Paint info, help needed

[Curt Campbell]

Body work and all the expenses incurred is expensive these days. The best shops around here are about $60 an hour labor. I buy cars from insurance auctions...some several hours away...truck..trailer...fuel...time...it all adds up quick. Gone ar the days when a pint of quality lacquer was around $2 (1970's). However, I am glad those days are gone...the products today are soooo much better.

[Curt Campbell]

In earlier days we used a lot of Acme paint. Didnt that become PPG?

[Keith True]

Ditzler became PPG.Acme is Sherwin-Williams,Martin-Senour,(Napa)and a few others.If you had a problem with Napa paint the Sherwin rep would show up to see you.I use mostly fleet colors.Used a lot of Magnet paints,when painting dump trailers I bought it in drums.About 15 years ago I bought four gallons of epoxy primer from Magnet.Two had their own labels,two had name brand labels.I asked about that,the salesman said they must have run out of their own cans on the line when packaging.??? Same stuff,but I was buying it for $65.per can instead of the $135.of the brand name.He said the difference was the guarantee.I like single stage urethane,but I buy that in the short line too.When I ask the paint guy about the difference between the short line and Concept he tells me,bottom line,guarantee.Don't expect much in the short line product.I don't know what some people are aiming for.I worked on a 29 truck that the guy spent nearly $2000.on paint materials for.He liked my truck with $ 350.worth of single stage urethane and epoxy primer on it better than his.He had people looking at it before he died,he was just shocked that quite a few A guys said something would have to be done about the paint.It was basecoat/clearcoat,and while the painter did a beautiful job,it was too much like plastic and turned out to be a huge detriment to selling the truck.I personally wouldn't use BC/CC on anything unless it was to match something.I have no use for it.I can show people things I painted in the 70's with single stage urethane and acrylic enamel with a hardener that are still holding up.There is a Mack here that was shot with BC/CC by the PPG rep about six years ago.He said,now you watch and see how that one holds up.I saw all right.It is a blistered mess.It's going to get splashed with Omni single stage in Mack red.

[Tom Wesenberg]

The thing I don't understand about paint is why does it hold up OK as long as the car is driven, but as soon as it's left parked in the driveway for a couple years unused the paint oxidizes and turns chalky white on the roof and hood. I don't wax or wash my cars, so the only difference is one gets driven, while the other is parked.

[glenn in camino]

I'm an amateur, but I have painted my 5 restored Model As. I've made plenty of mistakes and learned how to fix them. In 1978 I won the Ditzler best paint award at the MARC national at Greenfield Village. I'm currently working in a 1928 roadster

[Keith True]

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Tom,I don't know why that happens but it seems like I see it a lot.Some stuff with the best,and most careful prep seems to fall apart and sometimes slapped together jobs hold up forever.In the early summer of 81 some friends tracked me down at 10 PM on a Friday night.They had a new 81 Peterbilt ready to paint,but the painter had gotten hung up 1200 miles away and wasn't going to make it.Truck was stripped of chrome,sanded and taped,ready to go except for a painter.I started mixing and painting.A long nose Pete with a five foot bunk takes a long time to get around.They had persuaded me to paint by stocking up on beer.I got done around 5 AM,and went out to climb into and old truck sleeper to take a nap.At 10 I got up and went into the garage where they were stripping the tape and putting the chrome back on.That truck was one of the shiniest things I had ever seen.That single stage black urethane (Imron) was just beautiful.I had a beer about every three cups of paint,about one an hour,so I was relaxed,not tensed up.I used a Sharpe 75 gun with a regulator on the gun.I would change pressures constantly depending on what I was shooting.The sheet metal expanses got a lot different patterns and pressures than the suspension and axles did.I looked at that truck last summer,it has 3.3 million miles on that paint job.The fronts of the fenders,air filters,front of the roof,and corners of the sleeper are all wind eroded,but nothing has peeled.That truck just hauled electronics from Mexico to Boston all it's life,35 trips a year going from extreme heat to extreme cold a lot of the time.That was a lot to expect for that paint job.

[Curt Campbell]

Painting processes and materials seem to be in the same class as the oil discussion on the barn. Just have to do what is right for you....really no totally bad choices. What I do works for me...and has held up perfectly on lots of vehicles for over 20 years. I know others have the same experience with their choices.

Here is a thought on warranty. Just think, paint your car today with a "warrantied" product. Seven years from now, it starts having problems. Call the company who warrantied the paint...tell them about it. I bet they will send someone right out to get your car, take it to a professional shop, have it all redone perfectly, and give it back to you...100% under warranty......want to buy some swamp land???

I love this place....

[lance leblanc]

A Film production company in town has offered to paint mine and fellow club members cars plus pay a daily rate if allowed to use them in the filming of the remake of Bonnie and Clyde. Some members are taking them up on the offer. One in particular is recieving a police car paint scheme. I will miss out as car won't be back together in time for filming.
Mixed opions about it from club members. To each their own I say.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by lance leblanc

A Film production company in town has offered to paint mine and fellow club members cars plus pay a daily rate if allowed to use them in the filming of the remake of Bonnie and Clyde. Some members are taking them up on the offer. One in particular is recieving a police car paint scheme. I will miss out as car won't be back together in time for filming.
Mixed opions about it from club members. To each their own I say.

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[Terry, NJ]

Keith, I know two things about Imron. 1) we used to have our airplanes painted with it. It seems to be about the toughest paint on the planet.
2) It is extremely dangerous! It'll rot your innards. I was giving some thought to using it and My friend, who used to do painting and body work, warned me to stay far away from it. And that's all I know!
Terry

Originally Posted by Keith True

Tom,I don't know why that happens but it seems like I see it a lot.Some stuff with the best,and most careful prep seems to fall apart and sometimes slapped together jobs hold up forever.In the early summer of 81 some friends tracked me down at 10 PM on a Friday night.They had a new 81 Peterbilt ready to paint,but the painter had gotten hung up 1200 miles away and wasn't going to make it.Truck was stripped of chrome,sanded and taped,ready to go except for a painter.I started mixing and painting.A long nose Pete with a five foot bunk takes a long time to get around.They had persuaded me to paint by stocking up on beer.I got done around 5 AM,and went out to climb into and old truck sleeper to take a nap.At 10 I got up and went into the garage where they were stripping the tape and putting the chrome back on.That truck was one of the shiniest things I had ever seen.That single stage black urethane (Imron) was just beautiful.I had a beer about every three cups of paint,about one an hour,so I was relaxed,not tensed up.I used a Sharpe 75 gun with a regulator on the gun.I would change pressures constantly depending on what I was shooting.The sheet metal expanses got a lot different patterns and pressures than the suspension and axles did.I looked at that truck last summer,it has 3.3 million miles on that paint job.The fronts of the fenders,air filters,front of the roof,and corners of the sleeper are all wind eroded,but nothing has peeled.That truck just hauled electronics from Mexico to Boston all it's life,35 trips a year going from extreme heat to extreme cold a lot of the time.That was a lot to expect for that paint job.

[glenn in camino]

I might paint my current restoration with lacquer if I can get some. I painted three of my restored Model As with lacquer back in the 70s and 80s and they still look great. Plus, it smells good and it's not deadly. I painted them on my driveway.

[Tinbasher]

You Guys talking about too shiny. In the Paint Guide for Model's it talks about 70% reflection of a mirror as the finished gloss on the Model A. That's better than todays cars at 60%. Look at original pictures. These car were rubbed out Lacquer from the factory. With Enameled fenders. Someday I'll get it right!!! Here a sample of a current project.

The Old Tinbasher

Wow,I want to buy paint in the U.S.A. 1/2 the price of up here for the same name brand products. TB (This Coupes got almost $4500.00 of product on it.)

[Curt Campbell]

WOW TinBasher! $4500 in paint materials? I am curious about what exact products you used.

Also, the discussion about shine. I have seen A's side by side at shows etc.....one with very nicely done single stage and BC/CC and it was almost impossible to see the shine difference. Of course, on a mediocre or poorly color sanded and polished finish its very obvious.

Also reference the post about how terrible BC/CC is....I have used it almost exclusively since it came out. Never had any problem with it peeling etc. Probably over 225 applications. The only real problems with most paints are caused by BAD work before the topcoats are applied. Ever bought a trailer and noticed how quickly the rust begins? Bad prep. Ever noticed a urethane bumper on a vehicle peeling? Painter didn't bother to pay the extra expense for plastic prep primer. Ever noticed all the GM and CHRYSLER cars with top coats peeling off to the gray primer? BIG time issues with their substrate primers and sealers...tons of warranty repaints...I did a few.

It usually ain't the paint. Its what's under it.

Whatever you use...make your car look GREAT!!!!!

[MARVIN, CT]

Need some hardener and reducer for some Dupont Centari that I have left for finishing a project. Any help appreciated. Thanks, Marvin,ct

[PetesPonies]

Marvin, Centari is acrylic enamel. You can get AE reducer and hardener from many places. You could go to a local auto paint store or order it online.

[MARVIN, CT]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

[garyaodell]

My coupe's previous paint job was a Earl Schibe $39.95 robin egg blue. Remember those?

[Bill in SoCal]

My coupe's previous paint job was a Les Schoub $39.95 robin egg blue. Remember those?

I remember when they were 19.95. Any car any color. If you were smart, you taped off everything you did not want painted, because they painted the whole car, over dints, over chrome, over everything but the windows and bumper. They got over spray. Ho - that was Earl Scheib.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

MAN! am I glad I don't have to paint Vermin! Paint is old, but quite decent. Whoever painted it didn't paint the rumble gutters, maybe he didn't have the rumble key??? Fenders MAY be NOS?? They still have the little lines on the beads where they rolled in the reinforcing edge wires. I have to use a toothbrush to get the white wax out of the little grooves. Were NOS fenders painted a duller black on the inside?
I'm always amazed at the price of the actual paint, just to "blow" on a coating about as thin as HANDI-WRAP!!!
Bill W. (Vermin is NOT green, bad pic. It may be Andelusite or Lombard Blue??)

[Great Lakes Greg]

I would suggest you try what I am going to do. I signed up for an adult education auto paint class at our local high school. It is geared more toward hobbyists and not the slam-bang panel replacement courses also offered. They will teach paint selection, mixing, and application. They also encourage students to bring in projects to work on in class. I intend to paint some back fenders in they're snazzy paint booth, and am looking forward to learning as much as I can.