Paint Shortage

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68 Tuna Fish

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I'm in the process of having my '68 barracuda's body completely restored & it is ready for paint (B5 blue). My painter uses PPG products exclusively & he tells me there is a national shortage of blue toner & he can't find it anywhere. How could this be? It's a standard color from the largest supplier in the world. He won't use another brand because of warranty issues in mixing of formulas. The car already has a base coat of PPG on it. It's been sitting for 2 months now & I would like it finished before I have to put it away for the season. Has anyone else had this problem? Any info on when it will be available?
 
I'm thinking the specific blue needed for B5 is found in the thorax of certain beetles. Its getting harder and harder to find people willing to scrape the color off of these beetles with all the covid relief packages. These people would rather sit home and watch the price is right...

But seriously, I had a 3 week wait for an orange paint I used a week ago on a car. That was from a completely different company. Good luck, I hope they can get the paint soon.
 
For the last couple of months or so, the big time economists "talking heads" I call them, have been talking about, the what is it they call it "PPI?"? Keeps going UP, that it how they measure inflation at the producers level, which eventually is passed on the the consumer. Of course, supply of inputs at the producer level is half the problem. Then labor costs. Price of all auto paint materials is UP, like about everything.
Bottom line is expect inflation to be with us some period of time, until supply increases or demand decreases. Meanwhile, Fed.will raise rates again in a few days, in the eye of a recession, which has maybe never been done before??? Mom calls that *** backwards, but that is the tool the Fed. has to work with, which they should have implemented last year????
Need B3 Blue. Better call around... maybe??
 
Red is the most expensive I think. No wonder why the manufacturers build so many basic/earth tone colored cars.
 
Been having trouble getting paint for almost a year now although its non automotive. Paint manufacturers have limited access to raw materials and are using what they can get to make their best sellers. Paint is made in millions of gallons batches so you can get the idea that you may have wait till the raw materials shortage eases. I would suggest calling around to different paint vendors that handle ppg other than local to see if anyone else has what you need in stock. Also check with other body shops that do high volume painting of mopars like grave yard cars or Midwest muscle cars.
 
Not helpful.

Why do you think I put that banging my head into a wall? You aren't the ONLY person who needs to paint his car. Maybe, just PERHAPS I'm in the same damn boat and I was putting out an option that we're ALL stuck with.

You can have any color you want, as long as it's black.
-H. Ford
 
Ppg has been having a ton of issues with products...not just toners but clears as well. Tell him to switch to Akzo/Sikkens.. they have never shorted me anything since covid started. His jobber probably supplies multiple paint lines and they have access to other ones. I have sprayed several test cards of Ppgs B5 blue and it wasn't remotely close to the original B5 on my Demon. If you have a sample area they can scan it with their color camera and mix it in that product line.

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yep i use PPG on my restorations & its getting harder & harder to find PPG clears & certain colors. I have tried other brands & i dont like there base coats. They dont match the old colors like PPG does.
 
yep i use PPG on my restorations & its getting harder & harder to find PPG clears & certain colors. I have tried other brands & i dont like there base coats. They dont match the old colors like PPG does.
I find non of the paint lines to match the old paint codes. That’s why you need a reading.
 
Why not go with QQ1 Electric Blue Metallic? It would be a 1968 only color and I like it better than B5.
 
I find non of the paint lines to match the old paint codes. That’s why you need a reading.
None of them are 100% the old paint wasnt base clear ived sprayed for many years & PPG is the closest ive even sprayed single stage & that doesnt even match the situation i was in one time i had some hemi orange mixed up for me to do a hood for an original hemi orange duster martin senor couldnt match it & once was with them shooting it with there color gun. The first time it had no metallic the second time to much. So went to my local PPG store The first time for them i had no metallic. Now the second time with PPG a different guy mixed it & it matched the rest of the car. Now was the rest of the car right ? That same year we went down to Carlisle & most of the hemi orange cars were spot on with this duster. Ive even had it to where i got paint then a few weeks later went & got some more mixed & was a different shade. All because a different guy mixed it. If the car im working on has some of the original paint on it i do a spray out to see how close it matches. For example B5 blue was used for many years. The B5 blue for 1967 was a different shade then 1973. I did a 1967 gtx in B5 blue that my dad bought new & he new it wasnt right. I had to keep adding black & doing many spray outs to get the shade of blue that he thought was right.
 
When I ordered 67 Ford Acapulco Blue for a 67 Mustang, I was shocked to find the paint was mixed and the label said Dodge Caravan Blue... Turns out they recycle all these mix codes. "There are only so many colors in the world", I was told when I complained.

Everyone to their own but I have long ago left Martin Senour, PPG, House of Kolor, and now I'm using Kirker which I purchase through Auto Body Toolmart. You only have a select number of colors to choose from but you can mix them all you want to create whatever you want. None of my restomods could give a crap if they are original or not, which is the liberating feeling you get when you say #$%%^ it, none of the numbers match, I'm doing what I want, not what the code on the data plate says. It feels great to spray a car with 2K for $300k vs $2500 House of Kolor or $2,000 for another brand. Sorry but I used to (in the early 80's) think $150 for ALL body materials was expensive. To be able to do it now for close to that is liberating!
 
I looked up a color for my AMC yesterday at TCP Global. I have used their stuff for years. Yep prices are up... really!?????? Yes 2 qts of single stage was actually MORE than the gal.!!! For decades 3 qts were about same $ as a gal!!!! Reminds me of the mayo at the grocery other day!!!!!:BangHead:
 
Where I'm now we use BASF/RM. Haven't noticed any shortages getting stuff in the shop.
 
When I ordered 67 Ford Acapulco Blue for a 67 Mustang, I was shocked to find the paint was mixed and the label said Dodge Caravan Blue... Turns out they recycle all these mix codes. "There are only so many colors in the world", I was told when I complained.

Everyone to their own but I have long ago left Martin Senour, PPG, House of Kolor, and now I'm using Kirker which I purchase through Auto Body Toolmart. You only have a select number of colors to choose from but you can mix them all you want to create whatever you want. None of my restomods could give a crap if they are original or not, which is the liberating feeling you get when you say #$%%^ it, none of the numbers match, I'm doing what I want, not what the code on the data plate says. It feels great to spray a car with 2K for $300k vs $2500 House of Kolor or $2,000 for another brand. Sorry but I used to (in the early 80's) think $150 for ALL body materials was expensive. To be able to do it now for close to that is liberating!
The cameras cross reference the picture to a data base/library of colors and spits out the formula for the closest match. What you don't see if you're not doing it yourself dodge caravan might have been a 98% match and the 97% match listed might have been a toyota color. Color matching is primarily done with the color decks. Pull the formula which will post all the variants, pull out those chips, and check against the vehicle. You might have 10 variants to look at. I've scanned Harley Davidson parts and mixed up Gm wa#xxxx and it was perfect. The cameras are good but not foolproof. Three stage paints can throw the off such as a pearlcoat or candies.

I painted my truck with Kirker base and it was some no covering crap. You're not saving much if you have to buy a second kit of base to get it done. Didn't think much of the clear either. All the major manufacturers have second and third tier product lines that are more user friendly then Kicker for nowhere near top shelf prices.
 
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The cameras cross reference the picture to a data base/library of colors and spits out the formula for the closest match. What you don't see if you're not doing it yourself dodge caravan might have been a 98% match and the 97% match listed might have been a toyota color. Color matching is primarily done with the color decks. Pull the formula which will post all the variants, pull out those chips, and check against the vehicle. You might have 10 variants to look at. I've scanned Harley Davidson parts and mixed up Gm wa#xxxx and it was perfect. The cameras are good but not foolproof. Three stage paints can throw the off such as a pearlcoat or candies.

I painted my truck with Kirker base and it was some no covering crap. You're not saving much if you have to buy a second kit of base to get it done. Didn't think much of the clear either. All the major manufacturers have second and third tier product lines that are more user friendly then Kicker for nowhere near top shelf prices.
No camera was used on the Mustang...it was per the code. I know what you are saying about low end versions of paint but the blue I referred to was actually PPG Omni and after 7 coats of base, you can still see overlap at the panel lines. I have covered in 2 coats everytime I have used Kirker but then I used the Black Diamond version of it which is their top one.
 
No camera was used on the Mustang...it was per the code. I know what you are saying about low end versions of paint but the blue I referred to was actually PPG Omni and after 7 coats of base, you can still see overlap at the panel lines. I have covered in 2 coats everytime I have used Kirker but then I used the Black Diamond version of it which is their top one.

Some colors are very transparent. A lot of paint systems call for a specific color sealer or even a solid color ground coat.

Omni, you do realize the second tier products don't have the same bank of toners available as the first tier line. I don't use omni because there have been several instances where I couldn't get the color mixed I needed for lack of not having the right toners/pearls in the mixing system. Nason, the same way. There's not the same toners available to get there. Second tier products generally have less pigment per volume. When it comes to partial paints and blend-able matches sometimes you need the good basecoat.
 
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OP, what I would do is call around ,one state over etc. or any distance you are willing to drive, see if someone has it, show up with cash and pick it up. it doesnt hurt to make some calls. I' ve had people tell me they cant get something, then find it 3 hours away. I say "really? Ill be there tomorrow at 0900..."
 
OP, what I would do is call around ,one state over etc. or any distance you are willing to drive, see if someone has it, show up with cash and pick it up. it doesnt hurt to make some calls. I' ve had people tell me they cant get something, then find it 3 hours away. I say "really? Ill be there tomorrow at 0900..."
Already had someone looking in Germany. My guy says he found some. I don't know where or who he had to threaten to get it, but he has it. Thanx to all for all the information. It just goes to show you that even car enthusiasts are affected by all the global problems going on today.
 
Red is the most expensive I think. No wonder why the manufacturers build so many basic/earth tone colored cars.
I bought some fence paint late last year, and I was told that the Blue Base was the most expensive.....just what I was told. It cost almost as much for the blue base, as the rest of the mixed colour - a 5 gallon bucket.
 
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