So. I have a rather nice (as in: it still runs) 1988 volvo 440. Dark grey. Sadly, there was some rust here and there, but that’s been taken care of. However, now I’d like to paint over the fixed parts.
As mentioned, it’s a 1988 volvo 440. I would guess they were only released in a limited amount of colors, and dark grey would be one of them. But how or where can I find out what exactly the color is?
Even if you have the original paint code, the paint will have faded and won’t match to a fresh batch. A professional body shop will be able to go with the paint code and adjust from there to match the 18-year old paint. If they don’t do a match and custom mix, it’ll just look like someone used a can of spray paint from the auto parts store.
You can get the factory color code one of two ways. You can go to the dealer and they can look it up via VIN or you can look for the data plate on the car itself.
We never got 440s here in the states, so I am kind of guessing, but what you are looking for is a rectangular plate about 75mm X 40mm (approx) On the larger Volvos in 1988 these were located under the hood. Printed across the top it will say Volvo Car Corp everything else is embossed. Right below the Volvo Car Corp is the full VIN. In one of the boxes you will find a number like 454-46 or 187-25 That is the paint code. If you find the label, but none of the numbers look like the above, copy everything down and go see the dealer. They can sell you touch up paint. While touch up paint is available in both small brush and spray cans, if you are doing rust repair, I would suggest you leave the painting to a body shop.
