which blue is darker

can anyone tell me which blue has the darkest in color, b-5 , b-7, or QQ-1,,,,reason i want to know is i see one car they tell me its b-5 ,,,i see another which looks lighter in color and they tell me its b-5 also,,just checking it out before i buy paint

B7 is the darkest. QQ1 and B5 are very close to the same

B5 and QQ1 are about the same, but i think QQ1 is a shade darker...B7 is def. the darkest.

Here's a link to the Hamtramck Historical website, there's a paint chip section a little more than halfway down...

http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/library-2.shtml :icon_pidu:
(http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/library-2.shtml)

When did QQ1 become blue? My 66 Belvedere II is QQ1 which is Dark Red Poly.

Don

Must have changed in '68.

From the Hamtramck Historical website...

First two pics are from '67, last one is from '68.

I have a '68 GTX that is QQ1 and its bright blue metallic.

man this site is a big help ,,thanks

can anyone tell me which blue has the darkest in color, b-5 , b-7, or QQ-1,,,,reason i want to know is i see one car they tell me its b-5 ,,,i see another which looks lighter in color and they tell me its b-5 also,,just checking it out before i buy paint

Maybe the seemingly lighter B-5 blue was actually B-3 blue ???

Maybe the seemingly lighter B-5 blue was actually B-3 blue ???

Another thing to consider is the year of the color. B5 for example changed several times in the 70's. EB5 (69-70) is lighter them GB5 introduced in 71. GB5 was carried through 73 I believe, and 74 had KB5 which again was a tad lighter than GB5 but darker than EB5. My 76 is MB5 again a different shade.

When getting paint mixed be sure of the year you want to use to get the closest match to original.

b-5 in 69 and b-5 in 70 are actually a little different shade also .

so which year do you think has the most darker b-5 ? and is QQ-1 darker then all b-5 years ?,,thanks

I would say 71 as far as B5 goes. I am not familiar with QQ-1

I've got an original paint 69 Dodge and the B5 on it is lighter than any of the repainted cars I see at shows. I'm thinking some of todays manufacturers have changed the recipe or as several posters have pointed out, there's different colors for different years and the paint stores aren't aware of the differences. I'm wondering if say Dupont and PPG have colors that would actually match up when compared to each other. Eventually I'll end up restoring the car but would really like to know if any company can actually match the color correctly?

It also depends on the color of sealer under it and how the metal flake lays! This is PPG 2019 over gray sealer on an overcast day and a sunny morning

Some other contributing factors to variations in metalic colors are>>> The percentage of thinners used to mix the paint, distance of the gun from the panel, air pressure used, the speed in which the gun is moved across the panel, the settings of the gun and different guns just spray differently.

to me 1970 B-5 is a shade darker

b-5 in 69 and b-5 in 70 are actually a little different shade also .

Both 1969 & 1970 codes are "EB5" and are exactly the same mixes AFAIK...

As mentioned previously, other variations like application pressure, angle of application, etc can make a very noticeable difference. That is why you never want to paint parts like doors laying horizontally... If the are not on the car when painted, the doors, fenders, etc should be painted mounted in the same orientation they will be in when installed on the car, and also painted at the same time more or less.

Another factor is that it is difficult to get the back-in-the-day look using the modern paint systems, so some painters resort to custom paint matching. Some talented mixers/painters have excellent results, but most end up worse off than if they had just used the formula...

Non metallic paint colors like FY1 have little of the problems that colors like EB5 have related to application methods.

Just what I have been told and in some cases seen demonstrated by excellent painters, one being a paint shop supervisor at the GM plant in Arlington, Texas.

XS

THIS SHOULD BE A STICKY. Color shade question come up often.

Often times colors look different today from day one paint because of the changes in paint over the years. You can't trust using the original paint code with new paints as it will look different than the original colors. Changes in paint ingredients because of the EPA has changed some of this and the base coat/clear coat products is responsible for some of it.

It is best to have an original paint chip from an original color sheet with the painted shiney chip or original factory color and upholstery book to have color matched to get the correct color appearance.

Even back in the day these cars were painted new there were variations in the same colors. In addition to some of the other things stated regarding paint variations in above posts, I will add this. This was due to many things like humidity, and the technique of the guy painting it on any given day especially on metallic pains as the metallic would flop a different way or how well the paint was mixed at the time it was shot. In fact, you will also see shade variations for the same color in the same year factory color and upholstery books with the painted chips because of the same reason.

B5 is the same color for all years with that color. The E in front of the B5 is showing the first year introduction of the color beginning in 1969 model year and used in other subsequent years.

The 67-68 QQ1 is the same as the B5 except more of an "electric blue" if that makes any sense to you.

Wow! I don't know if you've helped olebrowndodge but you have me! Nice to hear from some folks with experience! There was a 69 Daytona Charger at the 2010 Nationals that I believe won "best in class", as they had him lined up with the other winners on Sunday morning. His B5 was a perfect match for my car. I'd be interested in hearing what, if any insight he or possibly his painter, would have to share on this.
Moparstuart was at Monster Mopar for this picture when they lined up the wingcars and guests. I'm wondering if the Superbird is B7 blue? It sure looks darker but sun light at different angles may change that.

Wow! I don't know if you've helped olebrowndodge but you have me! Nice to hear from some folks with experience! There was a 69 Daytona Charger at the 2010 Nationals that I believe won "best in class", as they had him lined up with the other winners on Sunday morning. His B5 was a perfect match for my car. I'd be interested in hearing what, if any insight he or possibly his painter, would have to share on this.
Moparstuart was at Monster Mopar for this picture when they lined up the wingcars and guests. I'm wondering if the Superbird is B7 blue? It sure looks darker but sun light at different angles may change that.

Superbirds only came in B-5 I have several friends with original paint superbirds and the B-5 in 70 looks darker on all of them ??? Just my observation . I'm sure allens numbers are correct but I know the cars i have seen look darker ? maybe age on original paint ??

Superbirds only came in B-5 I have several friends with original paint superbirds and the B-5 in 70 looks darker on all of them ??? Just my observation . I'm sure allens numbers are correct but I know the cars i have seen look darker ? maybe age on original paint ??

I may be B5, angle and light do weird things to the color. Your over all picture is a little dark and it has a black top. Here is mine again at sunset just to show the changes

Lighting, paint type, paint age, application conditions, and several other factors can affect the look of a painted car. Also, several painters have told me that the metallics available now are slightly different from those back-in-the-day. The size and shape of the particles is apparently a little different due to manufacturing techniques used now. I would assume even back then, paint suppliers may have gotten components from different suppliers, and certainly many different painters using their favorite techniques were involved in the painting process, so variations had to occur.

Over two years ago when my EB5 colored 1969 Charger 500 project was getting to the point that I needed to start thinking about paint materials, I spent several weeks immersed in EB5 Blue "research"... see the dates on the attached photos. In the end, it was clear to me that the formula based paint was the best & safest material to use, and that adjustments could be made by modifying the application technique.

In the attached pictures below, the first shows comparing a formula based painted part (from a 1970 Road Runner in work at that time) to a protected area at the base of the windshield frame where the factory paint looked fresh. The second picture shows a series of test sprays at different pressures to see the visual differences... the changes were readily visible to the eye, but the camera does not capture them well. The third picture shows when we ran into trouble with a custom match mixing attempt, by that time we were doing comparisons to EB7, GB5, and any original or formula painted parts we could get our hands on. I even brought in an "expert" in B5 paint, my friend "B5 Dale" who has even named his engineering consulting company "B5 Design LLC". After a couple of weeks, I was back to square one, using the formal mix and only adjusting the application technique. The final picture just shows comparisons were made indifferent lighting conditions and to virtually anything available... everything had a slightly different look...

Since then the C500 project has sputtered, but is now finally on the verge of getting exterior color applied. I purchased the final batch of material a few days ago, so the paint application should occur in the next few weeks... I will start updating my restoration thread on DC.Com by this weekend.

XS

I'm in the same boat guys. Thanks to everyone for all of the very useful info. I wish it wasn't so complicated. I too have been researching the B5 color because I saw a few B5 painted '69's that I wasn't too crazy about, then I saw a '68 painted exactly the way I want my car to look. See photo below. When I asked the guy by email about the paint, he said all he knows is that he told his paint guy to paint it '68 B5 blue. I've since asked him if he can send me the painter's ph# so I can talk to him and I'm still waiting.

Can anyone confirm by this photo if it looks like it could be the 2019 B5 color? The way the paint looks on the curves of the front of the hood, it's almost as if there's some pearl in there, but I'm sure lighting may have something to do with it. I really like the richness of the paint in this photo.

you all have helped a lot, i think im gonna go with 68 year b-5

you all have helped a lot, i think im gonna go with 68 year b-5


Your adding to your own confusing here, the 1968 bright "electric blue" color is NOT B5 but rather QQ1. B5 did not begin until 1969.

So I heard back from the owner of the '68 shown in the photo I posted above. He says the paint shop told him it was '68 B5 Blue. Since there was technically no "B-5" for '68, as the last poster said, the closest '68 color would likely have been QQ1. Regardless of that, does anyone have an opinion from experience on whether the photo above looks more like QQ1 or the 2019 code blue color?

:confused:

How about EE-1

found some more helpful charts but dont know how to get them on here , maybe one of you can post them,,,go to oldride.com click on library then on car you want

So I heard back from the owner of the '68 shown in the photo I posted above. He says the paint shop told him it was '68 B5 Blue. Since there was technically no "B-5" for '68, as the last poster said, the closest '68 color would likely have been QQ1. Regardless of that, does anyone have an opinion from experience on whether the photo above looks more like QQ1 or the 2019 code blue color?


It is really difficult to make any kind of color determination/choice from computer pictures as they show differently depending on your individual monitor. The only way to be sure is to find the color YOU like and find out (if you can) from the owner what brand of paint he used and IT'S actual color formula.

Regarding the difference between QQ1 and B5, as I stated earlier in this thread, QQ1 was a more "electric" blue than B5 back in the day when these cars were factory painted. As I RECALL (42 years ago) QQ1 was also slightly darker. If you find an original paint car and can find an area that was not exposed to the elements such as under the windshield and sealer or under the trunk weatherstripping that will give you a true color of what THAT car was like new. However, as I said previously in this thread, there were shade differences when these cars were new. I think it is a dream to try and paint a car as PER FACTORY in this day and age because of the above. Find the shade YOU like and paint your car. After all, how many of you guys are going to show your car in an OEM judge competition? And if you do, the individual judge is going to have HIS own opinion of what HE THINKS the color should look like weather it is right or wrong.
:icon_scratch: QUIT STRESSING OUT ABOUT IT!! :bighug:

the 68 charger in the for sale section by he called QQ-1 by g man , i think looks great, thats the look i want