Paint an entire body panel by youself

[nitroman]

Painted my front under-bumper portion and it looks factory spec. Now I've had more than a little experience at this but the scope of this project and the blending (not painting the ENTIRE panel... which is always a snap) caused some unfounded concern. Tired enough not to elaborate right now but these guys supplied an exact paint match for both my white Capri & white Elan. And if you think all white is the same, pal you are just so wrong. I thought so too. 1991 Honda Polar White is different than Ford of the same name!

Here are the paint codes to order for USA Elans. Sorry they don't carry them all. Some UK paint versions are also stocked. Just follow their instructions and you'll turn out fine and feel the pride of a job well done. Remember, if you mess this up you can always take it to a body-shop & say "Look what the prior owner did, can you fix it?" That's the beauty of an older car! I used the spray bottle which is the only way to do it right.

A21 - Monaco White
A64 - Norfolk Mustard
B02 - Black (you lucky devil!)
B03 - Calypso Red
B04 - British Racing Green

https://www.paintscratch.com/ You'll thank me for this later.

The new rear-spoiler on my Capri also turned out wonderfully although that was the easy project as I bought a new one with primer. Did a 10-minute apart 3-way cross pattern with their custom-mixed paint match, and then one layer of clear-coat. Now, with no emblems, no one knows what the Hell this is! Especially with the Kamarini custom-to-Capri aftermarket spoiler I picked up from Australia for $105-USD including shipping... 1/5th the original price of the part even when you could still buy it. Fits the car so tightly including around the 3rd-brake-light; which is what gives it a factory look with no arguments!

A part I really suggest you do on your Elan are the 2 black-painted metal headlight supports. In body-colour they really bring the 'bay' right up to 2007 model year specs! It is too cold out now for me to do it, unless I am drunk enough to do it on my Xmas vacation in South Florida... so that looks like a late April project solo me. But wait, no, I can remove them and do it inside the temperature-controlled comfort of mi hacienda. I told you I was too tired, even to think of that!

[Sy V]

Oh bless him - we've missed his ramblings.

Well done Matt - where are the pictures?

Or were you too tired for that, too!

[Ekapol]

I have never done the direct comparison before but doesn't the paint fade a bit over 15 years of age.

If not it would be nice to get a can and work on my lower front bumper.

[DeeAitch]

https://www.paintscratch.com/ You'll thank me for this later.

Thanks - a nice read to relieve the boredom this morning

[nitroman]

Ordered this in black instead of red for the Capri. I think it will compliment the black hood scoop nicely http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=8038484740&rd=1&rd=1

[nitroman]

I have never done the direct comparison before but doesn't the paint fade a bit over 15 years of age.

Does the sun shine up through the road onto the bottom of your front bumper? I know the weather does some strange things out in Cali. Or perhaps you don't have room to park so you hoist your car up on a rope in front of your house using a proper set of Roman pulleys. Install a 4WD system so the car is well off the ground perhaps?

No one has noticed any difference in mine... not even me on my roller with my shop-light at high-noon. You could have big red patches on your bum but if you're seated at a 5-star restaurant who'd know?

As for my topside spoiler I DON'T wax it (too early anyway) but machine-polished everything else while the spoiler was off with NickSand's finest 10,000-grit paste, then waxed the whole car. Somehow I have fooled the world and only been asked "What kind of car is that? It doesn't say anywhere." Wait until my Abarth Scorpion wheel-centers & bonnet-badge arrive with only the scorpion embossed; that'll really throw people. I'm going totally incognito, leaving it all up to the imagination (and age) of others. I'll save the 'Mercury' badge and a piece of bubble-gum for when I have to take the car to the dealer!

Wonder if I should get a spare "Isuzu" badge for the Elan. Get me an old plain "Isuzu" cam-cover too. I think I could pull it off. "Look, I bought the car from the old Isuzu dealer in town (95% of the old dealers are gone), just look up a '91 Isuzu Impulse RS if you guys have thrown away your sports-car manuals. I understand. Shoot, you sold less than one per dealer, no wonder you don't have a repair manual. Like I said, use the one for the Isuzu Impulse RS. Being a pro you can figure the rest out without some stupid book. You guys are the best, and like always Christmas-lunch is on me for anyone who's name I find on a repair-receipt this year!"

[Doc Fizzix]

Great thread Matt

I will try the red and see how it matches up. My front bumper has seen one to many pebbles in its day and I was already thinking about re-doing her. I use to paint cars for a living back when I was still young and did not care about my health. I have a nice spray gun and will give their paint a try, if it turns out allright then I will let you guys know, if not I am goinng to take the car to the same fellow here in Round Rock that painted your old red Elan before you got her

[GeoffSmith]

Just to fill in the gaps in colours, came across this table of Lotus colours a while ago.

There's also some interesting stuff on books and badges on his website.

Geoff

[Ekapol]

Great find Matt. the URL. I will give it a try one of these days.

[nitroman]

It's much more complicated than that, mein Freund! Notice there is a A23 Calypso Red AND a B03 Calypso Red? It is the same for all colours. At 5 different times in the 8xxx production number range (they didn't start at #1, so totally forget it might even be that easy!) Lotus switched back & forth between ICI & Dupont paint. The original paint system required a complete machine-sanding to finish it, plus they used a different paint for injection-molded plastic parts like the front bumper VS the rest of the (less flexible) body material.

ALL of the red cars in the USA were repainted under recall & so ended up with the B03 paint. OH... just read the manual!

[GeoffSmith]

It's much more complicated than that

At least A is used solely for ICI and B is used solely for Du Pont whereas it would appear that L numbers can signify either ICI or Pinchin Johnson.

[Ekapol]

That's right. I have just recently got the touchup pens I ordered from SJS a while back. One BRG, one clear coat. I got the color code from tracing back the VIN. They match my color well, that is, after many minutes shaking the thang. Vaguely recall that it is ICI, memory faded with age

You are right about the elasticity of the paint for the bumper parts. I'm out of luck then, unless then can get it mixed in to the can.

[nitroman]

PaintScratch.com is no "Babe in the woods" & supposedly is aware of all these intricacies as well. If you read their guarantee you'll see that they're willing to keep making different "mixes" of paint for you as long as your patience holds out... although that thought makes me cringe!