When I try to buy paint for my Carmine Red (code RAL 3002) G, I get a blank "does not compute" stare from all the paint shops.  I remember when I had some collision body work done years ago the place had trouble finding the paint....I think at that time I even called Erwin for some paint references and may have to do it again as neither I nor the body shop has any record of what paint code was ultimately used.

I also looked at this thread:

http://69.9.37.142/disc/forums/showthread.php?tid=4222&posts=13&highlight=paint%20match&highlightmode=1#M44946

where Dai mentions the 4-digit code for his gray paint being translated into some other 3-digit code.

My question is this....can anyone tell me some translation rule for G color codes that will get them into numbers that most automotive paint shops will understand?  Or failing that, can anyone tell me a code they've used for the standard red on 460 Gs?

Thanks!

-Dave G.

Well, on my truck it will be just a matter of WHERE he chose to drop the chip as there are about 6 different vintages of fade on there, depending on where you look. 

As stated above, my paint code is a 4 digit nuber beginning with "3", 3002, to be exact.  I thought about asking the paint guy to look for "002", but I decided it would be easier just to go by there.  I'll have him try his chips on the lower part of the dash or something.  I think that's original paint, but I'll also have him try it against the stuff that was re-sprayed a few years ago (rear doors and back) because, original or not, I really like the way that looks.

They'll have to chip-match the silver anyway as that wasn't original.

I think I'll call Erwin today anyway.  Been too long since I talked with him.

Thanks for your thoughts, Dai!

-Dave G.

If I change your '85 to '80, it comes up with some blues and blacks.  If I ask it for a red in 1980, it comes up blank. 

-Dave G.

You 'da man!  Yep, there it is, RAL3002, just like I posted from the brochure, Carmine Red.

So am I screwed if nobody here in Denver sells RAL paint?

Now that you mention it, I do remember something from the past about having to look under Mercedes Truck colors.  Maybe my paint guys can work with that.

Thanks!

-Dave G.

Thanks again for the RAL site refreence, and the "Mercedes Truck" memory jogger.  I was able to go to the Dupont website,

http://www.dupontrefinish.com/portal/

and under "color formulas and color pages" link, use the option to sort by manufacturer name and color name.  I typed Mercedes as the manufacturer, then selected Mercedes Truck from the list that came up.  Then for the color name selection I clicked on "show list"  and from that list found "Karminrot/RAL3002" and BINGO!  Got this page.   Selecting

http://color.dupontrefinish.info/scripts/colorweb.dll/stockcode?mfname=MERCEDES%20TRUCKS&mfcode=3559%20COMM.&clname=KARMINROT/RAL3002&mfmodel=&stcode=CG256

Selecting one of the "stock code CG256" hypertext links gives this page, which looks like the color formula for mixing it from Dupont color stocks.

http://color.dupontrefinish.info/scripts/colorweb.dll/formula?wformdef=51092&v=1&mfname=MERCEDES+TRUCKS&mfcode=3559+COMM.&clname=KARMINROT%2FRAL3002&mfmodel=&stcode=CG256 

Awesome.

I'm going to go and verify some of the other G color codes.  Say what you want about Dupont paint quality, just knowing how to get the color formula for G paints in an easy to obtain paint here in the USA is worth a lot to me.  I'll try and do a more thorough treatment to help others in the future (finding how PPG does it, for instance)

Thanks again for all your help!

-Dave G.

Thanks man!  Hopefully this'll be helpful to others.  Dupont is pretty widely known here.  This shop I'm working with now does mostly Sherwin Williams, but as soon as I started talking about Dupont numbers, they were all over it, as I think most places would be.  We're lucky that the Dupont site is pretty easy to deal with.

Thanks again for all your help.  I should probably pick up some of that dark grey too.  Doing the bumpers and grille would really spruce it up.  They take a lot of rocks here in Colorado.

-Dave G.

Steve the RAL is the European standardardization ( or something to that effect).  Here is a chart showing the RAL colors (yours is there too).  I would think any good paintshop could cough up this list and cross reference them.  My paintshop here looked at me funny too, until I pointed it out to the old bearded guy in the back who brought out some old dusty book...and than mixed my RAL 3002 paint.

Mike

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