Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

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Mick b
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Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

Post by Mick b »

Can anyone help me out with the following.

I wish to paint my 750 in the original red and black colour scheme as per the 1973 models with the metal tank. I have seen the references to Lechler paint for the black colour, code Duc A10 and many references to the orange /bronze which was the other colour option. I can source the Lechler paint in the UK so that OK.

What I am currently unable to find is the burgundy red colour used on the tank and side panels. I have never seen an original example so am at a bit of a loss.

My first question is whether this was a simple gloss or a metal flake burgundy?
Secondly did the 1973 model have the small made in Italy sticker on top of the tank behind the filler cap nearest to the rider?
Third does the black stripe with the white pin striping go up to the filler cap or stop short at the depression where the cap is mounted.

Any suggestions as to paint manufacturer or paint code mixes etc would be most helpful. I have booked a slot with the painter in late May so have a bit of time to get a proper colour identified.

I have all the necessary details about the width and location of the stripes etc used in this paint scheme

Thanks for reading.

Mick
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Craig in France
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Re: Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

Post by Craig in France »

Hi Mick and welcome to the Forum,
Mick b wrote: Sun Mar 07, 2021 12:10 pm What I am currently unable to find is the burgundy red colour used on the tank and side panels. I have never seen an original example so am at a bit of a loss. My first question is whether this was a simple gloss or a metal flake burgundy?
I'm no expert on 750s, so can't really advise for sure. But have a look at the metalflake finish on Richard Kennedy's 1972 :
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jackafrica/albums/724909/

But I think metalflake was just the early bikes. By 1973, I believe it was no longer metalflake, just a gloss finish. I know of a red and black GT near here and could go take a photo, if that might help.

Which of Ian's books are you using? I know he has recently published one that is exclusively on the 750GT, as opposed to the Bible which covered all 3 models. Is this what you have?
750 GT.jpg
Ciao

Craig
Mick b
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Re: Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

Post by Mick b »

Morning Craig,
The offer of a photograph I'd gratefully accept if it doesn't put you out too much especially if it's a none restored example. I'm interested to know how far the black stripe on the tank extends towards the petrol cap on both sides. The other thing is whether or not the colour is slightly metallic.

I had an e mail back from the Lechler company who are mentioned as suppliers of Ducati colours in the restoration guide book. They have given me the names of two of their products but can't guarantee this was what was used back in the day as they don't have the records.

Just in case anyone is interested these are:

DUC A 3 ROSSO SCURO

DUC A30 AMARANTO METALLIZZATO

Lechler is a European wide company so supplies of these are readily available.

I'm going to order the smallest quantity of each as a test to see how they each look.

This is not my bike but an example of the colour I'm looking to match. I didn't know about his new book so thanks for that bit of news.
burgundy tank email version.JPG
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Craig in France
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Re: Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

Post by Craig in France »

Mick b wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 1:13 am The offer of a photograph I'd gratefully accept if it doesn't put you out too much especially if it's a none restored example. I'm interested to know how far the black stripe on the tank extends towards the petrol cap on both sides. The other thing is whether or not the colour is slightly metallic.
Ok, Mick - give me a coupla days and I'll see what I can do.

Btw, you can always try e-mailing Ian with any questions. He's a good fella ... :) . Let me know if you need his address and I'll send you it by pm - or send me yours and I'll reply to that.

Ciao

Craig
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Craig in France
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Re: Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

Post by Craig in France »

Gonna disappoint you, I'm afraid, Mic. The bike's another 'Strawberry Tart', not a Red and Black ...
GT.jpg
Mick b
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Re: Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

Post by Mick b »

Craig,
I e mailed Ian last night and he was unable to assist. He did however reassure me that the new book if ordered in the UK it would be printed in the UK and not sent from Australia as it suggests on E bay.

Re the paint I managed to get hold of a test pot for the colour I mentioned DUC A30 AMARANTO METALLIZZATO, this looks like it will be the one I choose along with DUC A10 for the gloss black. I got to try it on some scrap but in the pot it looks very close to what I was looking for which is good enough for me.

Thanks for the offer to help out.
dhub422
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Re: Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

Post by dhub422 »

Hello,

I realize that this is thread is more than a year old, but I'm about to start on a restoration of a '74 Red GT and I believe that that the red paint on the '74 GT was the same as on the '73 GT. If you have a moment, could/would you please post pics of the samples you received:
- DUC A 3 ROSSO SCURO
- DUC A30 AMARANTO METALLIZZATO

If you have painted your bike. I would appreciate knowing what paint you used and I would love to see a pic of it!

Thanks,
Don
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Re: Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

Post by 993cup »

Don,
Did you ever sort out the correct color for "Red' on your bike? I doing a restoration on one of my GT's and I am looking for the red/burgundy paint color codes as well.
Thanks,
Cliff
dhub422
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Re: Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

Post by dhub422 »

993cup wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 8:28 am Don,
Did you ever sort out the correct color for "Red' on your bike? I doing a restoration on one of my GT's and I am looking for the red/burgundy paint color codes as well.
Thanks,
Cliff
Cliff,

I have not yet selected/identified a color code for the red. The paint on my GT appears to be original - i.e. very faded, but it is in fair to good condition under the seat. I plan to have the rear fender scanned for color and see what they come up with for it. I will post what I learn.

Don
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Re: Paint colour /code for a red and black 1973 750 GT

Post by Mirage 1 »

I have recently found some information for the 1973 / 1974 750 GT Red Paint code that others may find helpful.

I am in the process of restoring a 1974 750 GT which had previously been repainted. Whilst stripping the paint some of the original red paint was revealed in areas such as the bottom of the tank but was variable in color intensity. Hence, I had the problem of which area/shade to match?

It is generally accepted that Lechler were the original paint supplier to Ducati so I started working through their list of pre 1974 Ducati red paint codes to try and match the red shades on the bottom of my tank. I failed.

I contacted Ducati in Italy who stated that they don’t hold original paint code information for the 750 GT but suggested that I contact the original paint supplier, Lechler Italy. After a few weeks Lechler replied stating ‘For this model we have only the color for the USA and the code is DUC 39A. For more information you can ask our English branch.’

Further conversations with Lechler in the UK revealed that the paint is solvent based and DUC 39A is called Rosso and should be applied over a metallic silver undercoat, Lechler reference 7777713. The objective being to have a metallic silver base 7777713 on which to apply the DUC 39A (Rosso). DUC 39A is in effect a candy because it is manufactured with inks rather than normal paint pigments so the more coats the darker it becomes, unlike a true paint where the color is the color regardless of number of coats. The DUC 39A is then clear coated for protection and it is suggested by Lechler to add UV stabilizer to the clearcoat because inks are less stable than paint pigments. Inks are used to produce vibrant colors and I think they reflect pure light from the silver undercoat.

Interestingly, DUC 39A doesn’t seem to appear on any of the listings that I have seen from Lechler. The supplier of Lechler paints that I initially contacted couldn’t offer any paint codes for the 750 GT but when given the code DUC 39A was able to find reference to the 750 GT in a notes field.

Having found this information I sanded through the original paint and sure enough found a cream primer followed by a metallic silver layer followed by red. There was no clearcoat applied at that date by Ducati. The variable shades, lighter and darker on the bottom of the tank are probably explained by the amount of paint that was applied and being underneath the tank didn’t really matter. Ian Falloon’s Authenticity and restoration guide indicates that Ducati didn’t bother to apply sufficient coats of paint so it was very thin. The paint was thin but more coats would have produced a darker shade. The inks in the paint were not UV stabilized so if left in the sun would soon fade. Hence the problem with restoring the paint on a 1973 or 1974 Ducati 750 GT. Prior to 1973 the tanks were fiberglass with the color finish pigmented into the gel coat/fiberglass.

I have tried test samples of the paint in aerosol cans and have produced darker and lighter shades. The lighter shade is with less coats and looks metallic. The darker with more coats obscures the metallic effect which may explain some of the discussion as to whether the red was metallic or not. I have struggled somewhat with the aerosol cans to produce a really even coating so will next try the paint in a decent spray gun and if successful will respray the motorcycle. One thing to bear in mind is that control of the process is critical, paint flow rate, amount of thinners, spray air pressure, distance from gun to component, speed of hand movement and amount of overlap. Any variation will result in fluctuations of shade and possibly tiger stripes. Also, if there is any splatter from the gun due to non- optimal settings or lack of cleanliness then it will produce a dark patch which will probably necessitate rubbing back to the primer and starting over.

Clearly not as easy as a straight paint but the reason for using the candy style ink is to produce a vibrant color created by pure light being reflected off the metallic silver undercoat which is not possible with normal paint pigments.

This is what I think I have understood but would be happy for anyone knowledgeable to jump in and correct. In particular it would be fantastic if anyone has experience of painting with Lechler DUC 39A and the specified silver undercoat.

Mike
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