AnubisGuard
Master Member
None that I'm aware of.
The search for a Plasti-Kote GM7173 equivalent...
- Thread starter AnubisGuard
- Start date
None that I'm aware of.
AnubisGuard
Master Member
Bump! Cross posting this from another thread where people are trying to find a match:
This version of GM15 aka GM15U aka WA914K, looks promising. No idea if it's from before '98 but the color chip is a warm medium gray, so it's on the right track.
expresspaint.com
I just ordered a can and will report back on how it compares once I get it.
This version of GM15 aka GM15U aka WA914K, looks promising. No idea if it's from before '98 but the color chip is a warm medium gray, so it's on the right track.
Medium Gray Metallic 15/15U/WA914K for GM
2WayPen (.3 oz.) by ExpressPaint combines two paint repair pens into one cost-effective solution for fairly small nicks and scratches .One side of the 2WayPen is your factory-matched color; the other side contains high-quality clearcoat. Other Available sizes (Clearcoat not included and it is...
expresspaint.com
I just ordered a can and will report back on how it compares once I get it.
AnubisGuard
Master Member
I got my hands on a dealership paint chip book covering 1981 through 1995 and checked all the GM color chips to find the best matches. See results and comparison photos in this post.
The long and the short of it is that Plasti-Kote GM7173 Silver Sand Metallic was probably intended as a match for the 1984 code W15 Silver Sand Poly, aka WA8311. It's damn close, off by only the smallest degree of saturation (7173 being slightly warmer than W15.)
The long and the short of it is that Plasti-Kote GM7173 Silver Sand Metallic was probably intended as a match for the 1984 code W15 Silver Sand Poly, aka WA8311. It's damn close, off by only the smallest degree of saturation (7173 being slightly warmer than W15.)
AnubisGuard
Master Member
WA8311 appears to be the color Plasti-Kote was matching. It's the closest match in the vintage dealership color chip book I bought; in another thread someone ordered a can and it was basically indistinguishable once sprayed.
cg303
New Member
Very cool! Does it require a second color misted over it?
AnubisGuard
Master Member
Nope! See my edit to the first post, it's got a link to another member who bought a can. It's extraordinary close to a screenused prop.
cg303
New Member
I appreciate the hard work you put into this, and the help thank you.
Redrocirt
New Member
I love the threads about the color hunt. What a rabbit hole. Thank you for digging deeper and deeper.
I‘m looking for equivalents in Europe.
One thing I didn't know, and learned while looking up some color code references: “Dupli-Color” in the US (and Canada, Mexico, Australia?) is a completely different brand/company than “Dupli-Color” in the european market (a brand of “European Aerosols”). They have different color codes.
“Dupli-Color” (US) sells automotive paints in the “Perfect Match” color series.
“PlastiKote” in the US is now a brand of “Dupli-Color” (US), while it still seems to be a separate company in other countries.
“Dupli-Color” (EU) sells automotive paints in two different series. They have something similar to “Perfect Match”, it’s called “Auto Spray Classic”, trying to match the exact colors of different car brands. And then there is a more universal series, just called “Auto Color” with a wide range of colors that work for different car types. I could get a color reference fan of the “Auto Color” series and will try to dig deeper in this direction. “Motip” is another brand of “European Aerosols”, also with a wide range of car colors.
And if I got it correctly from other threads, “Dupli-Color” is not available in the UK (neither the US nor the EU brands) - “Halfords” seems to be the main brand for car spray paints in the UK? // Edit: “Halfords Matched Colours” are supplied by “James Briggs Ltd.” (JBL). This company also sells automotive paint with the “Hycote” brand.
The "Krylon" brand spray paint, whose Dove/Stone Gray was used for older TNG props, is (afaik) also only available in the US - are there any alternatives of other brands known already?
I‘m looking for equivalents in Europe.
One thing I didn't know, and learned while looking up some color code references: “Dupli-Color” in the US (and Canada, Mexico, Australia?) is a completely different brand/company than “Dupli-Color” in the european market (a brand of “European Aerosols”). They have different color codes.
“Dupli-Color” (US) sells automotive paints in the “Perfect Match” color series.
“PlastiKote” in the US is now a brand of “Dupli-Color” (US), while it still seems to be a separate company in other countries.
“Dupli-Color” (EU) sells automotive paints in two different series. They have something similar to “Perfect Match”, it’s called “Auto Spray Classic”, trying to match the exact colors of different car brands. And then there is a more universal series, just called “Auto Color” with a wide range of colors that work for different car types. I could get a color reference fan of the “Auto Color” series and will try to dig deeper in this direction. “Motip” is another brand of “European Aerosols”, also with a wide range of car colors.
And if I got it correctly from other threads, “Dupli-Color” is not available in the UK (neither the US nor the EU brands) - “Halfords” seems to be the main brand for car spray paints in the UK? // Edit: “Halfords Matched Colours” are supplied by “James Briggs Ltd.” (JBL). This company also sells automotive paint with the “Hycote” brand.
The "Krylon" brand spray paint, whose Dove/Stone Gray was used for older TNG props, is (afaik) also only available in the US - are there any alternatives of other brands known already?
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Redrocirt
New Member
Some results of my color research within the European Aerosols brands:
(and a few others that are more beige or brown)
Was “WA8311” a typo and you ment “WA8331”?
This is what the Auto Color example of ID 70-0810 looks like (top with clear coat, bottom without):
“GM 36” was a code with a lot of other colors and variants over the years, I didn't follow that path.
Next I look up the “GM 15” variants:
Interestingly, some Auto-Color IDs overlap here, there are 6 spray colors for the 8 “GM 15” types. This is what the Auto Color examples in the color fan look like:
10-0111 and 10-0125 are both very light silver tones and look very similar, so I photographed them side by side. 10-0125 is a little darker and bluer:
Next the darker colors:
70-0160 is a bit warmer/brownish, while 70-0170 seems to be more neutral/bluish:
70-0220 is definitly bluish:
And 70-0370 is also bluish but much darker:
Of course, these pictures were taken in different lighting conditions and do not reflect the color you see in reality. But one can get a first impression. Unfortunately, I don't have a sample of the original 7173 (or the darker 7179) to compare it directly to the color fan.
I would exclude the first two colors (10-0111 and 10-0125), as well as the last one (70-0370), because they are too light or too dark.
70-0220 (equivalent for GM15W) looks quite promising, although it has a slight blue tint. As for the others, I'm not sure yet...
- Searching for the General Motors color codes “7173” or “7179” of PlastiKote: No matches.
- Searching for “WA8311” or just “8311”: No matches.
- Searching for “silver sand”: No matches.
- Searching just for “sand” returns some results for silver/gray GM colors:
| GM color code | Color description | Year | Had Variants | Dupli-Color (EU) Auto-Color ID | AC 400ml Art.No. | Motip 400ml Art.No. | Unreliable RGB Demo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WA8331 | MEDIUM SAND GRAY MET. | 1983-1984 | No | 70-0810 | 605864 | 51086 | ▇ #67665E |
36 | MEDIUM SAND GRAY MET. | 1983-1984 | Yes | 70-0810 | 605864 | 51086 | ▇ #67665E |
Was “WA8311” a typo and you ment “WA8331”?
This is what the Auto Color example of ID 70-0810 looks like (top with clear coat, bottom without):
“GM 36” was a code with a lot of other colors and variants over the years, I didn't follow that path.
Next I look up the “GM 15” variants:
| GM color code | Color description | Year | Had Variants | Dupli-Color (EU) Auto-Color ID | AC 400ml Art.No. | Motip 400ml Art.No. | Unreliable RGB Demo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 | SILVER MET. 2C | 1985-1996 | Yes | 10-0111 | 807435 | 55265 | ▇ #9A9A92 |
15 | SILVER PLATINIUM MET. | 1976-1980 | Yes | 10-0125 | 807510 | 55350 | ▇ #93948D |
15 | MEDIUM GRAY MET. | 1985-1993 | Yes | 70-0160 | 808470 | 51071 | ▇ #5B5A54 |
15 | MEDIUM GRAY MET. | 1985-1991 | Yes | 70-0170 | 685484 | N/A | ▇ #484843 |
15 | MEDIUM GRAY MET. | 1985-1991 | Yes | 70-0370 | N/A | 51085 | ▇ #525451 |
15C | MEDIUM GRAY MET. 2C | 1988-1993 | Yes | 70-0160 | 808470 | 51071 | ▇ #5B5A54 |
15E | GRAY MET. | 1985-1985 | No | 70-0160 | 808470 | 51071 | ▇ #5B5A54 |
15W | MEDIUM GRAY MET. | 1985-1985 | No | 70-0220 | 720550 | 51038 | ▇ #5A5E5A |
Interestingly, some Auto-Color IDs overlap here, there are 6 spray colors for the 8 “GM 15” types. This is what the Auto Color examples in the color fan look like:
10-0111 and 10-0125 are both very light silver tones and look very similar, so I photographed them side by side. 10-0125 is a little darker and bluer:
Next the darker colors:
70-0160 is a bit warmer/brownish, while 70-0170 seems to be more neutral/bluish:
70-0220 is definitly bluish:
And 70-0370 is also bluish but much darker:
Of course, these pictures were taken in different lighting conditions and do not reflect the color you see in reality. But one can get a first impression. Unfortunately, I don't have a sample of the original 7173 (or the darker 7179) to compare it directly to the color fan.
I would exclude the first two colors (10-0111 and 10-0125), as well as the last one (70-0370), because they are too light or too dark.
70-0220 (equivalent for GM15W) looks quite promising, although it has a slight blue tint. As for the others, I'm not sure yet...
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AnubisGuard
Master Member
Alas not. 8311 is correct.
Some other folks in Europe have mention Vauxhall Smoke Grey as a close match. See here.
Do you have a sample of 7173 to compare with your color chips? It's basically impossible to color match these metallic colors off of photos, as I've learned.
Redrocirt
New Member
No, unfortunately I do not have a sample for comparison. At the moment, I can only try to find something suitable via the color codes.
Vauxhall Smoke Grey looks nice - would be this in the European Aerosols chart:
The Auto-Color ID 10-0230 is also listed as replacement spray paint for these GM models (might be helpful when looking for alternatives with other spray paint brands):
(and approx. 30 other car brands/models)
WA9789 (GM14) would be Dupli-Color (US) 5 oz. LIGHT GRAY MET. DSGM435
Dreamscape mentioned, that he also added a light dusting of Audi Dakota Grey. That would be this:
(would be HYCOTE XDAD505 matching AUDI LY1P/Y7, or Halfords 323286 matching AUDI LZ7S/6Y, I guess)
There is no Auto-Color ID for this AUDI color available, so no photo of a color chip. I'm guessing that dusting this color makes the Smoky Gray a little darker and adds a brownish tint? Dusting/misting a spray paint is difficult to reproduce anyway.
Other search results:
(and approx. 40 other car brands/models)
It is a bit more bluish compared to the Smoke Grey:
Vauxhall Smoke Grey looks nice - would be this in the European Aerosols chart:
| VAUXHALL Color Code | Color Description | Year | Had Variants | Dupli-Color (EU) Auto-Color ID | AC 400ml Art.No. | Motip 400ml Art.No. | Unreliable RGB Demo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
96L / 96U | SMOKE GREY | 1992-2000 | Yes | 10-0230 | 605796 | 55120 | ▇ #797B75 |
The Auto-Color ID 10-0230 is also listed as replacement spray paint for these GM models (might be helpful when looking for alternatives with other spray paint brands):
| Color Code | Color Description | Year | Had Variants |
|---|---|---|---|
WA7565 | MED. BRIGHT ARGENT MET. 2C | 1991-1993 | Yes |
WA9789 | LIGHT GRAY MET. 2C | 1998-2007 | Yes |
WA9789 (GM14) would be Dupli-Color (US) 5 oz. LIGHT GRAY MET. DSGM435
Dreamscape mentioned, that he also added a light dusting of Audi Dakota Grey. That would be this:
| AUDI Color Code | Color Description | Year | Had Variants | Dupli-Color (EU) Auto-Color ID | AC 400ml Art.No. | Motip 400ml Art.No. | Unreliable RGB Demo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LY1P / Y1P / Y7 | DAKOTAGRAU | 2010-2018 | Yes | N/A | N/A | 51047 | ▇ #534F43 |
There is no Auto-Color ID for this AUDI color available, so no photo of a color chip. I'm guessing that dusting this color makes the Smoky Gray a little darker and adds a brownish tint? Dusting/misting a spray paint is difficult to reproduce anyway.
Other search results:
- Searching “WA9924” or “9924” (= “GM03” = Dupli Color (US) “MED. MARBLEHEAD MET.” DSGM478): No matches for Dupli-Color (EU)
- Searching “WA8358” or “8358” (“SILVER SAND MET.” mentioned here): No matches (not for Dupli-Color EU and not for Dupli-Color US)
| Car Brand | Color Code | Color Description | Year | Had Variants | Dupli-Color (EU) Auto-Color ID | AC 400ml Art.No. | Motip 400ml Art.No. | Unreliable RGB Demo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GM | WA9966 | ARGENT | 1993-1993 | No | 70-0020 | 565823 | 55130 | ▇ #80817A |
It is a bit more bluish compared to the Smoke Grey:
AnubisGuard
Master Member
Do you want one? I've got an old tackle box I painted in 7173 and I could cut a small chip from it. I don't imagine it would be too expensive to mail to Europe.
Redrocirt
New Member
Thank you for the sample, AnubisGuard!
Unfortunately, the dreary winter weather still makes it a bit difficult to compare colors outdoors. BUT I got access to a light box with standardised D50 and D65 lights (and even UV light). I took the chance to compare the 7173 sample with the Dupli-Color (EU) Auto Color chips.
First of all, the colors I thought could hit Plasti-Kote GM7173 were often way off. 7173 is darker and with a more redish tone than I had expected.
Quick notes on color IDs from my first posts (in the order mentioned there):
10-0230: too light and no redish tint
70-0020: too light and bluish/greenish
There is a whole range of colors that look similar at first quick glance in certain lighting conditions, but from different angles and in different lighting conditions they don't match:
10-0113: too light (and just silver, no redish tint)
10-0119: too light and no redish tint
10-0210: too bluish
20-0589: too bluish
20-0590: too dark. Perhaps a candidate for a 7179 alternative?
30-0620: too yellowish/greenish (especially with clear coat)
70-0020: too light and bluish/greenish
70-0060: too dark
70-0091: too dark and bluish
70-0093: too light and yellowish
70-0095: close, but a little bit too bluish
70-0240: also close, but a little bit too bluish
70-0795: too light
70-0045: close, but a little bit too light and a little bit of the redish is missing
Article no for the 400ml can is 535482 (Dupli Color EU)
Interestingly, a greater difference is visible when looking at the photos than when looking at them by eye
70-0055: also close, but a bit too dark and not enough redish tint
Article no for the 400ml can is 535468 (Dupli Color EU)
70-0350: Very close, just a little tiny bit too dark. But the reddish tint seems to be correct.
Article no for the 400ml can is 576911 (Dupli Color EU)
70-0350 is really close... outdoor test (winter, cloudy, in shadow):
I'll wait for better weather in the spring/summer to test these colors in better outdoor light.
Unfortunately, the dreary winter weather still makes it a bit difficult to compare colors outdoors. BUT I got access to a light box with standardised D50 and D65 lights (and even UV light). I took the chance to compare the 7173 sample with the Dupli-Color (EU) Auto Color chips.
First of all, the colors I thought could hit Plasti-Kote GM7173 were often way off. 7173 is darker and with a more redish tone than I had expected.
Quick notes on color IDs from my first posts (in the order mentioned there):
- 70-0810: too bluish
- 10-0111: way too light (and just silver, no redish tint)
- 10-0125: way too light (and just silver, no redish tint)
- 70-0160: too dark and bluish
- 70-0170: also too dark and bluish
- 70-0220: too bluish
- 70-0320: way too dark and bluish
10-0230: too light and no redish tint
70-0020: too light and bluish/greenish
There is a whole range of colors that look similar at first quick glance in certain lighting conditions, but from different angles and in different lighting conditions they don't match:
10-0113: too light (and just silver, no redish tint)
10-0119: too light and no redish tint
10-0210: too bluish
20-0589: too bluish
20-0590: too dark. Perhaps a candidate for a 7179 alternative?
30-0620: too yellowish/greenish (especially with clear coat)
70-0020: too light and bluish/greenish
70-0060: too dark
70-0091: too dark and bluish
70-0093: too light and yellowish
70-0095: close, but a little bit too bluish
70-0240: also close, but a little bit too bluish
70-0795: too light
And these are my favorites (as of now):
70-0045: close, but a little bit too light and a little bit of the redish is missing
Article no for the 400ml can is 535482 (Dupli Color EU)
Interestingly, a greater difference is visible when looking at the photos than when looking at them by eye
70-0055: also close, but a bit too dark and not enough redish tint
Article no for the 400ml can is 535468 (Dupli Color EU)
70-0350: Very close, just a little tiny bit too dark. But the reddish tint seems to be correct.
Article no for the 400ml can is 576911 (Dupli Color EU)
70-0350 is really close... outdoor test (winter, cloudy, in shadow):
I'll wait for better weather in the spring/summer to test these colors in better outdoor light.
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AnubisGuard
Master Member
Yeah, that one looks great. I'd be happy with it in a pinch.
Redrocirt
New Member
It is "Dupli Color - Auto Color", but not the US brand.
It is the brand from European Aerosols, available in a lot of countries in the EU.
Auto-Color (Kombi) - www.service.european-aerosols.com
The spray paint cans are sold in local hardware stores and bike/car repair shops.
The article number of the 400ml spray paint can of 70-0350 is 576911
It is the brand from European Aerosols, available in a lot of countries in the EU.
Auto-Color (Kombi) - www.service.european-aerosols.com
The spray paint cans are sold in local hardware stores and bike/car repair shops.
The article number of the 400ml spray paint can of 70-0350 is 576911
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cg303
New Member
Oh, ok. Do you know what the US number would be? Is it the 576911 number?
Redrocirt
New Member
No sorry, the EU and US versions of Dupli-Color are two different brands with different products and color systems.
I could't find any of the car models (that are listed on the EU website for 70-0350) on the "Perfect match" US website.
As for the US market, see AnubisGuard post:
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