Crash repair/paint..

[RobCapper]

well - after two and a half years of daily use, someone finally crashed into my +2... and who should it be, but my own Dad! (grrr..) Needless to say, the language from my mouth was more than colourful for 5 minutes!

The fiberglass repair doesn't look too bad, but I'm worried about getting hold of the paint. It's a porsche colour - 'Hellblau Met', code LM52., and the bodyshop fear it may be unattainable...(and they're a pretty specialised and competent lot too)..

Does anyone have any connections within the Porsche Club, or the world of car paint, who knows where I might be able to source this paint (car was resprayed in it during the 80s)....

Many thanks as always..

Rob

[nebogipfel]

Rob,

I wouldn't have thought the colour would be too difficult to obtain. Most colours are readily available with a bit of effort.

Even if the local paint supplier your paintshop uses doesn't have a formula to mix it the paint, the paint companies have records going back many years.

They would have to bother to ring them of course!

Failing that, some paint factors have a machine which examines the existing paint and can then come up with a mixing formula.

It is likely that even with the correct colour a certain amount of fading out will be required to get an acceptable match especially if you are going to panel edges - but that is down to whoever applies the paint

[elans3]

Hi Rob, don't worry too much, any competent repair shop, or paint factor that mix their own on the premises should be able to provide it. It's made into the right colour by mixing specific weights of the constituent pigments, and if the operator is good, he can get it right every time.
I recently had some paint mixed for my original 911 E (1970), and it was spot-on. I did heavily T-cut the car though before I blew the panel in to get rid of fading and other grime in the top layer. Your biggest worry with it being metallic is how much it may have faded / deteriorated over the years, and was the original mix spot-on ? I've had trouble with this too before.
A good guy can even mix to a slightly off colour, but I guess these guys may be few and far between. Only option if you come across the second problem, and can't find a good mixer, is to flat and paint the whole car.
Just checked my book and Hellblau metallic was used throughout the eighties by Porsche, and you should have no problem finding the mixing weights. All you need to do is give a competent on - site mixer the colour code, and he should have (or be able to get from his supplier) a chart showing the constituent weights of pigments.
Good luck

[nebogipfel]

Only option if you come across the second problem, and can't find a good mixer, is to flat and paint the whole car.

Or fade it out - unless the colour is way off of course

[M100]

Try LM5Z not LM52

PPG list it as a 1981/82 Porsche colour

The PPG mix code is P422-1665B

[1964 S1]

What you're looking for is a paint shop that can match the 20+ year old patina/fade/metallic deterioration of a Porsche paint on fiberglass. I suggest something in a semi gloss.

[denicholls2]

Matching the current color is easy. At least here in the US, the matching technology is a hand scanner, about 2x2 inches of flat, colored panel is all you need to bring them. It's portable, so if you bring them the car they can do the job.

Your options really are:

1. Paint it the original color and hope it doesn't take decades to match.

2. Paint it using a scanned match and it will match when you paint it, but probably match less over time due to differential fade in the new and old color.

Given the longevity of a typical Lotus paint job, I'd go for option 2 and not sweat over finding the precise mix (that won't match because it's precise.)