Source for Custom Color Rattle Can Lacquer

[glentre]

My '31 Chrysler stored on a four post lift with a Model A roadster under it leaked brake fluid exactly on the joint between the plastic trays. It dripped on one side of the hood of the A and bubbled the paint down to the bare metal. The A is a driver and not a show car so I'm not looking for a highly professional repaint on the hood. The car was painted in the early 90's and is a yellow lacquer. I need to find a source that can match the current yellow color and furnish it in rattle cans so I can do a reasonable repair on the hood myself.

Would appreciate anyone who could help me find a source.

Glen

 

[like2wheel]

My '31 Chrysler stored on a four post lift with a Model A roadster under it leaked brake fluid exactly on the joint between the plastic trays. It dripped on one side of the hood of the A and bubbled the paint down to the bare metal. The A is a driver and not a show car so I'm not looking for a highly professional repaint on the hood. The car was painted in the early 90's and is a yellow lacquer. I need to find a source that can match the current yellow color and furnish it in rattle cans so I can do a reasonable repair on the hood myself.

Would appreciate anyone who could help me find a source.

Glen

Many automotive paint stores can custom match paint & load it into an aerosol can for you, but lacquer mixing systems have mostly gone the way of the Dodo bird.

 

[firebirdparts]

autocolorlibrary.com still do straight lacquer, far as I know, but color matching with them is probably impossible if you don't know what it was painted with. I could be wrong, though.

 

[y'sguy]

I've had custom spray paint mixed at my local O'Reilly's paint shop. It was decent but not surprisingly cheap for what it is. The paint match on that yellow is going to be marginal at best. YOU will always know it's a touch up.. Just saying.
Oh yeah, I hate DOT 3 brake fluid. DOT 4, won't strip.

 

[FredWanaker]

do you have any of the paint left where there may be numbers on the can as to what the formula was? Does the shop still exist where they may have a record of what it was sprayed with? Otherwise visit your local autobody supply and see what they can do. We have several in town that can mix custom paint, but just be aware most have a minimum paint order size, meaning quart or gallon etc.. Also, does your insurance cover that type damage?

 

[Lassen Forge]

Check with your local PPG supply house... ours would do it, no problem. Be warned, it probably won't come cheap, but it will match the color (tho honestly you wll still need to feather it in), and (at least a year ago) would do straight lacquer. Our local car guys swear by them.

 

[Steve_P]

PPG discontinued producing lacquer years ago as there was almost no demand. I'm sure some shops still have a few colors in a mixing bank, but getting a match will be difficult. I tried a few years ago for a lacquer interior paint and no go- they did have a few colors, but not all that was necessary per the formula.
Enamel is another story though

 

[CraigStu]

I think you are going to have a hard time finding lacquer. There are plenty of body shop supply businesses however that mix paint by code or by color match and put it in rattle cans. I have done it twice in two different states. The color code was done over the phone and they ups'd it to me. The other I removed a door and took it to them. Both also had several primers and clears all in rattle cans. Mine were in the $20-24 range per can. I suspect you may find you are better off painting the whole hood w/ 2 part enamel. Eastwood may have some info for you because you aren't the first guy to have a lacquer car w/ a small paint problem.

 

[Two Speed]

Find a local paint supply with the "color gun", like the PPG above, locally one of the Napa stores is also a paint supplier and have them take a reading on the car. It'll provide the closest match based on its own mixing strategy, and if they guys cool, you can see the info it spits on on the computer and every other color that is in a range to what was scanned (from closest match to spreading out darker/lighter). If you go when its quiet, and you ask to just get the paint scanned you can probably get away without buying anything, then take that paint code and use it with autocolorlibray mentioned a couple posts up.

 

[rburke65]

I would think the color match will be a lot easier than finding the lacquer

 

[428PI]

Oh yeah, I hate DOT 3 brake fluid. DOT 4, won't strip.

Aren't you thinking of Dot 5 that won't strip paint?

 

[glentre]

Thanks very much to all who replied. This confirms my local research that a lacquer match in rattle cans will likely be impossible to find. I should have mentioned that Ford Model A paint codes are well documented and I know the code. Problem is that the car was restored and painted almost 30 years ago and the color would have faded to the point the code paint wouldn't match anyway. As suggested, I'll try to see what Eastwood can do as well as taking the hood off and having the local NAPA body shop paint supplier see if they can match it. That would mean painting the hood with something other than lacquer which looks like the reality of the situation.

Glen

 

[NUTTSGT]

Good luck with your venture. Depending where you live, you might even have trouble getting a older regular enamel as some have made the switch to water based.

It kind of makes Lacquer paint 2 generations of paint ago if that makes sense.