Paint color code question.

[Spiderinsider]

My 124 is red - underneath a hideous black $10 rattlecan paint job put there by a previous owner. I plan to repaint the car in the original red. The car is registered as an '82 and the door jamb emmisions label reads for the '82 model year. The main door jamb ID plate reads 6*81 as the manufacture date.

The ID plate under the hood is very badly faded. I think the color is Red Metallic 853 #2, 32931 as it is an '82, but is was built in '81 and for '81 there are three other reds. I can for sure make out the numerals 3.031 - looks like it could be '853.03110' but could be 2293.0311 and before this it faintly reads "MOTORES ENGINE". I'm not sure if this is the right location for the color code; it's on the third line up from the bottom of the tag (text centerline is 17mm up from the bottom) and so I'm not sure if this could instead reference the engine type.
Is there a more difinitive way to establish the original code?

Thanks for any help.

[kilrwail]

Did you look on the underside of the trunk lid? There should be a paint code sticker there. (Unless it's been painted over with black )

[Spiderinsider]

Thanks, and no, I didn't look there, and yes, it too is painted black. Where abouts would it be?

[Spiderinsider]

Did just find a good resourse though:

http://serialnumberplate.com/data/img_plate/156.jpg

Seems that's definitely the engine number.

[Snoopy]

Some colorcodes:
http://www.fiatspider.de/index.php?opti ... 89&lang=de

[kilrwail]

Thanks, and no, I didn't look there, and yes, it too is painted black. Where abouts would it be?

My sticker is on the right side of the lid, about halfway from the front to back, maybe 6-8" right of centre. It's a random spot I suspect, on the lid itself, not the framework. The sticker is not much bigger than a postage stamp. You might be able to remove the black paint with lacquer thinner, without removing the printing.

[mdrburchette]

According to my PPG paint book the 853 code is a reddish copper metallic color. A bit more subtle than the bright cherry red.

[Spiderinsider]

Thanks! At least I now know approximately where to start scraping. Thanks snoopy for the link but they don't list for the '82 2000fi. http://www.spidercenter.com gives the code as 853 and this is likely correct but you know how some manufacturers can be, using up old cans of paint.

[boogiedude]

You could also try pulling out the rear seat/shelf. My 78 still has it's original factory paint job and some worker on the assembly line wrote "giallo"(my paint color name) In crayon on the rear firewall.

I'm assuming that since it's such a crappy paint job that the PO didn't bother to paint back there.