Anyone know old paint codes?

So I want to get the bed of my 85 painted, and the previous owner re did the front half he said he painted it a factory ford blue from that time frame. Anyone know what that would have been called? He said it was a duplicolor code in a book. I'm having issues figuring out what that would be. Not the trucks original color so the sticker isn't useful.



The top of the cab and whatever you call the area with the rain vents cowl area I guess I'm just gonna paint a gloss black and clear it. Taking the trim lines moulding off the bed and just want to make it blue to match the front and tarp the whole cab to make spraying it easy. Just cant figure out what color I'm dealing with to even go try and get paint mixed.



I know it was a color though as I've found 85s with it on Google images

Have you tried searching for that year paint codes?.....

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Yeah but nothing really looks right to me.

https://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/colour_swatch_ford_usa_1985

The closest thing I've found is "bahama blue" which has a few different paint codes which concerns me.. 3T, 6, DT8602, I, M5004A, MR and I feel like it looks a little too dark when I look up the paint itself.



To me, grabber blue looks a lot closer but that wasn't a thing back then.

https://www.iagclassics.com/carpages/1965-Ford-Mustang-CV-Blue-For-Sale.html

That for sure from the add is grabber blue. I just don't want to have to paint the front again, part of the reason I'm painting the top of the cab and around the back window black is to avoid the two paints having to "mesh" side by side without something to visually separate the two paints in case they aren't perfectly matched.

Why don't you take it by a body shop and see if you can get them to use their paint chip books to match the color. then you'll have your paint code.

I'd second the paint/body shop they would have thousands of colors n codes maybe a uplosther or how ever u spell it shop might as well

From my 1987 shop manuals 'Pre Delivery' section. This is likely the same as 86 but I'm not sure. 1987 was a design change year.

Exterior Paint Color Codes

F 150-350: 34 Light Regatta Blue
7B Shadow Blue Metallic

Bronco: 34 Light Regatta Blue
7B Shadow Blue Metallic


E 150-350: 3J Light Regatta Blue Metallic
34 Light Regatta Blue

Here is a Blue color from a larger truck: F600: 3T Bahama Blue

Don't trust the tints that you see on your computer monitor (or other electronic device) to try to match colors because, at least with computer monitors, there is a broad range of color settings, hues, etc. so the chances of you seeing the actual true tint on your monitor is pretty slim.

You should drive the truck to an automotive paint dealer and try to match the color with their color tags.

BrianX128 said:

Yeah but nothing really looks right to me.

https://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/colour_swatch_ford_usa_1985

The closest thing I've found is "bahama blue" which has a few different paint codes which concerns me.. 3T, 6, DT8602, I, M5004A, MR and I feel like it looks a little too dark when I look up the paint itself.

Click to expand...

From my recollections the different paint color codes represent the code used by different paint manufacturers for the same color.

Just took it to an api and ppg store and both places tried to scan the paint with one of those profile machines and it says its darker then what it is and nothing in either books matches. Closest was ppg 14994 but it's not right either.

This truck is gonna be ugly forever. Not sure what else to do when the two paint shops didnt really want to help the moment they heard it wasnt the factory paint off of a door jam they could type in.

Figures. Sounds like you need to find someone used to painting old iron

The ironic part was a guy in his mid 80s standing in line said, "that truck is light blue navistar engine paint" and.... he might be closer then they are.

I’d trust his thoughts more than theirs haha

Honestly rustoleum sail blue is so damn close I might just use it. It's just a little bit deeper to the blue side than the front paint I just sprayed a blotch on the bed in frustration this afternoon and once it dries in the shade it looks the same and in the sun you gotta be within 5 or so feet to tell the difference and even then close..

800$ for two quarts of paint and the hardners and clear etc to still be the wrong shade from API or whatever the cost will end up being to just get paint sitting on a shelf at walmart plus some clear. I just can't justify going through a giant mess if it's still probably not the right color when I probably got just as close with 3 shades of spray paint. This truck is getting drove a lot and going to see pa winters and salt, so it's not going to stay pretty and really can't get much uglier. I've painted my black truck this way before and as long as I stay patient sanding and spraying I got it to look good and its held up for 3 years now. But black is easier.

Are you saying that the PPG store doesn't mix their own paint? I worked at a painting shop (we tried to stay away from the automotive part) where we mixed our own paint. We could match any color that came our way.

In a round a bout way yeah, they basically wouldn't do it without having the factory code to go from for automotive. When we went out with that machine to scan the paint, since the color it scanned was darker (probably because of the primer under the paint according to them) at API they basically said if the scanner doesn't match the factory code within a certain % they don't guarantee it will be right when they make it and basically both places just kinda rubbed me the wrong way.

I really have 3 choices, take it to an automotive painter I don't know and probably pay 2,000 dollars to have them acquire the paint and actually paint it, labor etc.

Get the materials and have a friend who has a paint gun and used to paint at a dealership spray it for next to nothing if we can get the paint for it and bring it to him, tape it off, etc (he's older and doesn't really want to be responsible for mixing the right color and stuff) which is whatever since he basically said he'd do it for free.

Sand it as good as humanly possible, spray paint it as close as I can and be glad it's at least a close light blue, clear it, and move on.