What colour is Freeborn Red? (1 Viewer)

[georgebj60]

Ok, a misleading title I know. And maybe no one can answer this question, but how bright is NEW Freeborn Red? In my diesel swap project, I have a bare firewall, that had some paint stripped off from a previously leaky brake master cylinder. I taped off and sprayed the area with Nason fast-dry acrylic enamel, mixed to match Toyota 309 Freeborn Red.

But man, it's a super bright red compared to the 30 year old 'orangey-red' firewall. Is new Freeborn Red really this bright? I always thought it was on the orange side, but this doesn't look that orangey.

Anyway, the plan now is to paint the entire firewall, inner fender wells, and rad support in this Freeborn Red, and then eventually paint the rest of the truck in BC/CC. I really want it to look like a cohesive paint job, not a hack-job.

Anyway, members that come to mind with nice Freeborn Red trucks are @CaptClose and @NookShneer. Any comments welcome.

Thanks

 

[erse]

What do your door jambs look like? that's usually a good place to see what the original paint looks like

 

[georgebj60]

They are orangey red. One of the cleanest parts of original paint is under the door panels at the top of the door. Here's a shot of the new paint lid against the door sill. Yes, paint dries slightly different than when it's wet, but there's quite a difference here.

 

[emac]

Hard to tell with the flash, but your second picture matches better. I think if you want it to match you may need to get a body shop to try and blend it.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

paint code #309 Free-born Red

 

[georgebj60]

Ah. Subject to tons of variation, but my new red looks like your last photo.
Hmmm. Maybe I'll see if they can custom match to an old piece.

Nothing is ever easy is it....

 

[emac]

If you are planning to paint the entire rig, why not do it all now.

 

[georgebj60]

Money, time, logistics....but mostly money. If I go any further on this project right now, it might as well be a frame-off. Then I won't want to drive it.

 

[CaptClose]

It’s more orange as it oxidizes. When it’s buffed and polished... it’s a much brighter without any orange tinge to it. I’m not sure it is as bright as the color in your engine bay, but I’ve never sprayed new freeborn red before. Here are some photos in different light.

 

[georgebj60]

Plan is to get the diesel swap done, then drive it for a while before tackling the cosmetics.

 

[georgebj60]

I'm on my phone right now. When I get back to my computer I'll look at the photos again. But on my phone I'm seeing some orange in your truck, @CaptClose .

 

[CaptClose]

Yeah, me too actually. These photos are taken at different times too. The bottom picture shows the paint more oxidized and needing a buff.

I think @RAGINGMATT has a great example of the color in his post above.

I’d definitely have your color checked to be sure. It’s no unheard of to receive a bad mix. Also make sure the paint is completely stirred as this can impact the color application as well.

 

[emac]

When I painted my 40 we had to mix several test runs as the formulas varied from book to book. A good paint mixture should be able to look at what you have and what you want and suggest what to change to get it closer. However it ends, make sure you save the formula and brand of paint for when you spray the exterior.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

Yeah, me too actually. These photos are taken at different times too. The bottom picture shows the paint more oxidized and needing a buff.

I think @RAGINGMATT has a great example of the color in his post above.

I’d definitely have your color checked to be sure. It’s no unheard of to receive a bad mix. Also make sure the paint is completely stirred as this can impact the color application as well.

those were shot with a NIKON D-50 , partly cloudy day , but vehical in shade , & NO photo-shop

sorry to hijack the 60 series forum , but great lengths were taken to match 309

I used Sherwin Williams Enamel J5-5127-R

 

[georgebj60]

All very helpful. Thanks for all the responses. I think what I'm going to do to move forward is to bring a piece of the existing in, and see if they can get closer to it. Not a dead match as I think it's a bit too orange, but somewhere between what it is now, and the old. Still Freeborn Red, just closer to the Freeborn Red my truck was born with.

And of course, keep the codes to match later on.

Anyway, thanks for posting your trucks. Great forum....

 

[Prairie Swamp]

I don't think this is the case back in the 80s but I thought I'd mention it. My 2003 Tacoma is pretty much that color red but by this time they were using tinted primers for various reasons. So the underhood on my Taco is red but not the exterior color topcoat red. Probably not the case on a 60 - they likely shot the engine bay in the same paint as the exterior.

But yeah - time, oxidation, different paint chemistry, normal variation. Even today automakers struggle with paint match - ie. where a bumper cover is painted off site then shipped to the plant. You can almost always spot the difference especially on metallics.

 

[dnp]

WAY old thread, but I just ran across this same issue. Apparently, "Freeborn Red" is not necessarily "Freeborn Red." Your truck looks more like 3F4 red, not 309 red. The tag on your firewall should say for sure.

I always thought all reds on Land Cruisers were "Freeborn Red." While I guess they could have used the same name, there were at least 2 different shades of red on the 6x models: 309 and 3F4. ToyotaReference.com / ImportArchive.com says that only FJ62s had 3F4, my '86 FJ60 has a 3F4 firewall tag.....and it's definitely not the 309 red in the paint can above. In fact, it's exactly the same color as my '88 FJ62 (See photos below)

 

[georgebj60]

I just checked my ID plate. My '84 is 309. And the factory paint looks just like your examples above. I think there is an "old" 309 from the seventies/early 80's found mostly on the 40 series, and "new" 309 which is closer to the 3F4. This is what my '84 has. Luckily for me, I much prefer the newer orange/red over the pink/red of the older paint.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

I just checked my ID plate. My '84 is 309. And the factory paint looks just like your examples above. I think there is an "old" 309 from the seventies/early 80's found mostly on the 40 series, and "new" 309 which is closer to the 3F4. This is what my '84 has. Luckily for me, I much prefer the newer orange/red over the pink/red of the older paint.

hey George

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[georgebj60]

Ok. One more post on this. Back when I was having the paint custom matched to my truck, I brought in a piece that had the original paint in good shape. They used the analyzer to come up with the closest match. It matched at 87%, which is better than most they told me. The other day when I was going through some of my old photos, I realized that the colour that was the closest match, was Toyota 3F4. It didn't mean anything to me at the time as I thought all the trucks were 309. Anyway, just some more info for anyone else going down this path. Looks like the 3F4 colour appeared long before they changed the code from 309. Mine is an '84.