Good morning, does anyone have a suggestion for touching up some minor chipped paint areas on my '57? The colors are 10-black and 60-alcan white. If possible, I'd like to do the touch-ups with a small paint brush. Thanks, David

 

David, you need to go to a local auto body supply shop. They will have a natural UV lamp that they can use to sample the paint on your Oldsmobile and mix up a small tin of touch up paint for you.

 

Thanks Jesse, sorry for my late reply. I had a little trouble finding a local auto paint supplier. Finally asked the body repair shop that I've gone to for many years and they suggested a painters supply store. I called and took paint codes and they mixed up pint sized cans of acrylic enamel in two colors. What I learned in this venture is that base colors are water based and the clear coats are still solvent-based, but this will all likely change in the next few years (maybe 5 years). The anticipation is that environmental restrictions will make it so any paint application will be through a licensed facility and these auto paint suppliers will no longer sell to the public, not to mention the rapid increases in cost of materials and labor. I am sharing this for those of us who may wish to do touch ups or paint a panel, not the whole vehicle.

 

They really needed to mix it based on a scan of your car. The results of using color code numbers are sometimes not accurate for a particular auto.

 

You are absolutely correct. I chose to use the code as they said I'd need to leave the car with them for a few days and I did not have time to do so. The black color was fine and I think GM has used that code for most of half a century. The white was another story and I will need to have it adjusted or remixed. Thanks, David

 

Did your car get repainted recently? If not the paint may be single stage instead of BC/CC.

 

It was repainted more than a dozen years ago and the previous owner could only tell me that it had been repainted. I am going to take the lift up door for gas into the paint supply store to see if they can get a closer match. I suspect it is single stage paint, maybe the paint store can verify this. Thanks, David

 

If you bring in the fuel door they should be able to determine if it's SS or BC/CC. You can test this at home by using polishing compound on the paint. If your rag/applicator comes off with color you know it's SS paint. BC/CC will put a white or colorless film on your rag/applicator.