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If it helps your decision, I went with a single stage "house brand" from TCP Global (the Restoration Products Line). It is an acrylic urethane. The paint goes on pretty well and the gloss is outstanding. I plan to keep the truck in the barn when I'm not using it, but I expect that the acrylic urethane will hold up pretty well. If I thought that this truck was going to live outside in the sun for the rest of its life I would have leaned toward a polyurethane paint like Imron (Dupont), or JetGlow (US Paint I think). Those are three times the cost and are also single stage paints that have a resin that surfaces as the paint cures. They were developed for airplanes that sit outside and are designed to have a gloss finish for 10 years with outside storage. The polyurethanes are also highly toxic during the spray process & a high percentage people have a severe skin reaction, so most places require that the painters are fully suited up before mixing and spraying (that means gloves taped to a jumpsuit, a hood with an outside air source and tape from the jumpsuit to boot tops. Once the paint cures it is inert.
Here's a couple of pics of my cheap single stage "Rock Moss Green" parts:
Dan
Hi Dan,
Being that I'm in Central CA where the sun beats (literally) on vehicles while, and unless one parks under a tree (sap dripping, leaves and bird poop) or in a garage (my preferred option - got to somehow let the missus know that her vehicle is staying out) I think I will opt for the polyurethanes plus my painter is well prepared complete with astronaut suit and all...
Your "cheap" single stage photos look VERY nice Dan!
If I thought that this truck was going to live outside in the sun for the rest of its life I would have leaned toward a polyurethane paint like Imron (Dupont), or JetGlow (US Paint I think). Those are three times the cost and are also single stage paints that have a resin that surfaces as the paint cures. They were developed for airplanes that sit outside and are designed to have a gloss finish for 10 years with outside storage.Dan
I painted my 78 HD FXE with Imron (Black) about 30 yrs ago and I loved the way it went down and the gloss did hold up for years unfazed,
my only issue was it's such an extremely hard paint that it chips quite easily. My 2c
Your truck components look great after blasting. As you consider your paint remember that the cost of the paint itself is just a fraction of the cost of a paintjob. In the 70's I used to paint a lot of cars and people would want me to use cheaper paint because they wanted to save money. I used to tell them that I was not putting my time and effort into the prep work only to put cheap paint over it. I sent those folks off to Earl Scheib and Maaco. You are making a good decision to go with a quality paint, you won't regret it.
I found this photo that I thought that I would share...it's a bed that I painted with PPG basecoat and House of Kolor UC-35 clear. You can see the distinction of image (DOI) in the reflected image of the car trailer next to the bed. Not everyone is looking for a paint job at this level but it does show what can be achieved with the paints available today...
Your truck components look great after blasting. As you consider your paint remember that the cost of the paint itself is just a fraction of the cost of a paintjob. In the 70's I used to paint a lot of cars and people would want me to use cheaper paint because they wanted to save money. I used to tell them that I was not putting my time and effort into the prep work only to put cheap paint over it. I sent those folks off to Earl Scheib and Maaco. You are making a good decision to go with a quality paint, you won't regret it.
I found this photo that I thought that I would share...it's a bed that I painted with PPG basecoat and House of Kolor UC-35 clear. You can see the distinction of image (DOI) in the reflected image of the car trailer next to the bed. Not everyone is looking for a paint job at this level but it does show what can be achieved with the paints available today...
Awesome CharlieLed.
Thank you., That picture looks really REALLY great! I actually like that color too!! Sure hope mine is as good.
On a previos attempt to a project I had (ended up getting set on fire by some SOB), we used single stage for the first coats and added two more in the end with CC added to the mix. These are scanned pictures so might have lost a bit of quality. Finished painting and left in the sun to bake for a few days. Thought it was pretty good. These are the shots that show the best reflection on the new paint. a few more on the album I added.