Can anyone share their experience with painting rockers or valance to match original? Looking at both color and texture. I have been through several forum threads. The recommendations range from BBQ grill paint to what seems like the most likely option of Wurth Underbody Stone Guard Black. it is $40 a can (3 can minimum), and they do have other products, so I'd like to avoid wasting money on trial and error if I can avoid it.

Our front valance and rockers appear to be original. I need to shoot the rear valance and would like to get as close to matching the other existing pieces as possible. Authenticity book only says:
The rocker description simply says:


This is a 1970 914-6 with steel rear valance.
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Thank you.

Dennis- Mine are shot in satin black - no texture.

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I've used Dupli-color DE1634 "low gloss black" on most of my restoration projects (other than Porsche) and have found it matches the factory paint nearly perfectly on engines (Honda, Datsun, etc...)

It is just above satin black in hue.

It REQUIRES temperatures between 70-80 to achieve the proper hue.

It's cheap and available at your local box parts store (Orielly's)

I'd get a can and try it against your original panels.

I plan on using it for all of my valences and rockers so a true match is less important for me.

It's pretty tough as well as it is designed as a high heat engine paint.

we use wurth satin black trim paint. It gives a flexible surface that is chip resistant

Here’s what I use, it comes out very close.

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That is beautiful!

My 75 appears to have smooth valances and rockers.

Is the pebbled appearance correct?

Our rockers do have a texture. I can't say for certain that they weren't redone at some point.

Does the Wurth trim paint have a texture? If so, they don't mention it on their product page. Did the rockers and valances originally have texture?

Thank you.

This may help:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=103069&hl=

@DennisV
what are you after.
accurate reconstruction of original factory finish or practical close enough finish.

photos above by @Garland look beautiful and nicely done.
and its pretty close to the way the factory did them.
its more of an orange peel originally than a sandpaper like texture.

there is a thread here.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=353524

there are some photos of my car posted there.
which has original paint valences, rockers and black painted bumpers.
its like super duper orange peel. some kind of wurth type finish.
the valences and rockers have a finer or smaller orange peel than my bumpers.
satin black paint.

the texture finish is achieved with the gun spray nozzle.
which you adjust.

eg if you are doing the wheel wells of an aussie ford ute you adjust to "shithouse" on the dial.

i have not done it myself, but i prepped everything and watched our painter do it on the ute.
it was all done using the spray equipment he paints with as far as i remember.
and there is some kind of nozzle.
someone here who is a master of paint will know.
if i am correct in my wayward advice you will need to do some tests and adjust it to achieve the degree of "orange peel". ie gently rolling hills or mount everest blobs.

yep.

Materials may have changed over the years with the low VOC mandates, but this is the way to get the perfect texture on the parts. Wurth Body Shutz for the texture, with a Satin Black enamel over that (usual prep & epoxy primer under the shutz/paint) for rockers & valances

Same way my 79 Targa SC rockers and valances where done by me back in 1981

Also I have used the Wurth satin Black on my top on my 76 2.0 car and it was perfect

Best Bob B






-------This is a posting from Pat Garvey on April 13th 2011-------

OK, in 1978 I, and a friend (Gregg Gandee) contacted Chuck Stoddard about this. Chuck was one of the premier 914 phobes of the day & had direct links with the high ups at the Factory.

He asked the same question re: refinishing the F&R valences & rocker covers, and forwarded the response to us. Per his instructions, all four parts should be stripped to bare metal, primed with a good quality primer (no mention of zinc-based primers), and Shutzed at 35 psi max pressure, using the gun provided bt 3M. This applied to 914's & 911's of the era (1960-73 cars). We boght the gun together. He used it on his & turned it over to me. His panels came out beautifully, even after the Wurth satin black.

I did mine while the 914 was being repainted. Stripped them to bare metal. Prep solved them & applied primer. Let dry for a week. Then, with a compressor set at 35 psi applied a coat of Body Sutz to the front valence/apron. Came out too "pebbly", so I stripped it again, primed it again, rested it again. Sprayed on the Shutz at 30 psi. Too knobby! Did it again, from scratch, and sprayed the Shutz on at 32 psi. It was dead on! Let it dry for 2 weeks & covered it with Wurth satin black. It's a gorgeuos finish & matches perfectly the early rear valence that I bought last year.

Unfortunately, the spray gun was sent back to Gregg so he could redo his 72 911. Then he moved from Dayton to Redlands & lost interest in Porsches.

It is a low pressure gun, so should still be fairly inexpensive.

I can send picks of the finish if anyone is interested.

As to the roof, I suspect it was finished similarly. With many years of polishing & cleaning mine is shiney, yet nubby.

Pat

@burton73

brilliant post.