Project Del Sol Kammback Dead; New Ideas

[jedi_sol]

Mother nature gave us a windy day yesterday, so i figured, perfect time to tuft test without wasting any gas!

Passenger side: (ignore the top pieces of paper, they were getting stuck on old tape residue, but look how straight the bottom rows are!)


Driver side: (im using strips of shredded paper, not wool strings, so they arent perfectly straight, im more focused on the way they move in the wind)


I also decided to throw on my redesigned kammback on just for the hell of it. I know it doesnt look right, but look at the tufts, they seem to be sailing straight and narrow (except for the ones near the roofline, those were still so its a deadzone of air). What do aero nerds (i say that lovingly) think?

I tried lining it up with the roofline exactly once, but got negative mpg ratings. Seems like this alternate location could work?

[MetroMPG]

I wouldn't equate the roofline starting point with lower MPG. There was probably some other reason you saw that. A smooth, continuous arc (of the correct design) is better than a shape with gaps in it.

[jedi_sol]

Does anybody know if Home Depot or paint stores can computer color match a custom color?

I found an old bottle of touch up paint and wanted to turn that into a quart of regular paint so i can paint match the skirts/wheel covers/any coroplast

[Christ]

Originally Posted by jedi_sol

Does anybody know if Home Depot or paint stores can computer color match a custom color?

I found an old bottle of touch up paint and wanted to turn that into a quart of regular paint so i can paint match the skirts/wheel covers/any coroplast

Lowe's, Home Depot, and most PPG paint centers can match to within a few percent of the exact hue of the color you're asking for, if you have a sample for them. The computer system they use has a much more focused eye than you or I, so if it can't detect the difference, neither will you.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by jedi_sol

Does anybody know if Home Depot or paint stores can computer color match a custom color?

I found an old bottle of touch up paint and wanted to turn that into a quart of regular paint so i can paint match the skirts/wheel covers/any coroplast

It would help if you found your paint color code. In many cars it's on the tire pressure placard, like in the driver's door or fuel tank cover.

[Sulfuric]

I think your modifications will look quite nice once you get it all in the same color . . .
looking forward to the result.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

It would help if you found your paint color code. In many cars it's on the tire pressure placard, like in the driver's door or fuel tank cover.

Not alot of people believe this, but paint color codes don't really mean much to a paint shop. They're there for the use of the factory and the dealer when determining what type of pre-mixed paint to use to touch up "issues" with the original paint, but on average, paint shops and the like don't have access to those paint codes or the exact mixtures they denote, so while the paint code can help them with the name of the color, or perhaps a close approximation of the shade, it's not likely to do much else.

In some cases, you can buy OE paint from a dealer. However, with older vehicles where that color has been discontinued, it's not likely that they'll still stock it, and even more unlikely that they'll release the formulation for the mix.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by Christ

Not alot of people believe this, but paint color codes don't really mean much to a paint shop. They're there for the use of the factory and the dealer when determining what type of pre-mixed paint to use to touch up "issues" with the original paint, but on average, paint shops and the like don't have access to those paint codes or the exact mixtures they denote, so while the paint code can help them with the name of the color, or perhaps a close approximation of the shade, it's not likely to do much else.

The place I got paint for my mods had something like 4-5 fat catalogs with paint codes. In fact, for many codes, including mine, there where a few different samples. This is because paint jobs from different factories were never the same. Once we knew the code we could narrow the choice down to a few samples, so we went out to the car and compared. If you have access to some kind of optical sampling device then that would be even better.

Originally Posted by Christ

In some cases, you can buy OE paint from a dealer. However, with older vehicles where that color has been discontinued, it's not likely that they'll still stock it, and even more unlikely that they'll release the formulation for the mix.

And even less likely that your paint hasn't faded since then...

[Christ]

I mean, yeah, I've used catalogs for paint codes before, and exactly what you experienced is, in fact, the norm for that situation. It really helps, if you're going to get a full repaint, to check in an area that is unlikely to have ever seen the sun, perhaps under a carpet swatch, beneath the back seat bottom, etc.

That will give the closest approximation to the color as it left the factory.

[jedi_sol]

Well, Home Depot's paint matching service didn't quite get it right, it looked a little purplish, and Sherwin Williams wanted $17 for a quart (no sample sizes), which was too much money and too much risk.

BUT, Home Depot did have a Metallic spraypaint that matched almost perfectly!



Money Shot:


At first glance, I think it almost looks stock! After finally washing my car for the first time in over a year, i forget how rich and deep the blue of my car can be, ha. I should have the front wheel covers, front aux light covers, and front grill block done by the end of the weekend!