I just got my 1941 Chevy Master Deluxe out of storage and getting it ready for my 2nd Summer with it. Really enjoyed it for the first year, and I've been working hard to get it into terrific condition.
I'm having a mystery with the paint colours and since I have some minor rust work to do on the doors, I need to try to match the paint as close as possible. A previous owner (at least 3 owners ago) painted it in a 1941 Pontiac Silver Streak two-tone colour pattern, but I am having a hard time figuring out what paint to order. It looks like they used a laquer-based paint, and my intention is to paint with a single-stage enamel.
I believe the lower has the original colour, or at least close to the original colour. I believe it to be Ruby Maroon (code 290, 300). But that code translates to at least 5 different paint manufacturers from that time period. I do note a bit of metallic in both the upper and lower colours, so the closest I can find for it is DUCO: 202-33042-M and DULUX: 181-21354-M. But I don't know if this colour is indeed Ruby Maroon.
The upper colour is also a puzzler. I believe it should appear in a 1941 Pontiac Silver Streak, but as yet I have not been able to determine the name or code for that colour. I like the two-tone and would like to keep it, especially since someone had the entire interior reupholstered to match, and it's really nice stitching work and beautiful material that someone used (so I don't want to ruin that, even though it's technically not the exact original material).
Here is a photo to a 1941 Pontiac Silver Streak showing the same paint scheme. I expect this was the inspiration for my '41 Chevy:
Can anyone help me solve what either of these colours might be? Paint codes or colour names would be extremely helpful since, as I mentioned, these colours do not scan due to their slight metallic component.
Ruby Maroon was very metallic and it was a bronze metallic not silver. Pontiac and Chevrolet shared many colors. I believe the Pontiac picturd is a Chevrolrt (top) colors also and is Banner Beige. If the color I see of your 1941 is true to life it is too pink for any GM color.
Just to confirm - you think that Pontiac is showing Banner Beige as the top colour? I am confused because that colour looks very pink to me and Banner Beige is well... Beige. That Pontiac also shows the same pink on the lower quarter-panel as a highlight colour too, and there it also looks quite pink. Did you scroll to other pictures at that link? The first one is a bit washed out because of the sunlight directly on the top of the Pontiac.
As for my Chevy, the one thing I noticed when I first saw the car in pictures was it looked quite pink. In person I would say it's more of a "salmon" though - almost identical to how the Pontiac looks in the photo. When I saw the car in person I thought it was a very nice "pink" though I did not recognize the colour except for a faint memory of a Silver Streak that I had seen in years past. This leads to my theory that someone who owned it previously was trying to emulate the Pontiac's two-tone look.
You should take a look at the Autocolor Library (autocolorlibrary.com). You can find original color charts for nearly all classic vehicles. I have used the library several times, ordered paint from them, and have been very satisfied. From my research, their color match is very accurate in respect to the original colors.
Yes, that resource is terrific, but the core of the issue for me is resolving what exactly the two colours on my car are, and I am not sure one of them is original. The lower does appear to be Ruby Maroon, and so that's the first one I will try. The upper is what has me stumped... even a couple colour names/codes as a starting point might help. I do note that there is metallic in that upper colour as well if that provides any additional clues.
My recommendation is to take the door to a good auto paint shop and have them analyze the colors.
That is the best way I know that you will get a decent match. I would be very surprised if you could get a reasonable match even if you knew the original paint name and formula.
Remember that paints fade and change color over time. And a formulation using the old formula with today's paint chemistry will probably look different.
Plus it will be easier to repair and repaint the door with it off the car. You can put it in a position where working on it is easier. And you will not have to mask off the whole car when you paint the door.
Hey Otrex... I noticed that you're up here in Canada, which could be why there some confusion as to your paint colours. Is your car a Canadian built car? If it is, I have a list of the data plate codes for Canadian built '41's. All of our colours are different from American built cars. I'm near you, so PM me a phone number if you want...
Those accustomed to the finest...find it in Chevrolet. 1953 Belair Convertible 1951 2dr Deluxe Sedan 2015 GMC SLE 4X4
I wonder if that upper color is supposed to be Santone Beige? Attached is a picture from the 1941 Pontiac paint color(lower picture) with the Santone Beige next to a wine color and a 1942 Chevrolet paint color(upper picture) with Santone Beige next to maroon. I feel the santone beige has somewhat of a pink hue to it
1942 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan 1942 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Cabriolet Daryl B.
My recommendation is to take the door to a good auto paint shop and have them analyze the colors.
That is the best way I know that you will get a decent match. I would be very surprised if you could get a reasonable match even if you knew the original paint name and formula.
Remember that paints fade and change color over time. And a formulation using the old formula with today's paint chemistry will probably look different.
Plus it will be easier to repair and repaint the door with it off the car. You can put it in a position where working on it is easier. And you will not have to mask off the whole car when you paint the door.
Thank you - yes, I have previously attempted to have it scanned, with horrible results. The metallic in both colours made the machine report terrible matches. For example, the scanner reports a number from 1 to 10 with a 1 being a perfect match, or at least that's how they explained the process. In the end, the scanner reported a "14", and the fellow said that in his decade using the scanner he has never seen higher than an 8.
The lower number scanned back as a 6, so unlikely to be a match. The technician felt that it would not be scannable because of the metallic content.
I'm going to try again though... with a different scanner.
Hey Otrex... I noticed that you're up here in Canada, which could be why there some confusion as to your paint colours. Is your car a Canadian built car? If it is, I have a list of the data plate codes for Canadian built '41's. All of our colours are different from American built cars. I'm near you, so PM me a phone number if you want...
I thought it was a Canadian-built car too, but it turns out to be from Colorado. Unsure of the place of manufacture although it would be unusual for a car of this type to be built in Canada, then sent to the US, and then sent back again, or so I would think. The VIN reported here in Canada is not the correct VIN, I am certain. I think the VIN for this car is under the passenger-side carpet? I have looked at the plate under the hood and it confirms the car was originally "290" which refers to that same red, but I don't know for certain that's what is on mine as this paint looks around 20 years old at most.
I wonder if that upper color is supposed to be Santone Beige? Attached is a picture from the 1941 Pontiac paint color(lower picture) with the Santone Beige next to a wine color and a 1942 Chevrolet paint color(upper picture) with Santone Beige next to maroon. I feel the santone beige has somewhat of a pink hue to it
Hmm, that is interesting. I'll take a closer look at that colour. Fortunately my father has painted cars for 40+ years, so he may just have a paint chip sample of that in his library.
Maroon was a popular color in 1941. If the car was not garaged the primer would be showing through in four or five years. Very few still had their oringinal paint after a few years,.
Well, I'm pleased to report the lower colour has been "solved" more or less. My father was unable to determine the exact colour and so used his experience to hand mix a VERY close match which he used to paint over the repairs to the lower part of the doors and then blend up into the older paint. It is extremely close - other than the nicer finish you would be hard-pressed to see any difference unless someone pointed it out to you. Still, it doesn't tell me exactly what that colour was, but at least it is better for now. It is fortunate that he has both the experience and a paint booth to achieve those results.
The mystery of the upper colour remains, but we're getting some good thoughts here in this thread. I have a feeling it would be a harder colour to hand mix if we cannot find a good match.
