Spray Can Paint Match

[Trickydicky]

I have ordered some Yukon Grey (GR7) spray paint from a well known supplier. Has anyone done any bodywork repairs and used spray cans? If so what's the paint match like?
I have a few repairs to do and my concern is matching the paint.

Thanks in advance.

[dalgrae]

Hi so far I have sprayed both rear wings ,3 door skins the front cheesegrater grille the radiator support panel ,both support trims that run under the doors and various other parts in Empire Green on my series 2 saloon ,no problem at all .I would have no hesitation in doing the whole car if required as the finish /satisfaction from the results is a good feeling.The paint match from the company I use in Bristol is very good , on cost I suppose a full respray looking at TV show prices seems to be £2000 so a few cans to me would be a lot cheaper and also I would have the satisfaction of knowing I did it.I have also sprayed my very old Triumph motorcycle using matched cans and the results were excellent and also a lot cheaper than what companies were quoting

[blues2rock]

I also am a fan of rattle cans, but in fairness to your supplier how good the colour match will be may not be in his control. In the 40+ years since our cars left the factory who knows what refinishing they might have undergone, and if it is an original finish there will be considerable fading.

The guy filling the cans can only mix to the original colour formula. The guy in the bodyshop (with the car there) can mix and tint to get a very close match.

If you do get a problem you could always take a sample (glovebox lid if it's a good match to the exterior body) a local supplier and get them to mix it and fill your cans.

[Trickydicky]

I understand the point that the paint may be a shade different due to time and other variables, I should have also stated that my main concern was that I didn't want to start bodywork repairs and end up making a pigs ear of it due to shade differences.
I have the paint now so I am going to spray a sheet of metal to compare any difference. If needs be then my only other option is to as you say, take a glove box cover and get it matched.

Thanks Guys.

[tysonn]

Well as you're in Yorkshire I can guarantee you won't have to pay even half the £2000 that the chap in Bristol mentioned for a respray.From your post I suspect you're not wanting a complete respray anyway?I would ask about locally for a proper paint shop who will get a proper paint match.Rattle cans are an expensive way to get a bad colour match,a poor paint finish and an amateurish looking job.I know two or three good paint shops here (Scarborough) so only sixty miles away.
Mick

[Trickydicky]

Nope it's not a major respray job, I just need 3" inches up of the offside wing at the bottom of the drivers door doing and a portion of the curve around the near side rear screen (the bit where the water collects on top of the rubber) but the screen needs to come out to do it.
Sometimes the small tidy up jobs end up snowballing and this one has the potential for that due to the paint match.......
If the test panel does not match then the only options are to have some mixed up or take it to a paint shop.
Cheers

[kennatt]

The biggest problem you will have is blending the edge of the new paint into the old,even if you have an exact match.there will always be a visible line which needs careful flatting out.Its why bodyshops are reluctant to do spot repair,they will only do a whole panel,its quicker in the end without all the blending in to do. But good luck

[chickenjohn]

You could be in a situation where the paint you have is the correct shade but the car was painted in a different colour/ shade or has faded.

Unless you spray the whole car some compromise is necessary.

[dalgrae]

How can you call my work amateurish and of poor quality Tyson when you have never actually seen any of my work ,both of my bikes and my car when taken to events have never been called any of these,yet another case of this club forum negative comments brigade

[tysonn]

I didnt refer to "your work" in any shape or form!How could I when as you say I know nothing about you!I wasnt referring to you either for the same reasons!I was telling it like it is.Spray cans are not the way to go for what the OP wanted doing(IN MY OPINION).

[kennatt]

How can you call my work amateurish and of poor quality Tyson when you have never actually seen any of my work ,both of my bikes and my car when taken to events have never been called any of these,yet another case of this club forum negative comments brigade

come on guys calm down,I don't think tyson was being negative its just a fact that most,I'll say again, most ,can resprays look c@@@p,but I have seen some fairly decent ones,the guy next to me did a wing,and it was perfectly acceptable,but it took three or four small cans and lots of cutting back,I did offer to spray it for him but he wanted to try himself ,so each to their own.

[bmcecosse]

I have used rattle cans from Bull Motif with great success! I also have a spray gun etc - but for quick jobs the rattle cans are easier and work well. Always spray on a warm/dry day - and pre-warm the can in a bucket of hot water. The final shade can be influenced slightly by using different colour primer - light grey or dark 'red oxide' - or even a thin coat of matt white or black... Blending edges can be tricky - but not impossible. Practice makes perfect!

[chickenjohn]

-snip-.Rattle cans are an expensive way to get a bad colour match,a poor paint finish and an amateurish looking job.I know two or three good paint shops here (Scarborough) so only sixty miles away.
Mick

Not true at all, it is perfectly possible with good prep and attention to detail and skill in the application of paint to get an excellent result from spray cans especially now with the modern cans with the "spray gun type pattern" nozzles. It is possible to get a much better finish than from a mediocre and cheap professional job if they are doing it on the cheap and therefore putting as little time as possible into the job.

And the paints from the well known Minor suppliers are a very good match to the original colours.

[Trickydicky]

Thanks everyone for your input, after spraying a piece of sheet steel with 1 coat of upol etch primer and 5 coats of grey upol primer and then with 5 coats of Yukon Grey cellulose, the match although slightly lighter and considering the car was sprayed in 1995 is very good and I am happy to start the repairs.
I just did not want the repairs to stand out like a sore thumb and spoil the look of the car. If that had been the case then I would have had no option but to have the repairs done in a paint shop who would have matched the paint better.

Thanks again.

[tysonn]

"And the paints from the well known Minor suppliers are a very good match to the original colours."

Exactly yes.A good match to the original colours.If the colour has been on for 40 years plus its a different story.Anyway we're all just giving our own opinion aren't we?And the OP seems to have got his answer.

[bmcecosse]

If you think the final match is a bit light - then use a darker undercoat, or a thin matt black coat before spraying the colour. It's also possible that the respray in 95 wasn't a perfect match for Dove Grey.....