'70 Cuda Grill Options

[anlauto]

 

[Topcat]

as mentioned the base kit is the same piece/mfg that everyone is selling. beside the painted kit from BEA there are only 2 grilles on the market.

I just replied to your email.

Dave,

Was wondering on a scale of 1 to 10 10 best, how would you rate the quality of the Argent paint on these new grilles?

Does it look like a spray bomb job?
Or a OEM look with small crystals reflecting light like the originals did?

I used Roger Gibson's Argent kit on mine. It really shows.
Fast Lacquer and a big tip gun makes it happen.

[MoparDave]

just read this. Sorry.

the argent on the BEA grille is a Hi Metallic and looks very nice.

[Topcat]

Thanks Dave.

When the contractor that did the Grilles back then, they used a special material in the paint.
I recall it had black, silver, and gold metallic flakes in it.

Scott at @ScottSmith_Harms can probably tell us more on what it was then.

OEM grilles then were an amazing.
Like a Disco ball when light hit it.

[ScottSmith_Harms]

There is a lot of subjectivity when discussing Argent "correctness" color, shading, metallics, etc. So, I basically have nothing to add here that won't spin into an argument. The original formula contained many additives and materials that are no longer used in paint, mica, different types and size of metal flakes, etc. 
.02

[MoparDave]

@HEMICUDA   Mike can you elaborate on this for the texture argent you used on the grilles. ??

[HEMICUDA]

@HEMICUDA   Mike can you elaborate on this for the texture argent you used on the grilles. ??

Love to David, which post are you referring to?  Let me try.

As Scott Smith said, there's chemicals that were used in original argent paint that are no longer available and the EPA has outlawed.  So what do you do, mix a base/clear that matches as close as you can.  The metal flake we use comes from "House of Kolor", the flake size is not exactly the same because the exact original size is not available.  We spent a bunch of time and Money to get the "shade" correct and even more time of how much flake goes into the base and the clear.  Once you get the base color as close as humanly possible, you work with the flake amount. Wait a minute, the more flake I add, the lighter the base color gets.  Yep, now that you have the flake amount correct, you get to tint the base color some more because it lightened the shade of the base.

Once we were happy with the shade and flake, we added "texture" to the base and flattener to the clear.

Another note, the base color of the part you apply the argent to effects how light or dark the argent will look.  You can paint two parts at the same time and they will not match because the base color was different. The amount of coats also changes the lightness of the base color, the more coats the lighter it gets because of the flake.  I can use the exact same darker argent we use on the 70 grille and paint 70 light argent center caps by simply applying more coats and flake clear.

Bottom line is, base color of the part, air pressure, paint gun tip size, amount of coats and probably other factors I'm not mentioning, effect the shade of any argent.  BTW, you'll never get really close to OE look with a rattle can.

I have the original engineering paint swatches for both light and dark argent that was supplied to the plants used to inspect parts supplied by vendors for inspection.

[xx88man]

@HEMICUDA   Mike can you elaborate on this for the texture argent you used on the grilles. ??

Love to David, which post are you referring to?  Let me try.

As Scott Smith said, there's chemicals that were used in original argent paint that are no longer available and the EPA has outlawed.  So what do you do, mix a base/clear that matches as close as you can.  The metal flake we use comes from "House of Kolor", the flake size is not exactly the same because the exact original size is not available.  We spent a bunch of time and Money to get the "shade" correct and even more time of how much flake goes into the base and the clear.  Once you get the base color as close as humanly possible, you work with the flake amount. Wait a minute, the more flake I add, the lighter the base color gets.  Yep, now that you have the flake amount correct, you get to tint the base color some more because it lightened the shade of the base.

Once we were happy with the shade and flake, we added "texture" to the base and flattener to the clear.

Another note, the base color of the part you apply the argent to effects how light or dark the argent will look.  You can paint two parts at the same time and they will not match because the base color was different. The amount of coats also changes the lightness of the base color, the more coats the lighter it gets because of the flake.  I can use the exact same darker argent we use on the 70 grille and paint 70 light argent center caps by simply applying more coats and flake clear.

Bottom line is, base color of the part, air pressure, paint gun tip size, amount of coats and probably other factors I'm not mentioning, effect the shade of any argent.  BTW, you'll never get really close to OE look with a rattle can.

I have the original engineering paint swatches for both light and dark argent that was supplied to the plants used to inspect parts supplied by vendors for inspection.

Thanks for shining some light on this for us!