Emblem paint

[Thomas R.]

The original emblems on my 63 are in very good condition....except for paint.
I would like to repaint them but after searching the archives, it looks like the
colors and methods of painting are still a mystery. There is enough orange-red
left on the nose emblem to attempt to match. The blue is chalked and faded so I
am not sure whether to match to the way it currently is. The off-white and black
are good enough to match something with. I am thinking about using nail polish but I am not sure it will stick or weather. Has anyone gone this route or should I just purchase repo?

Tom

[Paul D.]

Re: Emblem paint

This is NOT the voice of experience here, but I would try to match up colors with some "one shot" pinstriping paint such as offered by Eastwood. Just get the emblem very clean and degreased with solvent or lacquer thinner. Only problem is they may look TOO nice! Maybe some more experienced judges could comment. Most repro and almost all original emblems are pretty thin on paint and appear to be sprayed through a mask of some kind. Good luck with the project!

[Robert C.]

Re: Emblem paint

Thomas, I always love to figure a good way to restore original finishes. The nail polish is a bad idea.It won't last 3 months before fading.
Find a Hobby store in your area. They usually carry a selection of laquer model paint in hundreds of colors in very small bottles. Buy yourself a good quality small paintbrush (a #2or#3 size watercolor brush) match to the closest colors and have at it. If you paint in the depressions on the emblem and let it dry overnight, you can "polish" off any paint that gets on the raised chrome areas. That's all there is to it. If it looks bad you can always wipe it off with laquer thinner and try again.

[Jeff A.]

Re: Emblem paint

Go to your local hobby shop and pick up some Testors model paints. I used 1103 red, 1140 brown and a yellow (for which I don't have the number) for the emblems on my '66. With some patience, an eye dropper, and a bit of thinner, I came up with a perfect match. Unfortunately, I didn't record the proportions, but they're probably not the same for a '63 anyway. As I recall, I went heavy on the red and brown and added just a bit of yellow to warm things up. I entertained the nail polish idea, but gave up after looking at the array of colors in the cosmetic aisle and wondering how closely the color chips would represent the final result. Good luck!
Jeff

[Gerard F.]

Re: Emblem paint

Tom,

Try to find a Touch-up Paint that is close in color. I think I did 10 to 15 samples of nail polish, model paint and touch up paint before I got close on my 67 gas door emblem. Finally went with Chrysler Colorado Red for the red:



The red might be right for a 67, but maybe not for a 63. Not sure about the blue, but there is plenty of blue touchup paint out there.

This was a few years ago, and it still looks good today.

[Thomas R.]

Re: Emblem paint

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

I will be heading out to pick up some Testors model paints for the first attempt at painting.