what colour is grey primer?

[Basilbomb]

This is such a painfully noob question, but i gotta know. i was grinding away layers of paint and rust off the roof of my 68 sc, and discovered that the grey exterior paint was identical in colour to the original vw primer. hell, it probably is primer. i gave it s a shot of grey rattle can etching primer but it was way too dark.

this is the old grey paint/primer that i want to try and match.

so the question is, what colour or colour number is stock vw primer for that year? thanks for any help.

[djkeev]

Hi,

While I'll state right up front that I don't know of a primer paint code or if one actually exists.
Primer was / is not intended as a final coat on anything ever.
Primer is formulated in such a way to act as a filler and a bonding agent on bare metal. They also are formulated to enhance the top color coat to stick to them. Kind of like double sided tape.
Paint color coats focus on weather resistant properties, gloss and appearance and as such don't stick well to metal. They do stick to another paint surface though.
Think of it as a two part epoxy system where the primer is a critical part of the whole, neither part is good by itself but apply them together and your results will be great.
If you desire a grey car, by all means go and get a grey auto paint, you then can select virtually any color of grey that you can imagine.
Primer paints do come in colors. The color choice is influenced by the top coat color. You don't want to do a white top coat on a dark red primer or a red top coat on a light grey primer. Primers can be tinted to enhance this color blending trait.

This probably wasn't the answer you are looking for but I've always felt that primers were just vague colors, light grey, dark grey, red, green, etc.

Dave
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