Panel color

[Cinamon]

Can anyone tell me how I find the proper color code  for the original door panels in my 81 bronco? The original color was blue. There are so many tones of blue .

[Gary Lewis]

To find the info from the Certification Label go here: Specifications/Body Codes.  Then, go here: Specifications/Interior Paint and you can find the SEM # for the paint you need.

And, for 1980 and 1981 there was only one blue - A1B.

(Looking at that now I realize I might be able to merge those two pages.  And, I know that there are other paint manufacturers out there that make paints to match, so I probably ought to add their info.  )

[Cinamon]

Is there a way of actually seeing the colours on a color chip?

[Gary Lewis]

I don't have color chips for 1980 or '81.  I do have for '82 and '83 if I remember correctly, but those colors are different than your truck.  And, I don't have those scanned and on line either.

Plus, there's the problem of color shift in the scanning as well as the monitor on which you are viewing it.  I've scanned things and then compared the real thing to what I see on my various monitors and the results vary widely - in my own shop with pretty high-end monitors, much less to someone else with who-knows-what monitor.

Perhaps I need to spend some time figuring out how to at least get them scanned in a way that ensures accuracy, but that still leaves the viewing monitor as the weak link, and there's no way to control that.  

[Gary Lewis]

Actually, I should have said "Yes, buy a color chart."  They are frequently available on-line to purchase, and don't cost too much.  That's the only true way to see the colors that I know of.

[1986F150Six]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-FORD-PickUp-Truck-Brochure-w-Color-Chart-PickUp-F-100-150-XLT-SUPERCAB/121989924751?hash=item1c672a878f:g:JBkAAOxyCSRSHmEb

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-FORD-MERCURY-LINCOLN-AND-TRUCK-PPG-COLOR-PAINT-CHIP-CHART-ALL-MODELS/312149411342?hash=item48ad8e060e:g:~3wAAOSw44BYcZr-

[Gary Lewis]

I actually have that brochure on here: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/1981-pickup-brochure.html  But I'll warn you that the colors in the brochure itself don't match reality.  And the colors I see on my screens, plural, don't match the brochure itself, and every screen has a different color.

By far the best approach is the color paint chip chart - in your hand.  They have chips of the real paint attached to them, at least the ones I have do, and that is much, MUCH more accurate than the printing process that begats the brochures.  And completely side-steps the scanning/display problem.

[Cinamon]

I’ve tracked down the color I’m looking for, has anyone out there any knowledge of where I may find a couple of cans of vinyl spray paint , 15133 wedgewood blue,  I have tracked it down several times to find it’s been discontinued ...

[1986F150Six]

Says Wedgewood blue metallic for Ford [7 cans available]: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Touch-Up-Custom-Spray-Can-Automotive-Paint-LL-Wedgewood-Blue-Metallic-for-Ford/162681295682?hash=item25e08f9342:g:6kcAAOSwq9NZww99

Base coat: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Cans-Duplicolor-BFM0355-For-Ford-Code-LD-Medium-Wedgewood-Aerosol-Spray-Paint/282609481163?epid=19017018730&hash=item41ccd675cb:g:fzwAAOSw1aFZkGQf

[Gary Lewis]

David - Aren't those exterior paints?  I think she's looking for interior.

Anna - Where did you get the number 15133?  My page shows Wedgewood Blue to be 3086.

[Cinamon]

Thanks for the info, im actually looking for vinyl /leather Sem  product , it would be a flat paint, for my door panels ..that is the right Color though.😊

[Cinamon]

This is the Sem color code for wedgewood that they had for the vinyl/leather paint. From this company. For the 81 ford .

[Gary Lewis]

I don't agree.  My page, linked above, has the pages directly from the SEM website.  But, to prove it, here's the link to the 1981 colors on their website.  Scroll down to the interior colors and you'll find Ford at the very bottom on the left-hand side.  Wedgewood Blue: 3086.

[Cinamon]

I see that, perhaps it was a third wedgewood blue I noticed they had a wedgewood as well.. thanks for clearing that up for me...but I’m still looking and can’t find it ...☹️

[Cinamon]

Sorry I meant a T-bird, blue

[Gary Lewis]

My page says, with the bolding added:

The following shows the interior colors available for the 1980 - 1986 Ford trucks, as well as the code that goes with each color.  In addition, it shows what I believe is the correct SEM Color Coat paint to match the original color.  But, note that these are not off-the-shelf paints.  You will have to have them mixed by a SEM dealer as the pre-canned paints available at the parts stores are not the correct match for our trucks.  How do I know that?  Here's what I got from a SEM technical consultant via email:

We manufacture only 50 aerosol colors in COLOR COAT for plastic, vinyl, carpet and velour and would be happy to send you a card since the online versions are too inaccurate to use as a color match. We also have over 6000 formulas created to match all GM, Ford, and Chrysler interior colors from 1976 to present as well as many other colors from some foreign manufacturers that customers have sent in for us to match over the years.
 
So, putting that together with the fact that the off-the-shelf paints have 5-digits codes and the formulas that SEM shows in their exact-match tables, included below, have 4-digit codes, it is pretty easy to see that there must be some differences.

Given that, you are not going to find SEM 3086 in stock.  But, plenty of places will mix it for you.  So, on the SEM home page click Find A Distributor in the upper right and see who is near you.

[Cinamon]

Thanks again Gary , Vinyl Pro - for anyone else looking for a specific color like mine ,  is mixing it up for me and shipping it off to me as we speak .
😊

[Gary Lewis]

Excellent!  I hope it is what you want.  

Please let us know how it goes.

[Cinamon]

With some light sanding , the paint went on awesome. Really happy with it would def recommend doing this to any panel that needs a little sprucing up.

[Gary Lewis]

That looks GOOD!  Is that SEM?