.

Which is, as someone noted, why DMC didn't do it that way although they tried (see the early prototypes!).

Huge +1 on this. You guys considering doing the stainless match will be very disappointed in the results, scout's honor. :)

Tell ya what, I'll trade your fascias for mine.

[mec]

if you want the original colour then its actually an Alfa Romeo colour...
Grigio Antares Stromboli Met.
Code 651A Variant GE

this is the colour ive had mine done in

hope this helps :)

[Jimmyvonviggle]

if you want the original colour then its actually an Alfa Romeo colour...
Grigio Antares Stromboli Met.
Code 651A Variant GE

this is the colour ive had mine done in

hope this helps :)

Can you snap a pic of your car?

[mec]

yep of course its got my old reg number but here it is...

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/mec_1985/DSCF2086.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/mec_1985/DSCF2087.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/mec_1985/DSCF2085.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/mec_1985/DSCF2083.jpg

[coreydmc]

If I get a spray paint off the shelf somewhere does it have to be bumper paint with flex in it, or can I just go hunting for a nice color and use regular spray paint?

[Jimmyvonviggle]

yep of course its got my old reg number but here it is...

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/mec_1985/DSCF2086.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/mec_1985/DSCF2087.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/mec_1985/DSCF2085.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j239/mec_1985/DSCF2083.jpg

Thanks for the pictures Mike. Your color seems "right" to me . Exactly what I am looking for.

-Barry

[DMC3165]

If I get a spray paint off the shelf somewhere does it have to be bumper paint with flex in it, or can I just go hunting for a nice color and use regular spray paint?

In truth I'm not 100% sure but I would think you would need the primer for a flexible surface. I recently did the black on my fascia and used SEM's flexible surface primer.

If your looking for a spray can option. I would discuss it with a local auto body supply store. There is a chain of supply houses out here on long island and the guys that work there are very helpful and they carry a variety of products.

[David T]

The answer to why shops don't use the exact cross/over #'s is because they get comfortable with the line of products that they know and are used to and are reluctant to use products they aren't familiar with. The other problem is they will have additives and solvents that will only work with the stuff they use every day. The shop is not going to buy a quart of reducer for instance just to spray 1 pint of a color from a different manufacturer. Now shops buy color in as small as pint sizes. It is that expensive and does not store and they can't mix it into anything else to use it up. Bottom line, you have to find a shop where the person doing the work is really talented and has a reputation. It is worth it.
David Teitelbaum

[mec]

if you do use plasticiser or flexable paint, you dont wana use too much otherwise it will loose its adhesive qualities, i dont think that the facias flex that much so normal paint would probably be ok as most paint has got a certain flexability

[mec]

Thanks for the pictures Mike. Your color seems "right" to me . Exactly what I am looking for.

-Barry

glad to be of assistance ! :cool1:

[Kenny_Z]

I don't think the red paint on Red is a flexible paint but it has held up decently over the years. There are spots that look fatigued and have cracked but not as bad as some 30 year old paint.

I don't expect to get a perfect match all the way around but I also don't want the dark fascias. I think Mec's D is about as close as you can get. It matches the stainless very well, I like it. Making note of that paint code, thank you.

[mec]

I don't think the red paint on Red is a flexible paint but it has held up decently over the years. There are spots that look fatigued and have cracked but not as bad as some 30 year old paint.

I don't expect to get a perfect match all the way around but I also don't want the dark fascias. I think Mec's D is about as close as you can get. It matches the stainless very well, I like it. Making note of that paint code, thank you.

Excellent ! glad you like it, also just so you know the GE variant is only applicable if you are using the Standox paint manufacturer, so the main code would just be 651A :)

[jamesrguk]

I used the Alfa colour too and it came up really well, 4 years on and I have a couple of hairline cracks where I pushed on the fascia when moving the car into the garage but aside from that it looks good.

I think with the paint, in rattle cans, and a couple of cans of lacquer to o both fascias cost about £35/$55 all in.

All done over a few days to allow for drying etc... I left the fascias on the car

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/james.grant793/photo_dump/fascia2.jpg

James

[OverlandMan]

I used the Alfa colour too and it came up really well, 4 years on and I have a couple of hairline cracks where I pushed on the fascia when moving the car into the garage but aside from that it looks good.

I think with the paint, in rattle cans, and a couple of cans of lacquer to o both fascias cost about £35/$55 all in.

All done over a few days to allow for drying etc... I left the fascias on the car

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/james.grant793/photo_dump/fascia2.jpg

James

I realize this thread is old and the poster from post #30 does not appear to be an active user BUT I like the result you were able to achieve for less than $60. I'm curious what Alfa rattle-can paint you used. Was it listed earlier in this thread and I missed it somewhere??

Ok I found the code info from page 2 of this thread:

Grigio Antares Stromboli Met.
Code 651A Variant GE

So where can you buy this stuff? A google search yields little.

[Michael]

I realize this thread is old and the poster from post #30 does not appear to be an active user BUT I like the result you were able to achieve for less than $60. I'm curious what Alfa rattle-can paint you used. Was it listed earlier in this thread and I missed it somewhere??

Ok I found the code info from page 2 of this thread:

Grigio Antares Stromboli Met.
Code 651A Variant GE

So where can you buy this stuff? A google search yields little.

I am not about to search through the thread to see if it's been mentioned, but if you are on a budget, SEM makes a bumper coating that looks very nice too. I doubt it would hold up like base/clear, but you could probably get by for 100.00 with paint and materials. It comes in a very wide range of metalliac gray shades in semi gloss finish, so I'm sure you could find a close match.

[OverlandMan]

I am not about to search through the thread to see if it's been mentioned, but if you are on a budget, SEM makes a bumper coating that looks very nice too. I doubt it would hold up like base/clear, but you could probably get by for 100.00 with paint and materials. It comes in a very wide range of metalliac gray shades in semi gloss finish, so I'm sure you could find a close match.

Thanks Michael. I'll check that out too.

[OverlandMan]

For anyone else who may be interested, I found this vendor who can make the Alfa color 651a: http://www.automotivetouchup.com/

I did a few cans of base plus a can or two of clearcoat. I'll post the results on my resto blog in the next week or two.

[delorean928]

Anybody tried or saw completely black front and rear facias? Just asking how it would look :thinkin:

[sdg3205]

Anybody tried or saw completely black front and rear facias? Just asking how it would look :thinkin:

Josh S. has all black fascias IIRC. Looks cool.

[Josh]

Yes sir, I do. I deemed my fascias too warped so I put as little money into them as I could, but still have them somewhat respectable looking. My car was previously red, so they had to be painted. Another user here, "Jack" has the black fascias.

231382313923140

[jamesrguk]

I realize this thread is old and the poster from post #30 does not appear to be an active user BUT I like the result you were able to achieve for less than $60. I'm curious what Alfa rattle-can paint you used. Was it listed earlier in this thread and I missed it somewhere??

Ok I found the code info from page 2 of this thread:

Grigio Antares Stromboli Met.
Code 651A Variant GE

So where can you buy this stuff? A google search yields little.

Any paint shop should be able to mix it for you.

It worked well for me although I will be redoing them both in the spring after, I think 5 years, they now have a few self inflicted hairline cracks, but I still think it's a fun, inexpensive project to do yourself.

James (#30)

[delorean928]

[QUOTE=Josh;126452]Yes sir, I do. I deemed my fascias too warped so I put as little money into them as I could, but still have them somewhat respectable looking. My car was previously red, so they had to be painted. Another user here, "Jack" has the black fascias.

Coool I did'nt think it would be that easy to see a D with black facias. I'm not sure that I prefer that over the grey ones but I like it :smile:

I've undone my front and I'll have to remove the rear one and I'm asking myself what I'll do. I think I'll go for Jeep mineral metallic gray

[Josh]

Coool I did'nt think it would be that easy to see a D with black facias. I'm not sure that I prefer that over the grey ones but I like it :smile:

I've undone my front and I'll have to remove the rear one and I'm asking myself what I'll do. I think I'll go for Jeep mineral metallic gray

Glad I could quickly settle your curiosity!

Good choice. I am going for the stock look one day, when I get a hold of another set of bumpers. Until then, I will have a delorean that is easy to pick out in a group!

[Byrne H&A]

Whatever color/shade you select be sure it is bumper paint as it must be flexible.

[delorean928]

Whatever color/shade you select be sure it is bumper paint as it must be flexible.

Thank's for the advice. I will have a Professional to do the paint. I'm in charge of sanding (almost done at this time) and preparing.

[Jonathan]

I can tell you that #2100's fascias were painted a light silver in an attempt to match the stainless. This failed. So what you end up with is a paint job that looks like a failed attempt to color match, instead of the darker "accent" colors. I expect this is why DMCL chose to go with a noticeably darker shade in the first place, to avoid the "bad match" look. I personally am very, very unhappy with how the fascias look and can't wait to get around to having them re-painted properly.

This is the best pic I think I have of my car next to a proper one (I'm in the foreground) - see what I mean about the color?


IMO the problem with "trying to match the stainless" is that no paint will reflect the same as the stainless under varying lighting. You may be able to get it to match under one light condition, but if you happen to do it on a cludy day it will look wrong in the sun, and differently wrong under artficial light. I've seen quite a few attempts as well and it never seems to work.

Which is, as someone noted, why DMC didn't do it that way although they tried (see the early prototypes!).

I must have missed this thread on the first go around, but seeing as it got revived recently, I thought I'd chime in.

It looks to me like Jon and I had POs that shopped at the same paint store. Or at least had the same taste. Mine are also of the "tried to match the stainless" variety. They look great in some light and el crappo in others.

Dave's bang on with the varying light comment. Here are a couple pics that try to show some of the "technicolour"... oooh, so 80s :)

Thanks to Byrne for pointing out the "bumper paint" requirement. Mine are at least 6+ years old with this paint (longer than I have owned the car anyway) and a couple corners are peeling up. Not sure what type of paint was used, but I'll keep a look out for the better alternative next go around.

2337123372233732337423375

[jawn101]

I must have missed this thread on the first go around, but seeing as it got revived recently, I thought I'd chime in.

It looks to me like Jon and I had POs that shopped at the same paint store. Or at least had the same taste. Mine are also of the "tried to match the stainless" variety. They look great in some light and el crappo in others.

Dave's bang on with the varying light comment. Here are a couple pics that try to show some of the "technicolour"... oooh, so 80s :)

Thanks to Byrne for pointing out the "bumper paint" requirement. Mine are at least 6+ years old with this paint (longer than I have owned the car anyway) and a couple corners are peeling up. Not sure what type of paint was used, but I'll keep a look out for the better alternative next go around.

2337123372233732337423375

Nice!! Yeah, that is dead on what mine looks like. I hate it. I really, really need to bite the bullet and just get the paint done, I have been putting it off for years. I just hate letting some random shop touch my car, which is why I've done everything myself or with other owners.

[papanoel]

[QUOTE=Josh;126452]Yes sir, I do. I deemed my fascias too warped so I put as little money into them as I could, but still have them somewhat respectable looking. My car was previously red, so they had to be painted. Another user here, "Jack" has the black fascias.

Coool I did'nt think it would be that easy to see a D with black facias. I'm not sure that I prefer that over the grey ones but I like it :smile:

I've undone my front and I'll have to remove the rear one and I'm asking myself what I'll do. I think I'll go for Jeep mineral metallic gray

the previous owner of mine painted them a dark metallic color. i think it looks great.2340623407

[delorean928]

Questions, I'm at the final steps before painting my fascias. I must have the black parts painted. Should the black paint be glossy? Is there a specific paint beside beeing flexible for the black pars?
Should I finish with a clear coat over the gray and black?