I have a taxi I am very fond of. Need to go get paint and clearkote... What to get and where to get it? After long deliberations I am sticking with the stock color.

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

You can put your VIN into the Russian website and it will tell you, or you can look at the stamped metal build tag under the hood next to the hood release latch and then go to this website to find your color. http://www.astralsilber.de/
The color code should be on the bottom left of the build tag. Attached is a photo the typical German taxi color

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

Ya unfortunately the russian site says my car doesnt exist. I have a feeling thats due to the fact that it was a taxi and wasnt sold to main stream consumers? I dont know. I'll check the tag.

Went to the site its def 623. What do I do with that? Where do I get the paint?

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

www.paintscratch.com has factory paint

I edited my last post to show a car in that color. Do a search on how to put the correct VIN into the Russian site. It is addressed here. You should be able to go to any automotive paint supplier and they will be able to match the paint. This color has been around for a long time so everyone should have it. To me a more important issue is what type of paint you are using. Acrylic enamel with hardener is a great way to go because it is not too expensive, is fairly easy to apply and after it cures in 30 days or so, you can actually wet sand and buff it to get a super smooth paint job. Lacquer is real easy to paint, but not nearly as durable as enamel with hardener. Urethane with hardener is more expensive but it is the paint they use on big rigs and airplanes. It is super durable.

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Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

How much? Do I need primer or just alot of base&clear coat (same color?). How many coats do I need? 2 or 3 of the base? 4 of clearkote(or more)?


I'm doing all the prep workmyself and there is a fair amount of damage to the body, nicks scratches and some rash.

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

Maybe get a video or a book. Painting cars is like any other trade. It is not rocket science, but it does require a fair amount of skill, and like anything, doing it day in and day out will make you good.

If you break a paint job down to three things:

1. Disassembly and reassembly of the car in order to prep and paint. This is the step that most body shops are worst at. They just want to paint, not take things apart and put them back on. It take time. That is why Earl Scheib masks everything. You can do this better than most every body shop.

2. Rust and damage repair. This is the hardest part that includes welding, metal banging, bondo and filleting repairs. This step is all about getting everything as smooth as possible. If you don't do good here it will show up in the form of uneven seams, visible bondo repairs, rust popping out later and an overall lack of straightness of the body.

3. Priming and painting. This is not so hard with the correct equipment and facilities. A home made paint booth can be made from 2x3 lumber, fluorescent lights, some plastic sheeting, paper filter elements and an exhast fan. A good compressor with a dryer to keep moisture out of the air will also be needed. There have been big advances in paint gun technology in the last few years. These new guns have much less overspray which equates to more paint on the panel and less waste. Maybe if you can do steps 1 and 2, you can have a shop do step 3 for you for a few hundred dollars. All the time will be in steps 1 and 2 so they have the biggest potential for savings.

If I may suggest that you keep adding to this post as your job progresses so we can see your step by step progress.

Good Luck. Oh by the way, does your car have the dash that once held the taximeter? I saw it in the Russian EPC.

Oh I forgot to answer one of your questions. If the paint is not metallic, you should not need a clearcoat. Usually that is just for metallics.

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Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

Ive got a buddy who owns a metal shop who is going to do the paint. One of his underlings is going to do it, she doesn't do cars per se, more artistic metal painting but I figure she should have the skills. I just need to the bondoing and sanding etc. And paint ordering. How much? More than a pint less than a gallon?

The dash was retrofitted along with radio when it was federalized. The only clue I have to it being a taxi other than the color is the lack of rear seat belts and that I read that in 83 the only NA's that were made were taxis until the 190s became the std taxi in 85 (or so)

I wanted clearkote for that super nice finish.

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

I ordered a 12.5oz spray can of DB930 Silver Blue Metallic Clearcoat paint for my car. I have a bunch of places that need some touching up. $32.90 with shipping, thats a lot of paint though, should last me a while/do the job. Plus, its the real MB color! Not "GM frost blue" that I had been using....

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

from paintscratch.com?

Gallon of paint + quart of hardener should be plenty. Same thing for primer. You can also use epoxy primer which is better quality, but harder to sand. I have typed all this stuff but I am not a paint and body guy. I have a good friend who worked his way through college doing paint and body. He is awesome and did Porsches and Ferraris and a few of his own. I saw him transform a BMW 320i from a wreck to a beautiful car. My buddy used Cadillac gold bondo I think. He likes the way it feathers and sands.

Maybe someone here on the forum has real world experience doing this. I know my information is just a general guideline.

__________________
Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

Yep!

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

i guess ill get my paint from them... im going to reshoot my car in mocca

I appreciate it. I have done some very basic body stuff in past with decent results. Mostly longer term rust prevention...

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42