I sprayed my nova with laquer about 20 years ago. When I rubbed it out after spraying it shined just as good as my VW that I sprayed with base/clear.
Paint question for those in the know. Lacquer no Bueno, but typical BC/CC too shiny. JMO. Advice please...
- Thread starter 69hurstolds
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when I did mine it gave the amount to use to achieve the finish I wanted.....with the flattening agent so expensive just use it for the last coat..
While you can get flattner added to clear or premade matte finish black, it's still not really the same texture of a look as old factory lacquer. Southern polyurethanes is a good quality product & does have their matte black single stage product among others.
BUT, any flattened product is harder to spray, harder to touch up, and cannot be buffed or it will ruin the sheen. It also can take a few days for sheen to settle to final level.
Duplicolor has their modern acrylic lacquer product which has been used on weekend tv show project cars. Sold through Summit Racing & Advance Autostores last I noticed. From cars I've seen in ads, it doesn't have that modern shine as sprayed, unbuffed.
BUT, any flattened product is harder to spray, harder to touch up, and cannot be buffed or it will ruin the sheen. It also can take a few days for sheen to settle to final level.
Duplicolor has their modern acrylic lacquer product which has been used on weekend tv show project cars. Sold through Summit Racing & Advance Autostores last I noticed. From cars I've seen in ads, it doesn't have that modern shine as sprayed, unbuffed.
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Why not just use a single stage paint? They always seem to have some trade-offs in colour/depth vs a BC.
Singles:
www.eastwood.com
www.eastwood.com
Base:
www.eastwood.com
Singles:
Eastwood 4:1 Boulevard Black - Basecoat - Automotive Car Paint - Gallon
A timeless classic, Boulevard Black is suitable for any type of vehicle.
www.eastwood.com
Eastwood Interstate Black 3:1 Single Stage Automotive Car Paint - Gallon
The highest gloss black paint available with a super wet and deep shine
www.eastwood.com
Base:
Eastwood 4:1 Midnight Metallic Black - Basecoat - Automotive Car Paint - Gallon
As dark as the midnight sky with fine metallic particles.
www.eastwood.com
Not sure if this helps. When I painted my MCSS I was looking for a flattening agent for the clear on the front grill opening and for trim pieces. I came across this additive for clear (https://www.nedsautobodysupply.com/PPG_SLV4985_Universal_Flattening_Agent_9_14.pdf). I ended up using SprayMax satin Hot Rod black in the end, because of the little amout I needed.
Yep, a single stage may be worthy, I'm not ruling anything out. Like I stated originally, a urethane may do well. I know back in the late 80s when I had a 71 442 repainted with urethane single stage it came out pretty nice. Repairs seem to be more forgiving with base/clear, however, depending on the repair. I'm sure each type of paint has advantages/disadvantages.
It's just that lacquer seems to be more fragile, as it were, than other types. I also know there's a certain sheen that factory lacquer had to it that is slightly different than the super high gloss/depth clearcoats have. Buffed lacquer won't stay that way. Clearcoat will. I had not considered that even with a flattener agent you probably couldn't duplicate the sheen with any touchup, so that may be out. If lacquer was readily available with people painting it everywhere, I'd just go do that. But even if I wanted it, there's nobody close around here that even does it. Heck, I only need two colors. 🙂
Everyone makes good points and this is exactly why I asked. Paint choice is one of those deals where you have to start at the bottom layer and work to the finish coat. No mixing/matching for best results, so the end goal needs to be decided before you even start. I may be overthinking this, but once the sandpaper hits metal, it's going to need to be set in stone.
It's just that lacquer seems to be more fragile, as it were, than other types. I also know there's a certain sheen that factory lacquer had to it that is slightly different than the super high gloss/depth clearcoats have. Buffed lacquer won't stay that way. Clearcoat will. I had not considered that even with a flattener agent you probably couldn't duplicate the sheen with any touchup, so that may be out. If lacquer was readily available with people painting it everywhere, I'd just go do that. But even if I wanted it, there's nobody close around here that even does it. Heck, I only need two colors. 🙂
Everyone makes good points and this is exactly why I asked. Paint choice is one of those deals where you have to start at the bottom layer and work to the finish coat. No mixing/matching for best results, so the end goal needs to be decided before you even start. I may be overthinking this, but once the sandpaper hits metal, it's going to need to be set in stone.
While we're at it, what does anyone think of these plastic bead blasting places that strips paint off car bodies? A while back I was at a powdercoating place and they had a complete 70s Nova body in the area and it was stripped CLEAN. The windows were still in it, but no chrome or trim. Guy told me that they used plastic beads (felt like uncooked grits- if you don't know what grits are, you're not from the south; it's ground corn). He said it's effective in removing paint layers but won't remove body lead, or skimmed body filler, or any of that. The plastic apparently doesn't warp the metal or scratch it. It just seemed weird to me. I don't know much about this plastic bead blast stuff. I've seen soda blasting, but plastic?
Just a thought. I don't want to imagine myself holding on to a DA sander for hours at a time and having to deal with the arm vibration recovery time. Seeing what some of you have done with sanding huge parts of the car, it may be more cost effective for my old azz to bead the body.
Thoughts?
Just a thought. I don't want to imagine myself holding on to a DA sander for hours at a time and having to deal with the arm vibration recovery time. Seeing what some of you have done with sanding huge parts of the car, it may be more cost effective for my old azz to bead the body.
Thoughts?
It may. And I may just do base/clear anyway. Still not 100% sure where to go on it. I was hoping to replicate that factory lacquer look without actually using lacquer. Early years when bc/cc was first starting to be used a lot, it sucked. Typical transition woes. And some mid-late 80s GM cars peeled like a sunburn back then too. It wasn't very good for very long. Hit or miss. But today's paints, when used properly, look great in comparison. Almost too good for a 35 year old car.
It's just a discussion of ideas, here. So everything's possible.
Bead blasting is the way to go if there is 1 local to you and your prepared for it. Back in the 90's when all the ford paint failures were happening, painters at the dealerships were sending the cars out for media blasting by the truckload. Just for the reasons you stated, it only removes the paint down to bare metal, does not remove filler or lead in the seams. They would tape off the jambs and glass and blast 90 percent of every panel clean and send them back. Painters would then run over all the panels real quick with 320 grit on a DA to remove any remaining paint and prep the panel. Tape them up and paint, bam there out the door and gone. Why you need to be prepared is if you take your car there complete to be blasted, the next day your going to have a entire car in bare steel. The painters had a few helpers to get the cars sanded, cleaned, taped, and in the booth to be painted. You will need to have all your ducks in a row to quickly get that bare steel in epoxy before surface rust starts going. If your taking a few panels at a time, that would be perfect for you. I've stripped a lot of cars all day long with a DA and gone home with my hands still vibrating. Who needs that, for the cost its worth it, if you have 1 local and dont have to drive for hours to have it done.
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