Paint code and tips repainting car

[DirtyWhite77]

Hi guys my cars about three colors right now and whether I like it or not now would be a great time to paint it. I was gonna wait to get the rest of the car in better condition but that’s all coming along. I have two old undented doors I’m gonna swap on after I get the last set of hinges painted, I’ve got the floor cleaned up and am welding floorboards now, both bumpers need to come of soon so I can adjust them back on right, the hoods gotta come off so I can fix the shaker not sealing, I got a new trunk lid in the works and the front/rear glass needs actually installed since I don’t have any window trim right now. So to me it would make LESS sense to disassemble/reassemble now then paint later than it would to just get the paint out of the way now.

I worked in a paint shop years ago. I have a tiny bit of time shooting and a lot of time cleaning taping and buffing.. I’m planning on using a single stage black, I assume that’s what would have come on these cars in 77. I have some old body parts I’ll end up spraying to make sure I’ve got the gun adjusted right.

Can anyone point me toward a usable paint code for what gm used on these cars back in the day? I can find those graphs online but I can’t use any of those numbers to find anything for sale. Does anyone have a manufacturer preference for a walk in or online customer? TCP global seems to list a lot of paint online. A couple oreillys around here have paint mixing sections but I wouldn’t trust them or their system to figure out the specific color I’m wanting. They have a hard enough time finding brakes or wheel bearings. If I could find a code you guys think they could use though I could bring that in and have it mixed but I don’t trust them to find the color themselves. There’s also a sherwin Williams automotive nearby I could use. I have no experience with them.


My car was originally white. In the early 90’s it was very poorly painted black over the top of all the white. Now the roof and sides are peeling bad and there’s rust on the surface of the roof. The quarter panel and rockers all seem in good condition I’ve gone over them different ways many times but it’s possible they are destroyed I’ll fix them if they are. The floors aren’t that bad but there is some rust in them.


I think that with some complete repaints it’s possible to sand the original color coat really deeply but still leave it on and then shoot over this with new paint. I don’t remember about putting more primer down first, or having to strip off all the old color.

I’m assuming that with the at least two whole layers of paint and the surface rust in the roof I need to bring the whole car down to bare/almost bare metal correct? What will I get to in the bumpers to know I’m where I need to be without sanding to far?  I have a sand blaster and an air sander.
After I get the old paint off I’ll need to block the body lines/bumper lines a little before I prime it right? Then I would finish it off in whatever grit my primer wants and spray the primer, let it set how it instructs.
Then I’d need to block the primer again to re establish good body lines before finishing the primer how my color coat instructs.
Then set about to spraying the color coat. After that buffing and polishing.


Does anyone that knows what they are doing have any tips or advice about my process? I know how to block and sand a little. Enough to do on my time for my projects.

[Wallington]

The paint codes are all available and within easy reach of anyone searching, but they do not transfer into anything currently used. I wouldn't worry too much if still attempting the work yourself, start with the basics. Perhaps black isn't the best colour to attempt if the bodywork or paint isn't up to the standards you'd be able take in public. Surface rust? Yes, that's on the metal, not between paint layers. Perhaps work panel by panel so it doesn't get out of hand or overwhelming.

[DirtyWhite77]

Hmmm that’s disappointing. In my search I found tons of different shades of black, but I have no idea how a 77 would look in person. I’m really just trying to mimic that. So would the factory shade be a deep glossy black?


I’d probably strip and paint both sides of the hood first, this is after sanding a couple old fenders I have down and playing with the gun on those a little. After that I would do the front fenders off the car, then the doors off, then the trunk. If all that goes well I’d pull the old dented doors off the car and get the door jambs and floor. After that I’d get the exterior of the body. I’m not worried about the underside or the inside of the trunk for now.

Like I said before I have a little experience in a paint shop, as long as I don’t find rust in the quarters or rockers I think I’ll be okay as long as I block it a couple of times. If it comes down to reinstalling the quarters or rockers or there’s bondo all over it under the paint I’ll pay a local shop to get it ready for paint for me.

[Wallington]

Starlight Black when compared to others was a very dark brown-tinged black. And simply black when not. It wasn't particularly deep as it was still a production line paint that had to get out the door.

[FormTA]

PPG DCC 9300 is a commonly used black for these cars. It's what's I used on mine. Is it 100% correct, probably not, does it look great, yes. It is a single stage paint and it's tougher to get swirls and buffing marks out of than a base clear paint in my opinion. I would go base clear if it it will be a daily driver as I think it might be easier to keep clean. I had to buff my car again as it got some rain on it and it etched the paint with water marks. Now, I didn't have a coat of wax on it when that happened and have since added a insulator wax with hopes it will keep the paint from collecting debris and water marks.

[roadking77]

2017-11-09_12-05-10 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Luke, your car looks great!  For a comparison here is my car done with BC/CC. I got the paint from Summit, just plain ole black.  I did all of the work myself, paint was relatively cheap. Been on there for 6 years and still looks great.

You sound like you know the basics (which is about all I know) so I wont go there. IF it were me (and it was at one time) I would sand to bare metal, just to see whats there if nothing else. Then epoxy, body work, 2k primer, sealer and final paint. I too was going to go single stage not having any experience with bc/cc. I did all of the jamb work, hidden stuff etc with single. It all came out nice. I had enough confidence to do the rest in bc/cc which following the directions to a T was pretty easy.

I have a local mom n pop type auto shop that also sells paint. They are very helpful and will answer any questions I have. I get my clear coat, and tools, sand paper, fillers etc. from them. It would be nice if you had one of these in your area.

As for the paint codes, Wallington is correct, they do not translate to modern paint. Code 19 was starlight black.  I used Automotive Touch Up in New Orleans for paint for my TATA, it matched original perfect. They have paint codes to match just about anything. They sell from touch up sticks to gallons.

Like Lukes car, is mine a perfect match to original, I highly doubt it, but honestly to me black is black.

I would not blast the bumpers, easy way to ruin them. I have heard that soda blasting is ok but I would be nervous of that too. I hand stripped mine and used a power sander very easy. Its easy to ruin those in a hurry and they are not easy to find in good shape.  I was told that most modern paints have a built in flex agent so what you use on the car should be good for there too, just check with the guy selling you the paint.

Good luck,

[firebirdparts]

Black is 19, and if you tell them 1977 Pontiac 19, they'll have a formula for that.  That's a very common color.  The look of different paints is a lot different, though.  If you go single stage it'll look more or less original.

  TCP global is a good place to get a look at original paint chips, but I don't know if any of their paint is good enough quality to paint a car.  I ordered some lacquer from them and it didn't seem that good to me, considering it's stored indoors in the cold dark under a cover.

Here's a GM (not PPG) color sheet from the shop manual.  Ditzler is PPG, and R-M is now part of BASF.  But sherwin-williams auto or Wanda or anybody else probably will be able to mix starlight black. 

[DirtyWhite77]

1977 c19 starlight black. Got it. I’ll probably go through sherwin Williams, we have a mom and pop everything except for a paint shop. But SW should be able to help me get some products designed to work together.


The pics are very helpful too. I’m set on SS because I like the look. I think it’s really cool. I’ll definitely need a good wax for it when it’s all said and done. I need to get some stuff in order before I can start pulling the car apart. In the mean time I’m gonna try to find the paint. I’ll update this thread when I find the paint. 


THANK YOU GUYS! The pics and the clear easy to follow info is a life saver!