Color Samples for Instrument Panel
I found an online vendor, Prismatic Powders, that offers powder coat paint in a large variety of colors. My goal is to find a color that will complement the upholstery color, so in this case, something of a dark gray tone. This color will be applied to the throttle quadrant and to the instrument panel.
Prismatic Powders offers sample swatches for a nominal fee (<$10), so I ordered 18 various shades and finishes. The best matches I found are shown in the photo below. The swatches are resting on one of the covers from the center console, which is covered in the darker accent of my leather interior. The color of the accent leather is described as charcoal, but it has a warm brown hue to it. I took the photo in bright sunlight to provide the most accurate color rendition. The closest match to the leather is the third one down on the right in the photo, called Flat Pot Grey, which looks like a dark olive color in bright sun. I’m also considering one of the darker colors, to offer better contrast for the laser-etched artwork.
Although the throttle quadrant has already been painted (as seen in the photo), I had painted it with rattle-can paint from Rustoleum and I’m not too sure of its long-term longevity. It looks nice now, but the finish seems to scratch easily, so I plan to clean it back down to bare aluminum and refinishing it with powder coat.