1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

I have done several searches and (surprise suprise) get conflicing answers. Not in a huge hurry, but am putting my car together. It isn't 100% correct, but pretty darn close. Only 27,000 miles, but far from a survivor. The only thing it survived was a couple of teenager owners who beat the crap out of it. 08A car if it matters.

Very few mods, although I am doing some day two "bolt ons" that could be easily removed (headers, traction bars, bolt on subframe connectors and the like).


I have some of my original trunk paint still showing. Not sure how to replicate it.
What are you heavy hitters using for trunk paint on higher end cars? My understanding is that no rattle can alternatives are worth a darn.
BTW, I had asked about the sound deadener a while back. The 3m Body Schutz worked great to replicate the factory sound deadener in the wheel wells and trunk area on the quarters(although I did not get quite the same squared off look in the trunk. But the build up is dead on.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

I believe it is called zolotone . I did my 67 trunk with it and it came out great. I have some left in a can. It is applied with a shutze gun.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

I think the best trunk paint being done now is a 2 step process; spraying the thick darker base color and spraying the lighter spots afterwards. There are a few resto shops doing a good job with this technique.
The original water base paint had solvent based paint drops that almost fish-eyed/popped open when drying. Without the original type trunk paint or the proper application gun there is no way to properly duplicate this. I don't think there currently is a single paint that looks quite like the original Norwood or LA trunk paint, which are both different.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Thanks Buddy and Mark. Mark, I believe you are correct on the two steps. I was planning on shooting the trunk in dp90 first, then applying the spatter paint. Will check in to the zolotone. I still have my the gun I got with the body shutze.

BTW, just in case anyone needs to know: 3 cans of the shutze is more than enough to do the four wheel wells and the trunk quarters. I wasn't sure, so bought 6.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

The zolatone is a one step process, and has held up really well in my 67 trunk. I believe it came from ken Lucas.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: x77-69z28</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The zolatone is a one step process, and has held up really well in my 67 trunk. I believe it came from ken Lucas. </div></div>

Larry Christensen was selling the zolatone for years. At one time it was the best available, but the two phase process used and perfected by the Super Car Workshop, and now by other resto shop such as Muscle Car Restorations (Rick Nelson), Chris White to name a few, is spot on if done correctly.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Good to know Steve.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Great info. Will check it out. Someone pointed out via pm that frame connectors are not really a &quot;day 2&quot; bolt on. I fully agree. Just using them to try and avoid the dreaded cracking of the seams behind the rear window when these get driven hard. And I promise this one will get driven hard.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Speaking of the frame connectors, the RS COPO out of Berger that was offered 2 years ago was running 9 sec 1/4's with a bolt in cage and connectors and there was little if any body twist in the car, VERY GOOD Setup!

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Yeah, I won't be running 9's. Be happy to get it in the twelves.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Ours is actually a three phase process and was perfected by our painter Tom Scholtz. It is nothing out of a can and has to be done with perfect timing using actual water droplets and another concoction to act as a fisheye creating formula. This is done in between coats of base color and dot color and with the paint still tacky. Takes 2-3 days start to finish and is VERY expensive and can only be done in house.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

that looks real good!

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Just stumbled upon this on Craigslist:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/pts/3414335649.html.

Original Dupont spatter paint. I don't know anything about it other than what is in the ad

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

So I take it this guy wants $500 for a quart of this paint. Certainly not cheap.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Well, it turns out that no one sells anything that a hobbyist can do in his or her garage that will look like the original. I think I saw a post by William over at Camaros.org that referenced RM #844, but don't believe it is still being produced.

Dupont makes sense. They supplied the rest of the paint for GM.

I appreciate Rick speaking up, and appreciate the photos. I understand why his painter wouldn't want to divulge the entire proces, nor all the ingredients. He has a lot of time invested in perfecting it. However, and I mean no disrespect, if those photos are representative of the final product, that does not look like the factory paint on my 08A Camaro (or like the paint on JohnZ's 02D Camaro). Maybe the 70 Chevelles are different. The light specks in my paint have none of the &quot;snow flake&quot; look that almost every light speck has in the above photos. Here is the other thing: GM most certainly did not spend three days using impeccable timing to get the look they got. More like three minutes. So... until someone can uncover the product they used and the gun they used (have seen mentions of primer guns with .021 and larger tips, and references to pressure pot guns), none of us can really duplicate it.
The pics I am attaching are from the parts of my trunk I did not have to work on. It is the original spatter paint. No snowflake look. All the light specks are random size, but very definable.
Now, how about some pics ffom some of you guys that have spatter painted your trunks, with an id of the product you used and the gun you used.
I might be satisfied with zolotone, but would like to see some pics. Heck, I might head to Lowes' and buy two different latex paints, and do my own two step process, then cover in satin poly. I don't have to decide any time soon.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Picks of JohnZ's trunk lifted from a thread at Camaros.org

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

The 1100 mile LA built 70 Z28 trunk

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Low mile Azure 69 RS Camaro built in LA

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Nice photos Charley,

My 69 Chevelle, Fremont produced, has the same web type spatter as your Camaro.

I had to do a little touch up of the trunk and used some GM spatter paint. When I moved the can side to
side quickly while spraying, it produced a very similar effect.

This has got to be one of the most difficult auto finishes to duplicate today.

Phil Woj

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

The stringy looking type can be replicated using thicker paint and low pressure so as to cause strings coming off the tip of the gun. I will tell you I have done it by accident however to replicate on demand takes a lot of practice.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Great pics Charley. I knew the LA Camaros had a more stringy look to them, but don't remember looking at good examples. I suspect (but obviously can't prove) that the two plants used the same product shot from different equipment. Although everyone tells me that the Norwood cars got gray and aqua, if you look at the pics of mine and John's, it is way closer to a light gray than aqual. Just the slightest aqua tint.

The quest continues. Several vendors claim to have the &quot;exact match&quot; formula. I am skeptical, and don't really want to pay 60 to 90 per quart from 4 different vendors just to spray the stuff on cards and see which is closest.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Lynn,

Here is a shot of an original Norwood built '69 Camaro trunk paint.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Here is the trunk of a 9600 mile 6 cylinder Norwood Camaro I had. https://www.yenko.net/attachments/use...3-1954-006.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/attachments/use...3-1955-007.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/attachments/use...3-1956-008.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/attachments/use...3-1957-010.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/attachments/use...3-1958-012.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/attachments/use...3-1959-028.jpg

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

So, now how about some pics from RESTORED cars? Please include info on the product and equipment used.
Even if it is a poor replication, at least that way we know what NOT to do if we are trying to replicate the original finish.

Would like to see samples of what the different products look like.

Thanks in advance.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Does anyone reproduce that tar mat that goes over axle hump under spare tire? I believe that was part of deluxe interior package as well as trunk mat?

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

The Zolatone is great stuff. If you were to lightly stir the paint with a stick and let it dry, it would almost produce an exact match. Spray it with a gun and it comes out totally different. I recomend adding the hardener if used. I have also tried using a Schutz gun with not so great results. I have also mixed it up and put it into a paint remover spray bottle and have had almost exact results. You must have a black base inthe areas that you want covered though. Just my two cents.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

This is my trunk in a `70 Chevelle that Nostalgic Autobody did. They also have their own special process to duplicate this. They also have done other style spatter depending on what the car came with originally.
Before
https://www.yenko.net/attachments/use...ainted_033.jpg
After
https://www.yenko.net/attachments/use..._paint_047.jpg

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Rick,

You`ve got to get that LS6 to MCACN`s [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/worship.gif[/img]

Dan

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Here's my nephew's original 1970 Chevelle...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...n_DSCF2332.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...n_DSCF2333.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...n_DSCF2330.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...n_DSCF2331.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...n_DSCF2329.jpg

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Love that patina Bruce. Is Tyler having fun with his ride?

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Hi Sam, Taylor is attending U of A (and doing well). The Chevelle is safe...tucked away in the garage [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Lynn,
I have a 69 Camaro that should be painted soon and have been working for 6 months on getting the correct original trunk paint. I reluctantly have asked several of the best restorers for any tips and they are pretty tight lipped, as it should be, I am not paying for their experience or expense and that is their income. I respect that.
So like many of us I have to figure it out by trial &amp; error. I have good pictures of two cars to compare to. A 5000 mile 69 Camaro SS and a 35000 mile 69 Z, both very nice original trunk cars built at Norwood. I also compared the trunk of my 1970 Chevelle 36000 mile.
The first problem in comparing is using photos with different lighting &amp; different cameras. I tried to use the same angles &amp; flash in my comparisons. I had to paint inside so I built a simple paint box with a filter. Worked out great for indoors, no dust or fumes.
I had heard John Berlage’s paint was the best match, but after painting it I wasn’t quite sure so I bought Zolatone to compare. Johns instructions say to use a conventional siphon gun with a large primer nozzle. My gun has a 2.5 nozzle but it kept plugging up.
I switched to a body Shutz gun with better results but I was looking for a finer pattern so I adapted a nozzle to the gun. The factory probably used a pressure gun like a pressure pot but I didn’t want to buy one to try it, maybe the best results.
I was going to paint sheet metal samples but realized I would need too many so I used cardboard. I primed &amp; sealed them with Red Oxide like the factory used in the trunk.
You can get very different results with the air pressure and angle of the gun.
The photo “J-B box flash” shows how it looks painted in a box to simulate the different spray angles in a trunk. Right now I would say John’s paint has the best droplet size of the aqua but the way I am spraying it comes out a little too dark &amp; lumpy. The Zolatone is too light &amp; flat, doesn’t have the texture like the factory paint did. Tomorrow I will try using the Zolatone as a base coat with Johns paint over it. I think that might be what I am trying to achieve. I will take all the samples and match them to the 69Z on Saturday that will be the true test. Sorry for the long post. George.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Camaro trunk comparisions, Seven samples, John's paint in box.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Chevelle trunk comparision, Zolatone &amp; John Berlage. Johns is a great match to my Chevelle.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

George:

Don't apologize for the long post. This is EXACTLY the type of info I am looking for. I fully understand the different looks depending on lighting and the like.

PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG, but it looks to me like the tint of the Berlage is the closest. It is just a matter of getting it on the surface in such a way as to get the texture and pattern correct. What do you think about spraying some dp90lf under it instead of the Zolotone as a base?

Seeing that you have gone to this much trouble, I will buy a quart of the Berlage, and purchase a cheap pressure pot set up with the biggest tip I can get up to 3.0 (you said your 2.5 clogged, so i plan to go a little bigger - OR IT MAY BE THAT I DON'T NEED A LARGER TIP ON A PRESSURE POT SPRAYER - MAYBE SOMEONE CAN TELL ME????). There is no sense in one guy having to do all the r &amp; d. We can then compare samples. I do have the luxury of leaving some of my original trunk untouched until I get a good enough match that I can do the whole thing. Should make it a little easier to compare.

I agree with respecting the big dogs as far as trade secrets, but also believe there has to be a way for the hobbyist to replicate this look, and believe that as a hobbyist, I ought to share all I can. That is how I got most of my info, from guys like you guys. I can't imagine that GM spent more than a minute shooting the spatter, if that long.

Thanks again. Will go order the paint and a cheap pressure gun set up tonight. Currently experiencing relatively cold weather (nothing like Canada, but barely breaking freezing) for a while, so can't actually paint until I get some decent weather.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

I am guessing this is the Berlage paint:

http://www.opgi.com/p/chemicals-flui...6/CH26945.html

Anyone have any experience with the stuff heartbeat jimmy sells:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1967-1968-19...30689207291%26

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Great info fellas. I think alot of people will be reading.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

Here is an old post from 2005, and how I contacted John Berlage.
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbt...topics/94219/3
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My name is John Berlage. I own a Butternut yellow 69 Yenko, as well as a 69 maroon copo. I faced the same problem everyone else is experiencing when it comes to finding a good trunk paint. A couple of years ago i spent year and a half looking for a good source. I stumbled upon and OEM supplier that produced the paint for GM. During my restoration of my yenko, before sandblasting the trunk, I sprayed some of the new paint over the old. I could not tell a difference. The paint in my opinion is the best you can get. I would like everyone to keep in mind that each GM plant did have variation in texture and look. For anyone who is skeptical please email me at [email protected] for pictures of my yenkos trunk.

I would also like to note, since it has come up on this discussion, how you apply the product is critical to how the paint looks. During my search I also discovered that GM used a very specific gun to spray the paint. They used a binks 2001 gun, with a 200 tip, a 66 fluid nozzle and a internal mix aircap.
</div></div> George.

Re: 1969 Camaro Trunk paint
 

John Berlages' paint discovery is the best you can get today in my book.
But as he/many have stated,it's only half the solution.
How it's applied is the other.