Paint Questions? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
May 15, 2005
Threads
147
Messages
1,164
Location
Anchorage, AK
I am getting ready to paint my cruiser. Wondering what paint to use... single stage, base and couple coats of clear? It will be original Dune Biege. I Just wonder which is better for daily driver/ wheeling use.

thanks

Ryan
 
Nobody with an opinion?
 
im not sure what's best, but i bought some acrylic paint and clear, to do both inside and outside.
i haven't painted it yet, nearly ready to do the inside though.
 
single stage

Single stage is what i have been told also!!! Let us know the cost of it!!

Spence
 
Catalyzed acrylic enamel is closest to what they came with, use the best paint you can afford, ppg is my personal favorite, I've had some problems with DuPont. Prep is super important...
 
A urethane will give you the best performance by far. Get datasheets from auto refinish outlets and compare (if you can't get a datasheet, I wouldn't suggest using it).

I used a single stage urethane from PPG that has served me well so far. I didn't want to use a base coat - clear coat because I wanted to touch it up easily.

The coating I used is called AUE-300. It's an industrial coating with a very impressive datasheet. Under that I used CRE-904 primer (also with a very impressive datasheet). If I had to do it again, I'd thin the primer a bit because it is a high solids primer that is intended to be applied to a high film build - thick stuff.

I've used a lower cost alternative from PPG as well - their Omni line.

Have fun
 
I have had bad experiences with laquers and Dupont Centari Acylic Enamel. The Centari is easy to apply and relatively cheap but doesn't hold up well. The laquer looked great with a deep shine but cracked up like crazy on horizontal surfaces. These may be a little dated and not even available now for all I know.

My current 40 is painted with Sherwin Williams Ultra 7000 base/clear for 4 years now and other than chiping easily the shine is holding up very well. My body and paint guy insisted on it as his claim was that it is easy to blend repairs later. I guess it all depends on what they are familiar with. I wanted Dupont Imron polyeurothane from my experience with it holdig up well on on heavy equipment and dump trucks but my painter refused to use it. Wouldn't say why. Maybe cost, enviro/health issues, experience or his narrow comfort zone.

If you're paying someone to do the work let them give you options or decide themselves as they're the one that will have to stand behind it. That is assuming it is a reputable shop and going to be in business later should they have to stand behind it. Also beware that my experince with paint and body guys is that generally speaking they don't hold their word. They had mine for 6 months...."I got my three best guys on it now" read: they're sitting on the hood eating their lunch!! No amount of coaxing, begging, threats or offers to pay extra to get it done seemed to matter. My buddy is going through the same deal now with a complete different shop. One place had it for 9 months and he finally went and picked it up unfinished. Lost a bunch of 'deposit" on that one. Drug it in pieces to another place down the street who was sympathetic to his situation and they have had it now for 6 months. Man-o-man. Sorry for the rant.

Last work of advice: he with the money has the power so don't give them the money upfront or you can guess the outcome. And don't pay them or pick it up until it's the way you want or you will never get them to fix it right if you pay them and take it away.

Good luck and sorry for the tangent. Learn from my mistakes!! Communicate what you want with all the details, get their word and hope for the best. My next project I will paint myself after shelling out nearly $4500 to get treated like s***.
 
My uncle and I will be painting it, he wants to use a couple coats of laquer SP? and a couple clear. He has paint a vette, couple harley's and 2 trucks. I was looking into Omni paint. Wondering if you could put a clear coat over a Single Stage ???

I forgot I will be painting everytihing in POR-15, and then painting with POR-15 Tie-Coat, whcih ties any paint to Por-15.

thanks for all of the info!

RYan
 
We've used Centari on hay trailers for years because it is cheap - it is also "hard" and tends to crack and flake off in large prices and isn't very resistant to rock chips and road salt damage. All acrylic enamel paints will be like this, not just Centari

Imron is what we use now, more money but a much more durable finish. I've used PPG Omni on my buddy's Heep and after ramming his tailgate with my front bumper a huge flake came off the tailgate :D

I used Zolatone - cheap, simple and hides a lot of dings and dents. Matte finish and slight texture that can be clearcoated for added durability. No chips or scratches yet either.
 
I used centari on mine last time, I've used it quite a bit over the years. Decent, but not great paint. It's actually getting a little harder to find now around here in NH. Last few paint jobs I've done I've used Napa crossfire urethane enamel. It's what I used on my 40. Very durable, easy to spray, and it wet sands and buffs out real nice. Which is very important if you don't have a booth. For a gallon of premix color (bright red) , hardener and reducer, I think I spent about 170 bucks. THe tintprime I used actually cost a lot more than the paint.
 
My buddy at work who charges $8,000 to paint a car, mostly Hot Rods. Said if I didn't use PPG, then I should Omni instead. But if I use omni, can I put a coat or 2 of clear over it??? I just want to be able to touch up any scratches easily. We I am back to blasting.

Ryan
 
Morse_FJ40 said:
I forgot I will be painting everytihing in POR-15, and then painting with POR-15 Tie-Coat, whcih ties any paint to Por-15.


To quote a famous robot...
"Warning Will Robinson... Danger.... Danger"

POR is not a good choice for this. Coatings are designed as a system. The datasheet for any top coat will list compatible primers (that have been tested). You are risking poor adhesion with this choice (a very expensive risk). If you were to call any refinish manufacturer, they will tell you that they can't guarantee it's performance if you use POR under it.

Lacquer - If this person is considering this coating, it tells me that he is not up to date on the refinish market. Urethanes provide superior flexibility and durability (cracking and gloss). They will also be far more resistant to chipping.

As for delamination, follow the "time to recoat window" between primer and top coat on the datasheet. It will give you the best chemical adhesion (the coating I used was between 1 hr and 4 days).

Clear - the datasheet will tell you if you can put a clear over top (it will specify which are compatible).

I'd suggest visiting a few auto refinish stores and ask for their advice. Get datasheets and compare.

...Hope that helps... Just my opinion (but my ex-cube mate is a auto paint engineer).
 
A single stage urethane is probably the hardest and most durable.

But I feel a basecoat/clear coat paint job is much easier to fix scratches and make repairs on.
Just have to paint repaired area and blend with the base color and then clear the whole panel, You don't notice the transition of color change if any between original paint and touchup.
Single stage you usually have to paint complete panel fender, door etc. . Any difference in color is more noticeable between body panels.
 
I'm a ways off from painting my rig, but that'll give me plenty of time to learn. From what I've read here single stage enamal or urethane seems to be the way to go for a OEM looking finish.

I'd be interested if anyone here has some helpful and detailed "how to" links for a DIY paint job.
 
I'm not a painter, but I do work with quite a few of painters at my shop. I work for the City of Philadelphia & the paint shop is in the rear of the mechanical shop. I've heard the painters complain about Omni paint, infact they tried to stop using it. But they paint cop cars usually, plain white. I'm not sure if it's because it's a cheaper paint or what, but they do not like using it. It may be a lower quality of Omni paint for all I know... Because right after they get painted the cops wreck them again. So maybe the use the cheaper stuff. Although I do know they use PPG for the big wigs, like the mayor etc... never heard any complaints about that.
And like someone else pointed out, prep is key.
 
I did my 40 with Omni and it came out nice but it does chip easy. I painted the under side and inside all the fenders with Por-15 first. Por-15 sticks best to seasoned metal (light rust) The first time I sprayed it I was able to power wash it off a week later because I painted over bare smooth steel. I scuffed up the steel with 50 grit sand paper and repainted with Por-15 and it stuck fine. Went over it with PPG high build primer and Omni.

I'm thinking that I might have mine painted one last coat at a paint shop when I'm done assembling it.

Omni was cheap... around $58 a gal plus hardner. The primer was close to $200 with the hardner.


Kevin
 
Yes, you can use clear over omni, as long as you used a catalyst (hardener/gloss additive). Do not use clear over enamel that is not catalized. You'll want to give the paint a few days to gas off before clearing it if doing omni.
 
Thanks evryone lots of good info. I know the Por-15 will stick good cause I sandblasted the entire body and frame. Prep work makes it all adhear much better.

later

Ryan
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom