Paint: 66 grille paint

[Scott]

I'm thinking about freshening up the black in my 66 Cruiser's grille sections. Does anybody know if this is a true flat black or is it something with a little gloss in it? Does anyone have a brand or color number they can recommend?

[StudeRich]

It looks more Semi-Gloss Black and Commanders had different Paint Trim than Cruisers.

[Scott]

Well, I have a can of Krylon indoor outdoor semi-flat paint. I wonder if that would look pretty good. I also wonder if semi-flat = semi-gloss.

[JimC]

Semi-flat is what some companies might call an egg shell finish. It lands between flat and satin. semi-gloss is somewhere between satin and gloss. All things being equal, you should notice the difference.

Thant said, not all things are equal. Different companies have different standards for sheens. Some sheens from the same manufacturer can vary by the batch. How noticeable it will be if it's not the right sheen depends heavily on whether it's sitting up next to something that is the right sheen. For a grille sitting out all by it's lonesome, you should be fine. My only concern would be that more flat paints degrade in quality more quickly. A semi flat won't hold up through nearly as many carwashes as a semi gloss. Of course, again, it's a grille. It's not as if it's super hard to remove it and repaint it as often as you'd like. Heck, you could paint it an oddball color just to see what you think sometime without too much worry.

[Corvanti]

i used Rustoleum "Trim & Bumper" paint on one of my non-Studebaker car grilles. it comes in "Matte Black" which seems to give a satin to semi-gloss shine. a little wax a couple weeks later and it looked pretty good.

[Scott]

Semi-flat is what some companies might call an egg shell finish. It lands between flat and satin. semi-gloss is somewhere between satin and gloss. All things being equal, you should notice the difference.

Thant said, not all things are equal. Different companies have different standards for sheens. Some sheens from the same manufacturer can vary by the batch. How noticeable it will be if it's not the right sheen depends heavily on whether it's sitting up next to something that is the right sheen. For a grille sitting out all by it's lonesome, you should be fine. My only concern would be that more flat paints degrade in quality more quickly. A semi flat won't hold up through nearly as many carwashes as a semi gloss. Of course, again, it's a grille. It's not as if it's super hard to remove it and repaint it as often as you'd like. Heck, you could paint it an oddball color just to see what you think sometime without too much worry.

I don't think I'd paint it an oddball color, but you got me thinking. I have never, ever seen anyone use a different color on the 66 grilles. You'd think someone would have, but I've never seen it done. I'll probably just go get a can of semi-gloss, now that you bring up the durability issue.

Thanks.