Working on a 1952 Dodge pickup and I need to do some spot repairs on the paint. Of course no one has information on a 1952 paint code. Have tried twice to have a panel scanned to come up with a matching paint; unsuccessful. Any suggestions on how to find a current paint code using an older paint code? Much appreciated.

Wildhare1 wrote:Working on a 1952 Dodge pickup and I need to do some spot repairs on the paint. Of course no one has information on a 1952 paint code. Have tried twice to have a panel scanned to come up with a matching paint; unsuccessful. Any suggestions on how to find a current paint code using an older paint code? Much appreciated.

Any help here: http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedi ... &year=1952

do your research on the paint thats on it now. its most likely synthetic enamel or posibly lacquer. if its enamel, and you spray any modern paint products on it, it's probably going to have a lifting problem.
Jay D.

badsix wrote:do your research on the paint thats on it now. its most likely synthetic enamel or posibly lacquer. if its enamel, and you spray any modern paint products on it, it's probably going to have a lifting problem.
Jay D.

Good point....I'd definitely do a test area at first.

If you're doing work on a 1952 model vehicle then the chances of it having original paint are fairly slim and even if this was the case then the colour would have changed somewhat over the years.

So, your best way of getting a colour match, for "spot repairs" is going to be to eye match.

I have a 1929 Chevrolet in for repairs at the moment. Supposedly the colour is original but we don't know the full history of the car and the paint is in reasonable condition, telling me that it has certainly been redone, at least once, probably a couple of times. For example, the black is definitely Jet Black which is darker and bluer than the blacks used originally. The red doesn't come up in my system as an original colour but I can get a sort of match with the spectro and, from there I've adjusted manually to get a satisfactory match.

Find a paint shop that has someone that can colour match. It may cost you a bit extra, but it's the only way to get the colour right in a case like this.

Wildhare1 wrote: Any suggestions on how to find a current paint code using an older paint code?

Have you tried Tamco Paint?

How about a picture of the paint on the truck?

i have dupont paint books that are older than that, what is year make model of the truck ?

i didn't think about it but i have DuPont color books back in that time, Dulux was the enamel used back then. i don't think i have formulas though.
Jay D.

Thanks for the feedback. Here is a summary of my efforts so far.

The truck underwent a color change roughly twenty years ago from black to green. The paint is for a 1952 Dodge truck, Dark Green. According to the paint can used for the color change the paint used was Sherwin Williams ACRYLYD (acrylic enamel) with a paint code shown as BK 4601. Contacted SW but they could locate their records for this paint code.

Did try paintref.com and found a code for PPG/Ditzler of 40028. Spoke with PPG's archives and was supplied with the formula but the resulting mix did not match well.

Have gone to two local retailers who used scanners with no success.

At this point I have to conclude the current paint is not SW BK 4601 or was and incorrect mix. Also it may be that tint materials have changed in twenty years to result in a slightly different color hue.

Unfortunately in the local area there are limited sources for automotive paint. I would like to find a store or shop that could take a small piece and working with the information I have, mix a good matching paint. I am located in the Richmond, KY area; roughly mid way between Cincinnati, OH and Knoxville, TN.

Sorry for the length of this post. I tried to keep it as brief as possible.