lacquer paint over enamel

[WHITE70T/A]

i have a 1971 roadrunner with an air grabber hood. the insert in the hood is fiberglass. it has been painted with an unknown primer, and then enamel. the original paint was lacquer, and that is what i'm going to use. can i use an enamel primer, or something else to prep it for the lacquer top coat?

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

Hello,

I found out (sometimes the hard way) that usually when using

any spray paint out of cans that laquers will usually "craze"

enamel undercoats. Enamels can easily be applied over laquers

without consequence. It might be best to experiment with a small

area first or inquire at an auto paint supply shop about sealer

which wuoldn't react with your existing finish...

Then there is always Strip-eze or sandpaper!

Thanks,

Joe Kieliszek

[Guest imported_PackardV8]

Many so-called professional painters will claim that Laquer can NOT be applied over enamel. Its NOT true. I have done it many times. Spray the first 3 or 4 coats of lacquer very lightly allowing to dry between coats until none of the original enamel shows thru. Then u can proceed with the lacquer paint as normal coats.

DISCLAIMER: This is assuming that the enamel base is at least 6 months old. If the enamel was sprayed yesterday then i cannot vouch for the results of spraying laq over it.

Disclaimer#2. U better double check to see if the original paint was really lacquer. I doubt that Chrysler would have ever used lacquer for anything.

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

For many years (1940's through '60s, at least), Chrysler products were painted with Ditzler Enamels at the factory.

Enamel paints are (were) more durable when exposed to the elements, and when baked/cured in the factory ovens were fairly cost-effective finishes...

As stated above, test in a small area first... it might be more worthwhile to strip the hood and re-prime in a material that you are certain is compatible with your finish of choice....this way you're not wasting time & material before you wind-up stripping and re-priming....just a thought...

Good luck!

[Guest Indiana_Truck]

Just to be safe and save a LOT of work later it is best to remove the old paint first. The enamel will lift and make a mess if you put lacquer over it. I have seen it done and they ended up removing all the paint from the whole car to fix it later.

If you insist on doing this try some epoxy primer over the old finish first to seal it and then try your lacquer primer over that. If it does anything at this point you will have a little less mess but it might just work but I would expect the worst no matter how you do it unless you remove the enamel first. A good paint job is only as good as the prep work.

[Restorer32]

Thus our shop rule, based on 26 years experience in antique restoration, that we will never, under any circumstances, paint over anybody else's paint. We either strip it down to bare metal or we pass on the job.

[ex98thdrill]

You're exactly right. A good paint job is only as good as the prep work. The spraying is the easy part.

[Guest imported_PackardV8]

The "Pros" will set and establish policy and claims well suited to THEIR bottom line.

However, i contend that i have painted DD as well as Acme ACRYLIC lacquer over enamels and even other unknown paint surfaces with superb results to rival most ANY commercial shop. And the paint lasted a long time. 10years in one case that i know of when i lost track of the sidecar. The process is somewhat time consuming in that it requires several light coats until the old paint is covered. But lacquer drys quick anyway.

BOTTOM LINE : I'm not trying to sell anyone anything.

Bottom line2: Never ask an encyclopedia salesman wheather or not you should buy a set of encyclopedias...

[Restorer32]

You're a better man than I Gunga Din.

[Guest Skyking]

I wouldn't apply lacquer over enamel either. Always ask the experts @

http://pub26.ezboard.com/fpaintucationfrm1 This is an excellent paint sight!

[ex98thdrill]

We did it once, it blistered, and swore that we'd never do it again.

[DizzyDale]

Dear Restorer32 and Packardv8,The way i sees it is this is a PRO doing business with anyone and everyone VS a guy doin squirt jobs for his pals on the side.A guy doing it for a living CANNOT take the chance of painting over an unknown substrate while the amateur just rolls the dice,keeps his fingers crossed and the worst thing that could happen is he gets to do it all over.This time CORRECTLY.diz

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

I would simply add to the equation:

"How much money will I have invested in the paint I'm applying over the existing finish"?

With some auto paints running at more than $200 a gallon these days, personally, I'd want to be sure there will not be "problems" resulting from "incompatibilty"...

"You pays your money and you takes your chances"...

A gallon of Tal-strip and an afternoon of elbow-grease at the outset might be cheaper than sanding, spraying, watching the paint dry (and maybe bubble or craze), THEN buying the gallon of Tal-strip and spending the afternoon of elbow greasing....

???

[Guest imported_PackardV8]

I certainly agree that many resto projects absolutlly require stripping to bare metal. My 48 Chief and 56 cushman eagle fell into this category as well as several other restorations. BUT, thereare many 'older restos' out there that only need a good sanding and painting and maybe some minor bump work. WHY RECREATE THE WHEEL????? Strip to the virgin metal can result in stripping out or softeneing bondo (there are some good bondo jobs), glazeing putty, and the like. Paint is primarily cosmetic. It only has to do two things: 1. stick. 2. look good.