Heh, I am receiving a blue porsche that I would like to paint, however, I want to be sensitive to the 914 community and not make any painting blunders that will bring on comments about me being some bonehead that painted his 914 the wrong shade of _____.

Is there such elitism among 914 owners?

Are there places online, or other resources where one can get the original color code for a give 914 year?

Also, what has been the general cost to have a professional paint their 914?

Any comments/insights would be appreciated.

it's your car, do what you want.
somebody will be upset no matter what you do.
(the purists will be upset unless you repaint it in that car's original color. the radicals will be upset if you contribute no originality. do what you want...)

a paint color page

there is no upper bound. there is also no limit to what people will pay for a $100 paint job, so shop carefully. a full color change will of course be more. bodywork and rust repair will be more. exotic colors (reds, especially) will be more. IIRC there's about $1000 in materials alone (paint and reducer) in a proper full paint job, then multiply your shop's hourly rate by 40 or so for the rest.

I think you should paint it any color that feels good...There are purist, there are racers, there are modifiers with scoops, spoilers, air dams, etc...Pick something you like and go...

I stayed with the original color on mine (Nepal Orange - 1975) just because I like it...But I did the restoration by what made sense and what my budget could afford...Beware of the "While you're in there" Gremlin, he will and does bite...Having said that, some things must be done...

Plan on spending somewhere between $100 and $10,000 on a paint job depending on the integrity and character of your painter...Do the teardown, sanding and prep work yourself...First of all to save money, but mainly see how the car is put together and learn how it works and what makes it tick...

See if the original paint code plate is still on the driver side door sill, up front by the door jam switch...If not someone here can give you the paint codes...

Good Luck...

2-OH!

with both these guys.

I think you will find that although many people prefer the original colors, do whatever you want. No one will shun you here. A lot of cars have already been color changed, so it really doesn't matter as much.

In regards to a paint job, you generally get what you pay for. There are a lot of very talented people here that can do their own work, but I think a good professional paint job is $3-$5K depending on bodywork needed.

What is the paint code of your car? should be a letter, 2 digit number, then letter or number.

both of my "runners" are L99a Delphi Green Metalic, and they are both victims of bad resprays! Al in Port Orchard has a sweet DGM car so that is OUT for me!
One is going to be painted like a Gulf race car and I dunno what the other will be...
I say glue army men to it if it makes you happy!!
h

Hi,

Colors and color codes for each model year are listed on this page..

http://homepage.mac.com/markd/914/colors.html

There is (or was) a plate on the driver's door jamb (you can see it with the door open, between the door hinges) with one of these codes listed for the original color.

I'd say the only "elitism" around 914 color changes, is that if you're going to do it, do it well. Meaning, do the WHOLE car, which is of course a lot more work.

Price, of course, depends on quality of materials and workmanship... I'm still putting off painting mine, so let others comment.

Joe

There's nothing lamer IMO than a color change car not done right. By not done right I mean every nook and crannie painted the new color. I've seen lots of engine compartments that were black because they didn't paint it when the color was changed. I've also seen bed liner material in the trunks as a way to cheat doing the color change properly.

Frankly, it would be a lot cheaper to just drive the blue car and keep looking for the color 914 you want. You can figure $3000-6000 for a very good paint job and probably closer to the $6K figure for a properly done color change. $10K will get you a flawless concours condition paint job.

lol paint the car whatever color you want.who cares what othe people think.

http://homepage.mac.com/markd/914/colors.html

here's another paint link for you. I guess the only thing to consider with a color change is, when you goto sell the car. Chances are, you would probally get more if you kept it the same color. But, it's your car, so if you prefer red better .... paint it red. Good luck!!! Plenty of recent threads on guys painting their cars. Some of the cali guys were getting real nice paint work done in Mexico at a nice rate. Being your in PA guess thats not an option for you. Enjoy!

Thanks for all the replies. I do not usually care what others think, but did not want to do something that will make the car unpallatable should I decide to sell it in the future.

The current color is actually really nice, but it has been rear-ended and I imagine that the body work will necessitate new paint.

Perhaps good body shops can match paint?

Thanks again.

yes, they can. the really good ones are really pretty amazing.

but -- although they can match the color it has today, they're matching the current color of old paint with new paint. there can be no guarantees that the new paint will oxidize and continue to fade at the same rate and in the same ways as the old paint. so while it'll look really good the day it's done, you may find that a color shift gradually develops.

or maybe not - new paints are a lot more stable than the OEM stuff. but it's an issue to be aware of and talk about with your paint guy.

i don't even know anybody in my little corner of SEPA, much less up in north-central, so unfortunately i have no recommendations for you...

Most of the issues have been said already. Speak with a reliable body shop and get some education. Single stage vs base coat with clear coats, acrylic vs urethane. One factor we found important, dark colors require deep clear coats and alot of wet sanding/buffing to get that quality finish, vs lighter colors which is more tolerante of defects. DD provided this sight to try out some of the colors.
http://www.retromotorcompany.co.uk/selecta/ps.htm
L. McC

THAT was funny!!!!

whatever puts a breeze up your skirt, man!!

don't ever worry about what WE think of YOUR car... some people will like it, some won't... but if you like it... THAT is ALL that matters!! and a good car with a good paint job will be worth more regardless(almost) of what color it is, stock or not(obvoiusly a pink 914 with flowers painted on it will be an exception)

good body shops can make any color you like, including matching the color on the car, or matching the color of any other car you like the color of...

I agree with all above...

The only thing that some people may make a stink about is a color change that isn't carried through to the trunks and jams. If you are changing colors, do it right and paint everything...

Good Luck!

yupp, nothing worse than a nice paint job, like, let's say, BLACK and then you still have the original orange show in the fender wells ...



Andy

PS: red & orange is not as bad, ask me how i know