Hi folks,

My beloved 240 recently took its last breath-- sad, but luckily, I found a very slick 1997 960 wagon to take its place. One thing I would love to do with this car straight away is paint the hood. The car is "champagne" color, but the hood was dented at some point and was swapped for a black 960 hood. I would love to paint it to match the rest of the car.

My question is, how do I make sure I'm buying the right color? I see there are spray paints available online claiming to match the 960 champagne color. They're $50 or more, and I just want to make sure I'm getting the right one. (single stage, clear coat, etc... im just not sure what the best product to get is). Also, any tips on doing the paint job itself are much appreciated as I've never painted a car before.

The car has been regularly waxed for its whole life, so I'm hopeful if I buy the right paint it will match the original nicely.

 

There is a paint code on the production plate under the hood, a three digit number, may be followed by a dash with more numbers, ignore those. That's the original paint code but now with the fade after all the years the new paint wont be a perfect match. What paint shops do, they blend the paint with the fenders so there is no obvious difference, that takes skill and experience and costs. Or with a paint spectometer you can get the right color now, professionals use it. Automotive paint stores can do this as well, and mix the paint for you using either technique. And this is just the beginning. Now, since you are color changing you have to ideally strip the old color down to bare metal, then primer it, then shoot it, etc. Not easy! It really depends on what you want as far as quality: lowest, you can get the paint, scuff the black paint and shoot it with a can. Highest, go to a good shop but that can be costly, they also would have to to the underside to do it well. As far as DIY, since it's a hood (very visible), you probably won't like the final result. As all, it's about the $. On a limited budget, I'd leave it black--color changed hood by a novice with a rattle can will likely be worse. Also, a 960 is not a 240, it's very different animal and I'd wait to see how much you love it (or hate it) before putting money in it. Good luck!

 

If you have never painted a car before - you will not get the results you are hoping for. Without much trial and error.

When painting a single panel on a car - the paint or clearcoat is blended to the other panels close by - that's because the 23 year old paint will never look like the new paint. That's also an aluminum hood that requires different techniques. If you think you've been successful using a can of spray paint - painting a car (and having it look good) is not the same thing.

But we are curious - post some after pictures.

These folks list what's needed to repaint - note there are up to 9 coats of different materials applied, using thinner to get the materials to the right consistency for application - with plenty of massaging the panels in between coats.

https://orlandoautobody.com/paint/au...nting-process/