Getting started needing help

[Musclec@rs]

I need help getting into the model car game.  I have my first one and there are no color guides.  I have made plenty of models before all using color guides and/or been able to get up close and personal with the source material.  Right now I have a 68 shelby on the bench. How do I figure out what color to paint the distributor cap, heads, transmission interior, etc. Please someone out there give me a hand.

[Ace-Garageguy]

With all due respect, Google image searches can get you "up close and personal" to just about anything you need to know about component colors.

For interior colors, you just need to decide on an exterior color, and find what interior colors were available from the factory (if you're building stock). If you're building custom, use any interior colors you want.

[THarrison351]

Google is a wonderful source:

https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&biw=1366&bih=664&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=L2AkXKOPHcjIsAXkvoSgAg&q=1968+shelby+mustang+engine&oq=1968+shelby+mustang+engine&gs_l=img.12...1147514.1161663..1163538...0.0..0.504.2107.24j1j5-1......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0j0i67j35i39j0i30j0i8i30.RCr61i7wPoc

https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&biw=1366&bih=664&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=6WQkXLe7Eqm8tgWVmKfYAw&q=1968+shelby+mustang+interior&oq=1968+shelby+mustang+interior&gs_l=img.12...10087.18435..20273...0.0..0.126.949.12j2......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......35i39j0i8i30.2qGXCZARNXw

 

[iamsuperdan]

Welcome!

 

Personally, I ignore colour guides in my kits, as quite often, they aren't accurate. I usually google image search my subject matter. I gather as many detailed pics as I can and match my kits up from there.

 

For example, if I google "1968 Shelby Mustang engine" these are my first two results.

Are they factory accurate? I don't know, but they are similar and represent actual cars. And would give me the colour schemes I'd be after.

 

 

 

[peteski]

Color guides?  That sounds like you are coming from the military (armor or airplane) modeling world.  In model car modeling world there aren't any painting guides.  Well, some model instructions do offer some rudimentary color guidance, but those are often inaccurate. As others have said, the Internet is your color guide, and then you can still decide to chose your own colors (within reason). 

Edited December 27, 2018 by peteski

[Musclec@rs]

Thanks for all the help. Peteski hit the nail on the head with where I am coming from.  I am trying to branch out though and that is why I am having issues using Google because it doesn't give me color names. I will try and do what you all have suggested and just try and match the colors with the images.

[Oldcarfan27]

Welcome to the world of model cars.

I know that military and aircraft modelers create some incredibly detailed models. Can't wait to see your builds, please post 'em when you've got 'em.

[Deathgoblin]

If it helps any:  Most older cars have a distributor cap made of bakelite/plastic and they're usually brown or black.  Some aftermarket ones might be different colors, but it's up to you.  Heads are usually engine color, but can be bare aluminum or steel.  I've done a couple of engines where the engine block was aluminum and the head/valve cover was black.  Transmissions vary as well.  Had a 1:1 1972 Buick where the engine/transmission were red, but we ended up having to replace the tranny with a junker that was blue.  I normally paint mine steel or aluminum.  This is all subjective depending on your own style.    Car interiors are a whole different ballgame.  Your best bet there is to look online for reference pics and find a color combo you can live with.  That same Buick was orange with a white vinyl top, seats and upper door panels, black carpets, lower door panels and dash with wood trim.  Sounds weird, but it was a beautiful car back in its day.  

[Tom Geiger]

My favorite source for detail photos is eBay Motors.  Sellers will post tons of photos of every detail of the car for sale.  Sometimes I just browse and save photos for future reference.  And if you don't find what you are looking for today,  check back in a week, it's a rolling inventory!  

[Ironman63]

My favorite resource is http://paintref.com/paintref/index.shtml .  It will show you the paint chips and interior color choices for the year and make of most any car, especially if it is American and '50s or newer.  When you find your color, click the link beside the color in the right-hand side menu and you can find the manufacturer's paint code along with the Ditzler and sometimes DuPont and Martin-Senour codes.

Find your interior choices from among the sheets of chips.  The interiors don't have a chip but they are listed by make and tell which should be semi-gloss, gloss or matte.

After you choose your color, google it and you can see what your choice looks like on a real car. 

Hope this helps!

[Rodent]

These are all great tips!

This is a generalization, but early Mustang underbodies were red oxide primer. Whatever body color got underneath during the painting process stayed. My 1:1 experience is almost 100% San Jose built cars, and Ford's processes notoriously varied from plant to plant. Most of the cars I have seen had pretty complete body color over the sound deadener in the rear wheel wells. Any outward-facing vertical surfaces like unibody frame rails were pretty well covered as well. Not much body color made it much further than that. All of the underhood sheetmetal was semigloss black. Front unibody rails typically have some black coverage from the underhood paint. Leaf springs were bare steel. Rear axle housings were semigloss black, but the dropout section was red oxide primer with a black bearing housing. Exhaust is bare steel, as were tie rods and the sway bar. Spindles were bare iron. Upper control arms were black. Lower control arms were originally dipped after the ball joint was installed, so the inner ends were black and the outer ends were bare. Fuel tank was galvanized steel.

1966-later engines were Ford blue. A Shelby most likely had an aluminum intake manifold. Most Ford automatics have a bare aluminum case and a steel pan. The exception in the early Mustang (69-73) is the FMX, which has a cast-iron case. Manuals (top-loader) have an aluminum bellhousing, bare iron case with an aluminum tailshaft housing. Driveshafts were bare steel.

Most of the cars you see in the internet are over-restored, but you will get ideas from looking at them.

[peteski]

For body color reference there is http://autocolorlibrary.com/

[tom q vaxy]

like any research project, how deep down the rabbit hole you go is only governed by your threshold for pain:  http://oldcarbrochures.com/

 

[Musclec@rs]

Just starting to get the engine finished up. Working on the interior as well but only at the primer level of that.