'54 Polo White?

[Kip]

Dad's ready to paint his restored '54 and bought paint for it. It is Rinshed Mason stock number RM357 and the color code they gave us is GM718 Polo White. The trouble is it looks very "creamy" in color compared to any other white. Various people have told us that "Yup they were a creamy color" and yet other Corvette "experts" have told us they were "white as a refrigerator". Does anyone out there know what the correct color code for this car is? Thanks for the help.

 

[WayneC]

I can only give you the original codes from Noland Adams' book:

Rinshed Mason L23W001 or DuPont 253-53082

I've also seen it listed as DuPont 57758

Here's the closest I could find on the internet (they don't have Corvette chips from that era):

http://autocolorlibrary.com/cgi-bin/search/searchpic.pl?1955-chevrolet-pg01.jpg

Sorry, I don't know how to translate those to current formulas, nor can I trust my own memory as to just how "white" the Polo White was, although I don't think it was as "white as a refrigerator".

 

[ChuckG]

Hi Kip. Sounds like things are progressing! Regarding Polo White, IMHO it is a bit creamy, not stark refrigerator white.

Here's the problem....even if you have the original formula, the new lead free paints and lead free tinting pigments are different. There's no guarantee that the color you get today is the original color.

Also, paint chips fade/degrade over the years. Even if you found an original car to "scan", that color would not be the same as it was when originally sprayed.

SO...do the best that you can. Chuck

 

[WayneC]

Here's a reply to the same question you are asking... I just dug it out of the NCRS archives (so don't ask ME what it means!):


PPG: US GOVERNMENT WHITE DDL829 (1 GALLON -CUMULATIVE, PART)

Tinting information for US Government (Polo) White:

DMA311 WHITE ------ 4430.8 --- 4430.8

DMA382 YELLOW --- 4446.8 --- 16.0

DMA314 YELLOW --- 4471.2 --- 24.4

DMA346 BLACK ------ 4503.6 --- 32.4

 

[JohnZ]

I just posted the original codes for '53-'57 Polo White in response to your question in the General Technical or General Restoration forum, for Ditzler, R-M, and DuPont Duco.

 

[mike weyman]

i was lucky enough to see first hand an original 1954 vette, I would have to say it is just a slight shade of cream. it would seem pure white until you put it next to something really white.