WELTING UPDATE 2/12/2024:
I have been working on the Martinique Blue and Atlantis Blue Metallic samples and have had some input from some of you that have original paint Martinique blue cars. Thanks to Keith Kinowski and Don Bassman for their help with Martinique Blue and Atlantis Blue metallic respectively. thanks to Don Wolting who provided me with parts from his car that I think he owned since new and is still in original paint.
What I'm seeing is the current color for Martinique Blue is slightly different from the original recipe GM used. I think the slight difference is exacerbated by the 30+ years of exposure to the elements. My experience with matching blue paint is that it is very difficult to get an exact match. This was the case with the Lucerne Blue Welting and I imagine I will have the same difficulty with Martinique.
Below is a photo of my paint sample compared to the underside of the trunk of one of Keith Kinowski's cars. You can see it is slightly richer looking and the metallic component is much more prevalent. Some of the differenc is due to the fineness of the metallic component as well as the modern base coat clearcoat systems give the paint much more depth. I think it is a pretty good match.
Also, see the attached photos of the parts Dow Wolting sent me. One was a section of original welting from his car. It had darkened with age so I turner it over to expose the back side, which was not as weathered. The original welting appears darker than the paint. this may be because there isn't a metallic component to the vinyl when extruded. So, it does not have much reflective capabilities. This is what I suspect I am seeing, and I would like to know what you think? Martinique Blue guys especially. Did your original welting appear slightly darker than your original paint?
On Atlantis Blue Metallic, the new formulation appears to be lighter and not quite as greeny (if that is a word). I am not happy with what I have been able to turn up for this color so far. Don Bassman, who provided the comparison to original paint cars agrees with me. So we are on hold for this color for now.
Goldenrod Yellow is waiting for me to be able to make a trek to a friend of mine that has one for me to inspect on-site.
That is where I am currently. Any feedback is welcome. Thanks again.
James Andrews
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