Paint type on old car

[Buick35]

I'm getting ready to try and repaint my 35 Buick,wish me luck.I want to know if it is best to do a single stage or base coat /clear coat on an old car or does it matter.It was nitrocelleuous laquer but that was done forty years ago then redone in Imron. What do most restorers of vintage cars use and which is the easiest to work with? It's going green again. Thanks for any input. Oh and epoxy primer or not,it's bare metal.Greg in Florida.

[61polara]

Yes on the epoxy primer.  The choice is yours as far as single stage or basecoat / clearcoat if both are a urethane paint.  If your color is metallic, then you should go with basecoat / clearcoat.

[Rusty_OToole]

Single stage is the closest in appearance to what your car had new. It is also cheaper. Base clear gives a deeper shine but some feel it is out of place on cars that never had it when new. I would go with single stage but, to each his own.

[ols car dog]

Checkout TCP Global in Duncan SC.

I used single stage urethane on my STUDE.

Very pleased.

If you paint this summer use highest temperature reducer you can get.

Use sealer before you paint top coat.

 

[Walt G]

Lacquer is a lot of work BUT is easy to "spot" fix if you get a chip or scratch. I was taught how to paint using lacquer ( nitrocellulose or acrylic doesn't matter to me) so am a bit old fashioned ( stuck in a rut, won't go along with modern materials , a FOGEY- call it what you want!)  TCP Global in SC is good.

Many reading this may say " but lacquer cracks, isn't as strong as the other paints etc" Well a car I restored in 1972 I drove nearly 50,000 miles on the nitrocellulose paint ( used Bellco that came from England,) And it never cracked , checked or chipped. The final coat of paint I mixed some clear in the color coat so the clear had a pigment to cling /mix with  and it polished out great and had that period shine to it, not a plastic look. I sold the car to a friend who still takes it to concours events where it is still winning 1st place awards. Will not mention his name as I don't think the judges realize that they are looking at a 40+ year old restoration. My current ride is a 1930 Packard with a lacquer paint job although until I bought it 2 years ago was a trailer queen , that is no longer , I do not own a trailer and believe in driving my cars .

[Pfeil]

I painted this Sea Blue 65 Type 111 46 years ago in PPG acrylic lacquer in my driveway and no cracks yet. And like other SINGLE stage paint I can color sand it if it ever gets dull.

 

 

I painted this 1969 Pontiac H-O LeMans 27 years ago in PPG acrylic lacquer in my driveway and no cracks yet.

 

 

 

[Frank DuVal]

That's nice, can not buy lacquer top coat around here.

 

Difference in longevity is outside. Any paint seems to last forever if put in a garage clean. Leave lacquer outside, and urethane will outlast it. Of course the urethane will go bad too, given enough time.....😉

 

The furniture I painted with automotive lacquer still looks great after 35 years! Of course I do not park my furniture outside, usually...👍

[Pfeil]

8 minutes ago, Frank DuVal said:

That's nice, can not buy lacquer top coat around here.

 

Difference in longevity is outside. Any paint seems to last forever if put in a garage clean. Leave lacquer outside, and urethane will outlast it. Of course the urethane will go bad too, given enough time.....😉

 

The furniture I painted with automotive lacquer still looks great after 35 years! Of course I do not park my furniture outside, usually...👍

Well explain this one. The car below ( I'm the original owner ) I drove to work for ten years put over 100,000 miles have owned it 42 years and the paint is original, and oh yes it's GM's acrylic lacquer.

[Frank DuVal]

You kept it clean and waxed, didn't you?

Never saw the inside of a garage in 42 years?

 

When I say outside, I mean typical outside use, never in a garage, wash once a year, waxed never, typical daily driver abuse. Not collector car use, I hope!

 

We could also talk about that car was painted with OEM re-flow lacquer, not refinish lacquer, a different chemical composition. They did not sand and buff lacquer cars coming off the assembly line! 

[Pfeil]

1 hour ago, Frank DuVal said:

You kept it clean and waxed, didn't you?

Never saw the inside of a garage in 42 years?

 

When I say outside, I mean typical outside use, never in a garage, wash once a year, waxed never, typical daily driver abuse. Not collector car use, I hope!

 

We could also talk about that car was painted with OEM re-flow lacquer, not refinish lacquer, a different chemical composition. They did not sand and buff lacquer cars coming off the assembly line! 

 I kept it cleaned and waxed ? Now isn't that what everybody's supposed to do? If they don't they shouldn't own a car. A Car lover never treats a car that way and you know it. Wash once a year? Car always outside?  Every house in my neighborhood has at least a two car garage, plus the house I grew up in and every house I've owned, that's what a garage is for.  

 As far as that Oldsmobile is concerned it was buffed from the factory. I watched the car come down off the transporter at the dealer. I also made sure the car did not get a cosmetic PDI, I did that myself and that's how I know it was buffed. There were problems with the paint though , but that's another story.

Edited March 11, 2019 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[Frank DuVal]

In case you can not see it, we are agreeing!😉

 

Neighborhood I grew up in did not have garages. I didn't have a house with garage until I bought my own house, and  then it was almost the only house in the neighborhood with a garage. Post WWII housing boom, people wanted a place to sleep,  garages added to cost of house, the car was just an appliance to be obsolete by GM styling in three years anyway. 😁

 

Only cars off the line that were buffed were ones that didn't pass body inspection.

 

Sure lacquer works fine for collector cars. I've painted lots of it 25+ years ago. No issue there. Just can not buy it around here anymore.

[Buffalowed Bill]

IMO all good information, but it kind of depends on what your desired results, and the work, and money you are willing to put into the project. I have used all of the different paint concepts, that were available during the time that I did each, all with satisfactory results. You need to define the level of excellence that you are looking for. 

 

I may have missed it, but don't ignore catalyzed enamel, as an option. Again whether you clear coat, or not, is your choice. The paint is still available, and it does have some real cost, and application advantages. 

[Bhigdog]

Hard to fault acrylic enamel with hardener. Put on enough so you can color sand and buff to get rid of the minor dirt and nibs  that always happens. Mimics lacquer  in looks without that phony plastic look of base/clear. It's very forgiving to apply and It's also easy to repair minor dings and chips. Lots of ways to skin this cat but that's my 2 cents............Bob