Vinyl paint colors?

[83cutlasssedan]

I have an opportunity to pick up a mint condition dash for my 83 Cutlass. Only problem is the color is dark blue instead of light blue. Is there anyway you can find the exact color of the dash in my car and a get a spray can made and spray it myself? Or should I just keep looking for one in my color? Thanks

 

[rkain442]

Any good paint shop should have the color charts to match. Take a part the color you are trying to match into the the paint shop so they can adjust the color slightly if they need to. Basically, what you use is semi-gloss acrylic lacquer. Just be sure to wash the part real good with a water based cleaner to remove any water-based contaminates, dry, then wipe down again with rubbing alcohol to remove any oils or silicone to prep it. Dilute your paint 1:1 with lacquer thinner and spray it with a good gun. I think you'll be surprised with the results!!

 

[Blake442]

Call me lazy, but I'd just leave it dark blue.

It won't look out of place with your light blue interior, and it saves all that work...

 

[83cutlasssedan]

It won't look right. The steering column, dash pad and the rest are light blue. Don't want a 2 tone thing going on.

 

[TURNA]

SEM PAINTS!!!

They are great!

Just wash your part very good with dishsoap and water only!!!

Then let dry out in the sun.

Once dry, spray away.

I have never used any type of adhesion promoter and never had a problem with vinyl or plastic.

Believe it or not a good part of the interior is painted with spray can SEM

Don't just go by this chart .... They have more colors

 

[83cutlasssedan]

That paint looks really good. I grabbed that dash today. Is there anyway to find out what color blue I have in my 83 Cutlass? Do you know where I can get a catalogue with paint color samples? Thanks.

 

[TURNA]

That paint looks really good. I grabbed that dash today. Is there anyway to find out what color blue I have in my 83 Cutlass? Do you know where I can get a catalogue with paint color samples? Thanks.

Your best bet would be a 1983 Cutlass sales brochure.

The type you would have got from the dealer showroom.

Maybe someone here has one and the can scan it for you or at least tell you the name of the blue listed in it

 

[83cutlasssedan]

I called sem the other day with my build sheet in hand and according to them there was only two blues for oldsmobile in 83, and only one of those blues went on the g-body cars. That blue is Royal dark blue, and they had it as a 22 code from gm. The paint code on my build sheet is also a 22 code, so I thought I had it nailed. Had a can made up for 28.05$ at the local paint color shop and started spraying. Went on really good, but doesn't look like the right color. It's more of a gray color than blue. So not sure what to do now. Don't know if the paint shop screwed the color up or it's the other color blue sem had. I'll have a look at it again when it dries and in some better light. Any ideas?
Also, the car spent it's first 20 years parked outside all the time. Could the sun have changed the interior color over time? Some parts do look a little green on the old dash.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Absolutely. Find a piece of interior plastic that never sees sunlight and compare. Like a piece covered by moulding. My interior is Regal Blue and it looked like greyish green from the sun. SEM is the holy grail for interior restoration.

 

[83cutlasssedan]

Absolutely. SEM is the holy grail for interior restoration.

You got that right. I went back out there after my senses came back from the paint fumes and had another look. I took one of the speaker covers into my car and compared it to the speaker cover in my car, and they're identical. For what ever reason my dash is a lot darker from the dirt and sun over the years and the speaker covers have stayed pretty much the same. That paint is some awesome stuff...looks like a brand new dash, i'm thrilled. I will be buying another can to do the rest of all the plastic pieces in my car.

I'll have some pictures up when I'm done.