Well i have some good news. I went to a auto shop to see what paints they had and i found the following in Holts 'Powerplus' OEM touch up paints in spray cans. I could only see 2 that looked close as the colour on the cap is supposed to indicate paint colour. These were the only 2 that i really found to be close at all and there was many empty spots in their rack. I only saw PEZbergs post about Shanghai Red PJ5043 after i went so im not sure if they had that colour there at not. If they did i would have got a can of that to try.
These were the 2 colours i got with the
Holts - Powerplus part numbers in bold.
PJ4020 - 150g (not available in 350g cans)
Persian Sand Metallic – GM Holden 1974-75 – Paint code - 2G024, 15946
Cognac – Isuzu – 1987-89 – Paint code - 855, R901
PJ4030 – 150g or
PK4030 -350G
Cognac Metallic – GM Holden 1989-91 – Paint code – 855, 2G060
Persian Sand Metallic – GM Holden 1974-75 – Paint code – 15946
Kinver Sand – Landrover 1999 – Paint code – 609
Copper Bronze Metallic - Ford 1972-74 – Paint code – R
The cap on the PJ4020 was a very good match to the sample shock parts i took in but i knew that the cap was only a guide. The PJ4030 had on the cap 'copper bronze metallic' which sounded like it was a good colour to use but the cap colour didnt look very close at all. I was almost not going to get the PJ4030 but decided to at the last minute.
Under each part number i have listed what make of cars the colour suits and the manufacturers colour code and name. You will see that GM Holden has 2 paints called Persian Sand Metallic. I got the above applications from this Powerplus application catalogue here
http://wiki.r31skylineclub.com/images/f/f9/Paint-codes.pdf There may be more applications for these colours but this is just what Powerplus had listed that uses these 2 colours.
Im pretty sure the second to last column is the primer colour that should be used and the last column with ticks is if the colour eg a metallic or pearl, is ment to have a clear over top.
I got a couple bits of flat metal and sprayed them with a white/very light grey etch primer and then sprayed the 2 different colours side by side. I was surprised at how close they were to the Ohlins shock bodies i have with original paint on them still. The PJ4030 which had the cap colour i didnt think looked that close actually came out looking really close and not anything like the cap colour. Both the 4030 and the 4020 are a lot more closer to being right than the so called genuine Ohlins matched paint and the 2 colours have a more darker brown colour to them which is what i was looking for. Both colours are metallic and are supposed to have a clear over them. I havent decided what colour i will use yet and will do some more testing on round surfaces and see what it looks like with clear over top, but i am a lot happer now than i was this time last week. At this stage after comparing both colours in sunlight and shade, it is a tough decision. Both are not 100% the same as the original but both are close enough to be more than acceptable. I think im leaning towards the 4030 but next step is to paint some sample 3D objects as im sure the colour will look different to what it looks like on a flat surface. The 4020 looks a little bit darker than the 4030. I will also compare the 2 colours to some more older Ohlins remote reservoir shocks i have as i have only be comparing it to piggybacks from the early 80's.
When i was looking through the Powerplus application catalogue at the shop i read in there that the colour formulas come from
ICI Autocolor which is a division of Dulux or something. I looked up ICI Autocolour and came up with this
https://corporateportal.ppg.com/na/refinish/nexaautocolor They use a similar logo with the rainbow stripes but no longer use ICI.
If you go to
www.spieshecker.com.au and sign up there you can access colour formula information. If you search for any of the colour names, or manufacurers codes eg 15946 for GM holden you can find the 2 brown/bronze colours and can then order them from a paint shop in professional quality paints which is probably what i will do.
If you search for
Kinver Sand – Landrover 1999 – Paint code – 609 (which is Powerplus PJ4030) it comes up with a colour chip which roughly indicates the colour.
I couldnt find PEZbergs shangahi red colour in the Powerplus colour chart but that chart is from 2004 so the PJ5043 may be newer or only done in Duplicolor brand and not Powerplus. I couldnt find 'shanghai red' on the Spies Hecker website but if i knew what the Subaru colour code for Shagahi red was or what Subaru it is for then maybe i could find it there.
I have seen some Ohlins from around 82-85 on some bikes like Cagiva WMX which have been more of a dark red/maroon colour and not the brown/bronze colour. I think this may be a proper Ohlins colour too but im not really 100% sure? They may have used a couple different colours, but the colour i have been trying to match is the brown/bronze which seems to be the most common colour.
