Where to get paint matched for my car?

[J-Rod]

I'm getting an Aero kit for my car and I need to paint it from black to white. I'm going to paint it myself, but I need to find somewhere to match my paint color. (Polar White) Are there any chain stores that will match my paint, local places to Louisville, KY, or websites that sell the paint color?

[euromobile900]

Napa did a great job matching the dark charcoal metallic grey on my c900's front air dam. The paint's quality has been exceptional as well. Granted, I am friends with the paint guy and this may have helped, but they seemed to have quite an extensive paint mixing operation behind the counter. They will also put it in a spray can for you, which I used to think would deliver a low-quality finish, but now I'm convinced it's just as good for small pieces like aero panels as using an air-powered paint gun. One can was about $15 or so. They recommended some sort of plastic-specific adhesion-promoter, which I also used.

[J-Rod]

Awesome! Thank you! How many cans would be needed to do the rear valance, skirts, and front lip?

[euromobile900]

I'd say between two and four, depending on color. I was painting black plastic a metallic grey color, so I didn't need to go thick. If you're painting a light color on a dark colored base, you'll need more to cover up. I also went over with a single coat of clear acrylic enamel to protect from scuffing and chipping. You're going to want to sand the entire kit to a good soft finish with pretty fine sandpaper before painting too. This will aid massively in adhesion and therefore durability, flexibility, and resistance to chips.

[J-Rod]

These will be going from black to white, so I'll probably need 4. What grit sand paper did you use? 2000 or rougher?

[euromobile900]

I think I used about 500 to start, then finished with something approaching 1000. It was all I had in the basement. But the finer the better, of course. Just takes more time. Then soap+water and a good buff with a rag to remove all oils, and a very careful spray.

Regarding Napa's paint mixing: I'd make sure their paint guy has an idea what kind of plastic you're painting. Bring in a panel that has some markings on it (plastic type), if possible.

BTW, any luck on the GM speedo repair? Going to go through with it? If not, send them to me and I'll do it for $100 a piece.

[J-Rod]

Thanks for the advise. I will definitely do that.

And my Suburban actually stopped having the problem. Seems to be working fine, but I still want to fix it some time. Just waiting until I actually have the time to do it! I sent your instructions over to my friend who's Silverado's speedo is pegged to 120 90% of the time and I think he's ordering the part tonight and fixing it this weekend.

[Shazam]

4 cans? What size cans are you talking about?!?! You can paint nearly a whole car with about a gallon! You've lucked out with white, even with the black underneath, white is the easiest color to paint (any typically one of the cheapest colors... red is by FAR the most expensive). Just make sure you do your prep work right (it's 90% of the job), and take your time.

Any autoparts store can normally mix up some paint, but make sure you get a good vibe from the guy mixing your paint. Also, any big paint store can too (got Sherwin Williams down there?), and most people that work there tend to know more about paint than I find at the autoparts places.

[J-Rod]

Cans like this:



I'll have to give Sherwin Williams a call as well. I'm going to send out the money for the kit this week, so hopefully I can get to working on it next weekend.

[Shazam]

Ahhh, I see. Gotta be careful with rattle cans; the tips clog easily and can make your work look horrible. Ask if you can get some extra tips, and if not, just rotate the tips you do have, soaking the used ones in some paint thinner. Never unclog it by sticking something (normally a pin) in the tip. With patience and work, you can get a professional looking job though.

Optimally, if you plan on painting anything more than your aero kit, it helps to get a spray gun. Much easier (once you learn how to get the settings right for what you want, and you can mix the paint/thinner or water right), and it will lay down a more even coat than a rattle can can provide. You can pick up a decent gravity gun for $40-$60 at major hardware stores (Lowes/Home Depot), but a gun does require maintenance, a decent size air compressor to work effectively and is pricey-ier than rattle cans (but paint is typically cheaper).