I've been told that the more clearcoats you put on the better, for future colorsanding of dings and scratches.

Anybody know what the optimum number of clearcoats would be?

My painter is recommending two, but I'm not sure if that's for his benifit or mine.

Thanks for any opinions.

Wayne

 

Hi Wayne

Two is normal, too many coats can lead to problems
Best bet is to check the data sheets from the paint manufacturer

Stephen

 

Hi Wayne -

The base coat - clear coat system is very popular lately and looks pretty good. I was seriously considering it myself as I plan to get the truck painted soon (by late April).

I have decided, however, on a single-stage 2-part urethane. After some asking around, I decided that it will be easier to keep up as a daily driver. If I was building a show piece, I would go the route you are looking at - no question. But, the first stone ding would really tweak me out! So, I'm thinking simpler - and a LOT less expensive. I also don't plan on using a metallic paint, which I'm told really looks much better as a base/clear sustem.

Just thoughts...

P.S.: How soon you gonna get that bad boy on the street?
P.P.S.: No, I haven't called Bob's yet...my bad.

 

My painter is using two. Nice truck!! Looking foward to seeing the finished pics! -4speed

 

if you want a REAL glossy looke get 3 coats...show cars usually get 4 becuase in the wet sanding and buffing process 1 coat is removed but as you know, show cars are like glass, BUT if its gonna be driven hard then 2 is A-OK

 

we usually put on 3-4, because bigred is right, you end up wet sanding and buffing at least one off...be careful that you put them on at the right time and right conditions, because at about #3 it could get stubborn and start to wrinkle...that torques a person off...jus depends on how u want it to turn out...glassy or not

 

Thanks alot for all your opinions.

I'm definitley going for the shine but don't want to be rediculous about it.
I'll talk to my painter some more and see if I can get him to agree with me to shoot three coats of clear, if he's not comfortable with that, I'll probably go with two.


P.S. Randy I was shooting for late sep. or oct. probably too optimistic but I'm going to try.

 

sweet! someone agreed with me! i think what u mean is if u want it to turn out normal or like glass OR if your painter is good with single stage you could get him to shoot it real slick. the guy i work for shot some single stage white on his GTO and it looks like he has spent hours polishing it when he only sprayed it and rolled it out

 

Is it true that base/clear does not fade as much as the older kinds of paint?

abe

 

Clearcoat has the uv inhibiters in it that protect against fading, but single stage urethanes have the clear already in them, just not a seperate top coat. Either system is supposed to be better than the older systems.


I can offer a little advice...you can save yourself a little greif if you choose a basecoat system with a catalyzed (or hardener added) base. If you have a sand through, the repair will be much eaisier, with less problems caused by the first base coat lifting on you.

 

I had 2 coats and it lookes like glass all I do is wash it off with water and dry it and then wipe it down with quit detail spray check it out on the galleries page under 1954 I hope it will be of some help to you.

 

you really can't go by just the number of coats, it's dependent on how much the painter thins the paint and if he sprays thin or wet, as well as the type of delivery system he's using. Better to look at a few jobs he's done and if he is "colorsanding" and buffing it or not. What type of painting does he normally do, insurance collision, in by 8 out by noon, high end dealership work, custom, etc.? That should tell you a lot.

 

I was a body man from '89 to '95, I worked for a top of the line shop that did a lot of both repair work and show cars / restorations. I ended up doing a lot of painting, we used DuPont and Sikkens. Spend the extra money on a high quality paint, believe me it's worth it. Sikkens, PPG, and Glasurit are the best.

I always shot at least 3 coats of clear on everything, the extra coat was nice to have for sanding and buffing on when needed, taking out imperfections or future scratches, etc. On show cars however, I would shoot 4 or 5 coats. On dark colors, those paint jobs looked so deep you could dive into the hood. It looks real sweet when done right, and if the paint is laid down very smooth there is no need for buffing. And if it's a metallic color, a base/clear system is a must - trust me on that one. My crowning achievement was a '40 Olds that took a trophy at an all-Oldsmobile show in Washington state: it was the original metallic maroon color, but I used a base-clear system with 4 coats of clear and never touched it with a buffer, it looked great.

A basecoat's purpose is to go on thin and smooth and just provide the color. (A tri-coat job adds a coat or two of pearl mix sprayed over the base color, it looks sweet). The clear coat is your durable finish that provides the gloss and also protection for the base color. This way the color really never fades, it's below the clear. While the newer single-stage paints are indeed better, they still get hammered by direct UV and eventually fade out, especially reds.

So, want a nice deep look that will give you more room in the future to do some buffing, polishing, or taking scratches out? Put on at least 3 coats of clear. It adds cost and time for your painter, but it's worth it for a nice ride.

Just my 2cents.

Gary

 

PS: Tell your body man that you're really picky and you want to take the truck to car shows, that will scare him into taking more time to do it right. Bodymen HATE come-backs...haha.

Gary

 

Sounds like I should get you to do mine when the time comes, Gary.

BTW, how do you know bodymen hate come-backs???