I'm looking at a 72 chevelle that was painted 16 years ago with Imron Midnight Blue. It's got white stripes and also has a flame on the hood. The seller says the paint is still flawless. I have some questions that perhaps people might be able to assist me with:


1) I don't want the hood flame. If I used the new formula of Imron to repaint the hood only, will there be a color match for both the blue and the white stripes? If not, would there be a noticeable difference?

2) Is stripping Imron paint a difficult thing to do?

3) Is applying Imron a specialty thing and will I have trouble finding someone to repaint that hood?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Dan

Dan here goes..
1. There are many reasons why the color would NOT match, fading of what is there, change in formulas, skill of the guy mixing the paint and on and on. Expect a difference.

2. No, it is "just paint". It is a polyurethane paint just like many others. It was just one of the first of the kind and DuPont did a great marketing job.

3. Most any good painter would do it for you. However, matching the color in another brand may be a better way to go.

Martin,

thanks for your answers. can you clarify what you mean in response #3 about "matching the color in another brand"? Do you mean matching this car's polyurethane paint to a base/clear coat brand? Or just another brand of polyurethane? If the latter, why would I want to use another brand of polyurethane if I can use Imron?

Thanks,

Dan

I am just looking at the fact that Imron is not avaliable everywhere. It takes an Imron only mixing bank and not all DuPont jobbers will have it. If you "widen" you possibilities and use another polyurethane or acyrlic urethane or base coat clear coat system you may have a better chance at getting it done.

If I remember correctly, 16 + years ago Imron was not available in passenger car colors. They had a chip collection, not tied to any specific color codes related to Auto Manufacturers.

At that time, you chose your color off the chip, and the jobber mixed it for you. It was intended for overall refinish only.

Shot many gallons of it on Tow Trucks. Had to use Acrylic enamel for base color to match cab. Imron was used only for accent color, and stripes.

All things considered, it was a pretty good product for the time. It was even more toxic, though, than the catalyzed acrylic enamel available then. Shot it just once without a charcoal mask, sick like dog. This was before supply air systems and shoot suits. Sprayed like enamel, stuck to everything, especially clothes and body hair.

Heed MARTINSR'S advice, find a current chip that is close, blend adjacent panels. Would recommend a good base, clear product.

Karl

Just something I'll add here is that you can tell the difference between bc/cc and single stage on adjacent panels. The clear adds a depth that you just can't get with single stage. Just my .02