VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Body - Sheet Metal, Paint & Wood Paint Chip collection.

Does anyone have any idea how or where I could get an appraisal of this paint chip collection I have? I think it's nearly complete coverage of Chevrolet from '25- to about the early to mid '90s, with at least three major manufaturers of the "modern" colors. There are chips repesenting most other auto makers from the late '20s as well, a complete inventory will have to be made. Although Dad may have something already, I just haven't gone looking yet.

Thanks, Dan.

Dan,
I think that a literature collector can give an idea of the wholesale value. There is a guy that advertises color chips for sale in HMN. I believe he lives in Ohio. He may be able to help. Do you plan to sell them :( or donate the Chevy chips to the VCCA library? If selling then listing them on eBay would probably get the highest price but would take the most effort and time. :rolleyes:

We were not thinking of selling them. We were contemplating donating them the the club library. But wanted an idea of what they were worth, 1) for tax purposes, 2) to give the club an idea of value.

I have another idea floating around in my head, but that will have to wait.

Thanks for the tip though.

Donating.... what a great idea

Outstanding!!!

Guys,
How do we get information from the VCCA library when restoring our vehicles? :) :confused:

Great question Doug!! How do we get info :confused: Another question how do we find out what information the Library has available :confused: A list of what info is available at the library would be nice. Also I don't have any objections to providing a little funding to the library for the research and reproduction cost for the information that I need.

I suggest you fellas contact the Librarian Pat McGowen. His address is in the G&D. He lives with the VCCA webmaster, at least most of the time. :rolleyes:
I have not talked to him recently but he did not have a process for remote access to the material. A list of items was prepared a while back. So far it has not been published as far as I know. It sure would be nice for members to be able to access the material. :)

ChevyChip,
Do you have an idea how we as members of VCCA, and of the regions can expedite getting the library materials in a format so that the members at large can access these materials? I don't want to put you on a position of disfavor with the National Board, but I feel like you are in favor of having the materials available for members to access in more than one medium, which now appears to be a collection of hard paper items probably stuck back somewhere in boxes, and available only at National Meets and by haveing them copyed and mailed out. Please shed some light on this problem if you may.

K1Dan, excellent idea. Another suggestion for you. You can put them online for all to view which benefits everyone and makes it easy to access. Also make sure that book stays out of the light. Light deteriorates the paint chip colors dramatically.

Fellas,
I am not the one to make too many comments as I don't have complete understanding of the "Library". It is housed at Dennis Fink Printing in file cabinets. Space is donated to the club by DFP to get the stuff out of boxes in a garage and make it accessable to VCCA members. Now I understand that not everyone can go the DFP to view the materials, me too! :( But it is better than previously. Librarian Pat, took a bunch of time to inventory, catalog, sort, file the stuff. I don't have a copy of the inventory but know one exists. I am not on the Board Library and Museum Committee so don't have access to all the info. :)

I also wish we could make the materials in the Library more accessable.

Guess that is in the future and we need to accomplish a bit before that happens but it is something to work toward.

Chevy, I'm not a VCCA member but I always come in here and donate my time and advice to anyone that needs it witout asking the VCCA for money. What good is a library if only the VCCA can access it. (none) Remember, there are other people restoring out there who are not members because they choose not to be or might not be able to afford dues. Not that dues are expensive but you know how some things go. After all, the VCCA is a non-profit organization. I am the secretary of a local club here and I do not charge anyone nor request them to join my club just for access to knowledge or information I have archived. That's just plain kindness to someone in need. People are not going to join an organization just because you have the info. They want to see how well the organization helps everyone else not themselves.

MB It is not that dues paying members don't want to share the information, but you must keep in mind that it is the members dues that are paying to provide on maintian this informaton. If EVERYTHING becomes free for all to view, then as Chip said why would anyone become a member? Thus it could be the end of a great club! I feel you must respect that feeling. I help many a fellow Chevrolet owner out most who are not members, but this is with my personal library, that I insure and store. There must be some privlages to being a member, its not that we are excluding anyone, all they have to do is pay the dues. If the G&D was on a newsstand for $4.00 an issue most people would buy it who are not members now. That comes to $48.00 a year, a far cry from our $30.00 dues. So I find it hard to believe in a hobby as expensive as ours it is a cost situation.
John 348/340HP

Yep John, That is right, If you dance expect to pay the fiddler!

Wow...
Why didn't I think of that?

Boy oh boy... I'm gonna start backing up these files right now !! I always wondered how I was going to get paid for doing all of this volunteer work!

Keep the jabber going, guys!! We might figure out how to do this yet!!!

BILL, IN YOUR SPARE TIME WHY DON'T YOU JUST PUT ALL OF THE LIBRARY ON A WEB SITE, FOR FREE OF COURSE.

NO, REALLY COULD THE VCCA USE SOME OF THE DUES MONEY TO PAY SOMEONE TO DO THIS?

WHO GETS ACCESS TO THE SITE CAN BE DEBATED LATER.

Probably the easiest way to begin getting the library up would be for the club to buy the librarian a scanner and Adobe Acrobat. Total would be less than $300. Everything could be scanned into PDF format. From there, it would then require taking the existing catalog and building in links to the individual PDF documents.

Once in electronic format, it should not be that big of a deal to set up a password protected section on the website. Issue passwords to VCCA members and there you go. Alternatively, just burn all the data onto CDs and sell them to VCCA memebers.

Seriously, being an IT manager myself, I know that the above would be a very big job, but I'm sure there are many (myself included) who would be willing to help.

I may be justa' dumb old Texian but looks like to me, Bill Barker could use the VCCA membership list to grant access to a data base, on a secure web-site.

You guys already have a server. Add a link to the library on your main page and then have a password protection just like the forum has. If that isn't enough space then out of all the members you supposedly have I would imagine someone in IT can help find a server for you.

Mudbugn, Don't forget we are a volenteer group, it all sounds good, So why don't spend the thirty bucks and give us a hand?
John 348/340HP

A ha!!!! Jeff, thanks for the response... Now I've got your number!!! You're an IT manager, are you?!

Yes, we could do something similar to what you described... it's even possible that some people are already experimenting with this....??!!?!

Please check your profile section for a personal message from me! Thanks again.

(As for some of you other poges... "give up my day job" --- ??!!! Dang... and I just was beginnng to get the hang of them coffee breaks!)

It was mentioned above that I should laser print chips to sell.

Knowing the way Dad matched the colors, and some of his explanations about causes of mismatches.

I wonder how accurately a printer reproduces colors?

I'm guessing that since there are only four colors used in the printers I've seen, my answer would be "probably not well".

How accurately does a photo reproduce colors?

Again, due to different angles of light sources, and differing qualities of film, paper and processing. I would have to answer "probably not well".

Comments please?

Dan.

Could this discussion on the library and access to club members be passed on to Pat and brought up at a board meeting? the AACA has a housed library which I used when visiting Fall Hershey. There was a fee to copy material but I do not remember being asked if I was a member although I was. . What if something could be worked out to have our club collection housed in connection with this library or some other where access could be obtained by everyone. I believe the AACA library have afew at least part time or maybe full time staff. A library is a lot of work and unless at least 1 person was paid to copy and research things it would be very burdensome.
A Helpful club booklet and fundraiser would be a compilation of past technical articles in a booklet. I have copied some articles and sent them to others in the past. If the national or a region took a project on to put these artcles in a booklet form it could benifit especially new members who are not even aware of these articles. I would like to thank Skip and others for the great articles they have given us through the years.