Frame Paint Color Comparison

[Mark D]

I'm in the middle of some frame rust cleanup and I bought a few different paints to try and match the stock frame color:

Krylon Smoke Gray
Krylon Classic Gray
Rustoleum Smoke Gray

Here are the results compared to a chip of stock frame epoxy. I took photos in both the sun and the shade and I'd say the Rustoleum Smoke Gray matches best. Just thought I'd share :-)

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13255&d=1347831157
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13256&d=1347831169
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13257&d=1347831184
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13258&d=1347831200
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13259&d=1347831213
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13260&d=1347831224
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13261&d=1347831237
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13262&d=1347831248
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13263&d=1347831260
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13264&d=1347831271
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13265&d=1347831282
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13266&d=1347831293
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13267&d=1347831308
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13268&d=1347831319

[deloumis]

Nice, very helpful. I will be needing to do some touch up this coming up week so this is very helpful and saves me time in guessing the right color.

[Dangermouse]

We're all frames painted the same color at the factory?

[deloumis]

We're all frames painted the same color at the factory?

Hope so

[Nicholas R]

I absolutely positively 100% swear by the color match of the Rustoleum grey. I've never found another paint that matches so perfectly. I've done lots of frame repair and cleanup with POR-15 and KBS Rust Seal and I ALWAYS do a top coat with Rustoleum grey. You're supposed to apply a topcoat to POR-15 anyway because of its lack of resistance to UV but even if it didn't I'd cover it with Rustoleum grey.

I've tried every Krylon grey out there and never been satisfied with the match. It's always plainly obvious. Rustoleum grey, you'll never know where it is and is not.

[WelmoedJ]

For you information:
I repainted my frame using a can and roller, no spray paint (too thin a layer).
The most closest colour also depends on where you took the chip of paint for matching.

Mind that paint gets lighter over the years due to effects of a.o. sunlight.
I had my chip of a section next to the fuel tank (almost no external light affecting the colour).

The closest colour I could find matching my chip is RAL 7042

Hope this is of help to you.

[Mark D]

I absolutely positively 100% swear by the color match of the Rustoleum grey. I've never found another paint that matches so perfectly. I've done lots of frame repair and cleanup with POR-15 and KBS Rust Seal and I ALWAYS do a top coat with Rustoleum grey. You're supposed to apply a topcoat to POR-15 anyway because of its lack of resistance to UV but even if it didn't I'd cover it with Rustoleum grey.

I've tried every Krylon grey out there and never been satisfied with the match. It's always plainly obvious. Rustoleum grey, you'll never know where it is and is not.

I finished up some painting the other day and I have to say I agree completely. The Rustoleum Smoke Grey is as perfect of a match as I could hope for. Other than the finish being a little glossy compared to the dulled epoxy it's very difficult to tell which areas have been repainted and which are stock. When taking photos there was more of a difference in color due to shadows and lighting differences than the actual paint color.

Here is an example where the lighting was pretty even over the whole area. Can you tell what spots were painted?
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13941&d=1349794057
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The area boxed in by red has been painted.
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13940&d=1349794055


One other thing to note is that if the stock epoxy is discolored then the color difference will be more obvious. I used Simple Grean degreaser and some Mr Clean magic erasers to remove the yellowing and dirt. For really bad areas with rust staining I used a brown scotch brite pad and wet sanded with the simple green. After rinsing and drying then I used some turtle wax rubbing compound to bring back a little shine.

Once the frame expoxy is back to its original color the rustoleum is a perfect match. With the cooler temperatures here lately it took 3-4 days for it to cure nice and hard though. It does an excellent job of covering the primer with one light coat.... I did apply a second wet coat so there was no orange peel.

Overall the process was really time consuming to get from rusted metal and flaked epoxy back to a stock look. Here was the method I followed:

-Use a flat screw driver to remove obvious flaking/loose epoxy.
-Degrease with Simple Green, wipe dry.
-Scrub discolored areas with magic eraser and more simple green.
-Scuff with scotch brite pad where needed, rinse.
-Buff dulled areas with turtle wax.

At this point everything is clean but there is still rust. Cleaning does a good job of helping to distinguish areas that were just stained vs cracked/rusty and it's much easier to see the small perforations in the epoxy.

From there I used air powered disc sanders w/ 100 grit sand paper to remove rust and feather the epoxy out around the rusty areas so everything was smooth. I also did a second round of lifting and scraping off any loose epoxy that was now more visible on the clean frame.

Once everything was sanded rust free the next steps were:

-Final degreasing with POR Marine Clean (dilluted 3:1 with water), rinse well.
-POR Metal Ready on bare metal. (Keep wet for 20 minutes to etch the clean metal), rinse well
-Let dry really well over night to be sure there is no moisture
-2 to 3 thin coats of POR15...Painting too heavily will result in trapped bubbles as the POR cures and outgasses CO2.

Before the final coat of POR cures you can dust on a layer of primer or top coat, but I decided to let everything cure solid to prevent trapped bubbles.

After the POR15 cured:

-Scuff painted areas and the surrounding epoxy with red scotch brite pad.
-Degrease and remove dust with marine clean, rinse well and let dry completely.
-Apply two coats of POR self etch primer. It's designed to stick to POR 15 after it has cured.

The self etch primer dries really quickly but will lay down smooth if you use thin coats and work fast. This paint also dries really hard like the POR15 and can be built up a little thicker in areas to blend any hard edges and achieve that dipped look the rest of the frame has.

Once the primer is dry:

-Mask the frame with painters tape and newspaper
-Spray Rustoleum Smoke Gray over primer and blend into the surrounding epoxy. It only takes a few minutes to dry between coats so added a few extra coats in any areas where I could see brush strokes from the primer.
-Let cure for several days
-Remove paint masking

Here are a few more pics.

As you can see I had a leaky brake master that dripped fluid and ate through the epoxy.
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13947&d=1349799795


After degreasing and some sanding
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13949&d=1349799796


Sand blasted
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13950&d=1349799797


After metal ready...it leaves a whitish yellow coating of zinc phosphate.
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13951&d=1349799798


After POR-15 and primer
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13952&d=1349799799
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13953&d=1349799800


Rustoleum
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13954&d=1349799801

[Dangermouse]

This reminds me of the scene in Red Dwarf where Rimmer has the Scutters repaint the entire ships interior from Ocean Grey to Military Grey. "Something that should've been done a long time ago".

Or was it the other way around......

[pezzonovante88]

Nice job! Thanks for posting this. I have a few edges in the rear area of my car that are starting to show a little surface rust.

[DMC3165]

POR-15 now comes in a grey color. Last time I did some touchup work I used magnet paints grey to cover the bare steel. It is a simalar product to POR-15 but is made for industril applications such as heavy truck chassis and industrial structures. Howecer over time the color dulled and it's obvious what was repaired and what wasn't. Next time I do any work I'll be using the grey POR-15 and I'll see how that looks. I may cover the old areas I repaired with the krylon smoke grey as that color is a dead ringer for the epoxy finish.

[Mark D]

I used POR15 gray on all my repairs above, then covered with primer for better adhesion for the rustoleum to stick...I must have missed that photo in the POR15 painted stage. I've attached it below.

As you can see the POR gray is quite a bit darker than the stock frame color, but that actually helps make it obvious which areas you've painted.

To clarify, the layers of paint I used were

POR15 Gray (2-3 coats)
POR Self Etching Primer (2 coats)
Rustoleum Smoke Gray (2 coats)

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13959&d=1349878508

[sdg3205]

Does anyone have the paint code from the can of Rustoleum grey? I want to make sure I get the correct one.

Cheers!

[john 05141]

I never understood the light grey color. It is so visible from the rear of the car and it gets dirty anyway.
If I had do redo the whole frame I'd use dark grey or black.

Jan

[Mark D]

The rustoleum color shown above 7786830 is Smoke Gray. It should be in stock at pretty much every walmart and hardware store across the country. Or you can buy on amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-7786830-Stops-Spray-Gloss/dp/B0009XEKBI

[Bitsyncmaster]

I never understood the light grey color. It is so visible from the rear of the car and it gets dirty anyway.
If I had do redo the whole frame I'd use dark grey or black.

Jan

Agree. I have black undercoating and even spayed the new aluminum heat shield with it.

[sdg3205]

The rustoleum color shown above 7786830 is Smoke Gray. It should be in stock at pretty much every walmart and hardware store across the country. Or you can buy on amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-7786830-Stops-Spray-Gloss/dp/B0009XEKBI

Thanks Mark!

[sdg3205]

Turns out the Rust-oleum smoke gray is non existent in Canada.

I tried:

Canadian tire
Rona
Home Depot
Lordco
Independent paint shops

Looks like amazon is happening.

Cheers

[pezzonovante88]

Turns out the Rust-oleum smoke gray is non existent in Canada.

I tried:

Canadian tire
Rona
Home Depot
Lordco
Independent paint shops

Looks like amazon is happening.

Cheers

Urghh. This always happens. I'm going to be buying this soon, too.

[Mark D]

That's a bummer you couldn't find it locally in Canada...good thing Amazon is there as a backup plan. Seems kinda strange nobody up there stocks it....maybe saving room on the shelf for maple syrup? :tongue2:

[David T]

I think I used Krylon Smoke Grey. It was an almost perfect match. If you have to paint bare metal you should use a good primer first and sand (feather) the edge so the repair is invisible.
David Teitelbaum

[sdg3205]

I think I used Krylon Smoke Grey. It was an almost perfect match. If you have to paint bare metal you should use a good primer first and sand (feather) the edge so the repair is invisible.
David Teitelbaum

I'm using POR 15 gray under it. Should look nice.

[David T]

POR 15 is good because it is supposed to neutralize any rust and prevent it from spreading and it is thick so you don't have to feather the edges as much. It is supposed to be covered with a top coat so it doesn't matter if it isn't a good color match. They say you can paint it right over rust, just knock off any loose materiel. I still like to remove as much of the rust as I can so I am down to good, shiny metal. POR 15 also doesn't dry smooth (it doesn't flow). You might want to sand it smooth after it dries and before painting over it.
David Teitelbaum

[sdg3205]

POR 15 is good because it is supposed to neutralize any rust and prevent it from spreading and it is thick so you don't have to feather the edges as much. It is supposed to be covered with a top coat so it doesn't matter if it isn't a good color match. They say you can paint it right over rust, just knock off any loose materiel. I still like to remove as much of the rust as I can so I am down to good, shiny metal. POR 15 also doesn't dry smooth (it doesn't flow). You might want to sand it smooth after it dries and before painting over it.
David Teitelbaum

Totally!

The biggest patch was only about 4 inches by 3 inches and exists inside where the fuel tank sits. It's like being in a fort while I'm under the car sitting up in that space scrapping away loose epoxy and doing the prep work.

Too bad no one will ever see it.

[pezzonovante88]

Has anyone ever tried Krylon Pewter Gray? I was at the hardware store today and it looked like it would be a very close match.
Note: Rustoleum Smoke Gray is not available here in Canada.

[1batt4u]

I will be painting my frame also. It is a clean frame, just needs to be freshened up.

I will touch up the small rust spots with POR-15 silver that I have. Spray the frame Rust-oleum smoke gray. Is that good enough or spray a clear coat over it?

[1batt4u]

Few questions:

1. What is the paint code for can instead of spray can?

2. After cleaning and scuffing the frame, just paint right on it, no primer?

3. Any top coats, clear coats?

[1batt4u]

Bump!

[1batt4u]

Anyone?

I just need these few simple question that I am not sure of answered:

1. What is the paint code for can instead of spray can?

2. After cleaning and scuffing the frame, just paint right on it, no primer?

3. Any top coats, clear coats?

[sdg3205]

Anyone?

I just need these few simple question that I am not sure of answered:

1. What is the paint code for can instead of spray can?

2. After cleaning and scuffing the frame, just paint right on it, no primer?

3. Any top coats, clear coats?

Hey billy,

I'd love to help but I would only have suggestions, not factual answers. I was not aware they made a can. Did you check their website?

I'd use POR15 underneath. It's thick and durable and holds paint well

A contaminant proof clear coat would be great if it exists. After my refurb, brake master leaked all over a few weeks of hard work and required some touch ups.

[Mark D]

Rustoleum Smoke Gray:
Spray: 7886830
Quart: 7786502
Half Pint: 7786730

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=24

I've only used the spray can version (see pics in first post) so I can't comment on the color match of the canned liquid paint. I would assume that it's the same, but I can't say for sure.

To repair frame rust the method I used was:
Degrease
Rinse
Sand to bare metal w/ 120 grit sanding discs
Degrease
Rinse
Metal Ready
POR 15
Scuff with red scotch brite
Rinse
POR Self Etching Primer
Rustoleum Smoke Gray

In the areas I knew I'd be getting overspray with the rustoleum I scuffed the epoxy with a red scotch brite pad to help improve adhesion. I haven't had my car out on the road yet since I've painted the frame (still assembling the rest of the car) so I'm not sure how well it holds up. My guess is the paint from a can will hold up better than spray. I'm planning on probably having to touch up spots in the future since I sprayed everything.

I didn't use clear coat.



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.
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Also, in your POR-15 instructions it says you don't need to prime over the top of it before top coating if you dust on a super light coat of your top coat while the POR15 is curing. I was having issues with the POR 15 bubbling as it cured so I opted to let it cure fully, then scuff, then prime, then top coat.

If you're top coating with a brush you'll probably want to use the POR self etch primer. Most other paint will not stick well to POR-15 even if the cured surface is scuffed.

[1batt4u]

Thank you for all the info!!!

The only spots that need full sanding down and por-15 is right where the clutch is. Seems the old one dripped fluid all over the frame there, caused it to bubble and peel right off.

The rest of the frame is in great shape, just seems worn/dirty. I'm gonna use red scotch brite pad to scuff it and paint the frame.

As far as painting over por-15, when I painted certain engine parts, I por-15 in silver and just topped coated it with high temp clear coat from dupli-color. Holds on real good. I guess as the por-15 is drying, right before it is dry to paint over it.

[Mark D]

If your original epoxy is just dirty and discolored you may be better off cleaning it than painting over the top. I used simple green degreaser and a Mr. Clean magic erasers and that got out years of grime and staining. The epoxy is much stronger than a thin coat of paint so if you can restore the epoxy's outer finish it should last a long time.

Here are a couple before/after pics of the difference a good cleaning can make. The last pic shows where I scrubbed in a circle with the Mr. Clean pad so you can see the color difference.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18450&d=1366666766

[1batt4u]

So I bought the spray paint, Rustoleum Smoke Gray 7786830 and did a test spray.

1853018531

[WelmoedJ]

I'm a bit puzzled over the fact that every time the frame colour comes up, the question is "matches this (company) colour (company paint number) the actual paint colour of the D.

It shouldn't be a matter of which paint colour of which company is the exact/most exact for our car.

The only importantant figure is the RAL colour of the original frame.
RAL is an international standard for paint colours and is used for at least over 80 years.
I do not know the exact date of introduction, but the year is 1927, in Germany, starting with 40 colours.
Nowadays there are over 210 colours in the system.

This implies that each paint manufacturers or reseller is able to provide you with the right colour from his assortment, using the correct RAL number.

As I have mentioned in a previous reply, the RAL number I used for my frame is RAL 7042 which is a shade lighter than the old paint.
Using the RAL system, perfectionists will obviously be able to pinpoint the exact RAL number using this universal colour table.

Perhaps James E could find that correct RAL number in the original factory papers and provide it to the community.
That would end this recurring colour questions once and for all.

[Mark D]

So I bought the spray paint, Rustoleum Smoke Gray 7786830 and did a test spray.

1853018531

If you scrub away all the yellow grime on your fuel tank closing plate you will find that the color underneath matches your spot of fresh gray spray paint.

Here is my fuel tank closing plate as an example. I cleaned it with simple green degreaser and a red scotch brite pad:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18535&d=1366910641
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18536&d=1366910904
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18537&d=1366910911
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18538&d=1366910918
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18539&d=1366910924

[Mark D]

I'm a bit puzzled over the fact that every time the frame colour comes up, the question is "matches this (company) colour (company paint number) the actual paint colour of the D.

It shouldn't be a matter of which paint colour of which company is the exact/most exact for our car.

The only importantant figure is the RAL colour of the original frame.
RAL is an international standard for paint colours and is used for at least over 80 years.
I do not know the exact date of introduction, but the year is 1927, in Germany, starting with 40 colours.
Nowadays there are over 210 colours in the system.

This implies that each paint manufacturers or reseller is able to provide you with the right colour from his assortment, using the correct RAL number.

As I have mentioned in a previous reply, the RAL number I used for my frame is RAL 7042 which is a shade lighter than the old paint.
Using the RAL system, perfectionists will obviously be able to pinpoint the exact RAL number using this universal colour table.

Perhaps James E could find that correct RAL number in the original factory papers and provide it to the community.
That would end this recurring colour questions once and for all.


It would be nice to know the official RAL number that matches the stock frame color, but I don't know how useful it would be here in the US. If you walked into a Home Depot here and asked the guy stocking the shelves for some gray spray paint RAL code XXXX he'd stare at you like you were speaking gibberish and tell you 'we've got rustoleum this and krylon that.'

There are places online that will sell you a can of spray paint to RAL matched colors, but they're 40 bucks a can. Some hardware stores will also do custom cans but they're expensive and usually want a sample to match to instead of a paint code. It's much more useful here to know that the standard rustoleum gray stocked at every walmart in the US is a near perfect match.

[Morpheus]

I'm readying my frame for suspension upgrades and this thread has invaluable information. Shameless bump for ease of reference. :nana1:

[Mark D]

Glad it was useful, what a trip down memory lane to read through this thread again.:thumbup:

[JAZ_DMC]

I'm readying my frame for suspension upgrades and this thread has invaluable information. Shameless bump for ease of reference. :nana1:

Me too. Two years later. Great reference in this thread.

[Mark D]

:thumbup:

Seven years later and my frame still looks really nice. I bet if I wiped off some of the road grime that has collected on the surface it would look as good as new. Overall I'm really impressed with how the POR w/ rustoleum top coat is holding up.

Next time I'm under my car I'll try to remember to take some pictures and post them here for comparison.

[JAZ_DMC]

:thumbup:

Seven years later and my frame still looks really nice. I bet if I wiped off some of the road grime that has collected on the surface it would look as good as new. Overall I'm really impressed with how the POR w/ rustoleum top coat is holding up.

Next time I'm under my car I'll try to remember to take some pictures and post them here for comparison.

Awesome. Thanks for the update! Would definitely be interested in seeing current day pictures.

[Mark D]

Awesome. Thanks for the update! Would definitely be interested in seeing current day pictures.

I took a few pictures this spring when I was flushing the brakes so I'll see if I got any good shots showing that same frame area on the LH front.