Single Stage OK for an 80's Car

[Tommyjack]

This will be my second paint job. My first was a 69 Mach 1 painted with PPG S/S Acryilic Urethane (Concepts). Car turned out excellent, to everyones surprise. Thanks to this site i might add. Anyway now I'm working on my sons 89 Firebird Formula. CC has faded on the flat surfaces. And a repainted front fender is starting to spider web.

My question is would a S/S be OK for a car of this year or should I go with a BC/CC. How do I handle the plastic bumpers, is flex needed no matter what I use. The only repairs would be a few minor door dings. Using a home paint booth so I'm thinking the less coats I apply the less dirt in the finish.

Cost is important (he's paying). I plan to use the OMNI line this time. Factory red color.

Thanks!!!

[dave_demented]

IMHO, SS is the best for solid colors, they have more depth and as you said, require less coats in the long run. BC/CC is better for a beginner because it allows you to spray the color, get everything the way you like it(get rid of dirt, tiger stripes, etc) and then clear it and work the clear the way you want it.

that being said, i would probably use SS on that car for an overall, but because it's red you need to be careful with what materials you buy. red is very expensive color, and some omni paints do not cover like the more expensive ones. just be sure to spray a test panel with it to see how many coats you need for coverage.

yes, you should use flex for the plastic parts in the paint. it is generally needed in any hardened material, but check your p-sheet for the recommendations for your products....

[Tommyjack]

thanks for the info. I'm reading that OMNI may not be the way to go for a S/S. At $450.00 a gallon PPG is to expensive. Any suggestions. I have a PPG/OMNI dealer and a DUPONT dealer close by.

Thanks.

[dave_demented]

check out duponts nason line, it's comparable to omni, but i've always had good luck with them. while your there, check out the price of the regular dupont SS as well (can't remeber the name of it for the life of me). but if you do get any dupont line paints, you should get their "value shade" sealer because it helps with coverage...

[Tommyjack]

Thanks!!! I appreciate it.

[Tommyjack]

Just got back from the paint store. Probably gonna go with the OMNI SS. For $220.00 for everything sounds like a good deal. I'll put several coats on it (4) to get good coverage. We discussed the possibility of scuffing up the orginal top coat, making the door ding repairs, primer over them only and shoot the single stage. What do you think? Anything wrong with that. I've done spot reapirs before w/BC-CC and the whole panel wasn't primed just the repaired area, then scuffed and painted the repair and cleared the whole panel. Whats the difference?

Thanks

[dave_demented]

well you said the repainted fender was starting to check, you should strip the paint off of that fender otherwise the "spiderweb" will continue through to the new paint. personally, i spray a coat of sealer over everything i do before painting. thats just me though, i like to have a consistently colored panel to paint. also gotta make sure that the new paint doesnt cause the faded clear and any bc that might be sticking out to lift, sealer can help with this too....

this is just my opinion, you might wanna wait for some of the more experienced guys to chime in

[Tommyjack]

You're on the same track as I was thinking. Especially about the color, primed vs unprimed.

Thanks again

[stealth1]

I would do your bodywork then apply 2K urethane primer over just the bodywork and block that out, then scuff the rest of the car with 400 grit and apply 2K epoxy primer over the whole car with a gray or buff color primer. The Omni line does not cover very well and you need a uniform base to start with to get decent coverage plus the epoxy will help act as a barrier coat for your new SS urethane...........best of luck

[Tommyjack]

Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks

[jhowell]

You would be wise to put a flex additive in the paint for the plastic bumpers. Some people disagree with whether they are needed or not. I say they do because I've seen far too many cars repainted without the stuff and at the slightest impact, the paint cracks and starts peeling off. Additionally, it will add a measure of chip resistance as the paint will cure, but when cured it remains slightly soft and pliable.

As for the 2K, why not just put it on the whole car and block everything? It's a labor intensive job as is. It should only take a few more hours to block the whole thing. In doing so you'll eliminate any flaws you may have previously missed.

[Jayson M]

Thats the way bumpers are,any impact is going to do that to the paint.Once the paint is cured the flex additive is gone,the only reason they use it is if the bumper is painted off the car.That way the bumper will stay flexible until you get it back on the car.The only way to improve chip resistance is to use a hardener in the base coat.If you think about it are you going to go to all the trouble to put flex agent in the primer,and clear?But there is no flex agent for sealer or base coat,so do you see what I'm getting at? If there is only flex agent in a couple of the products and not all leave it out entirely,it is a wives tale.Thats my 2 cents after 20 plus years of painting for a living.

[Tommyjack]

Thats the way bumpers are,any impact is going to do that to the paint.Once the paint is cured the flex additive is gone,the only reason they use it is if the bumper is painted off the car.That way the bumper will stay flexible until you get it back on the car.The only way to improve chip resistance is to use a hardener in the base coat.If you think about it are you going to go to all the trouble to put flex agent in the primer,and clear?But there is no flex agent for sealer or base coat,so do you see what I'm getting at? If there is only flex agent in a couple of the products and not all leave it out entirely,it is a wives tale.Thats my 2 cents after 20 plus years of painting for a living.
Thats exactly what the paint store told me. Flex is only used if the plastic is off the car to aid in installation. After it cures for a fews days the flex additve disapates. I'm gonna primer/seal the whole car and shoot it w/ SS. I think the biggest problem will be taking off the mirrors, door handles, locks, etc...

[Steve g]

Thats exactly what the paint store told me. Flex is only used if the plastic is off the car to aid in installation. After it cures for a fews days the flex additve disapates. I'm gonna primer/seal the whole car and shoot it w/ SS. I think the biggest problem will be taking off the mirrors, door handles, locks, etc...

I'm not sure I buy that. In Dupont's troubleshooting section they list the addition as flex additives as a prevention for areas prone to chipping. I'm reasonably sure they don't mean chipping during installation.
Steve g

[Tommyjack]

I'm talking to a PPG rep. Go figure. I'm not taking off the bumper so I'm not sure how to go about this. I'd hate to tape up a fesh paint job to just pain the bumper and they not match.

[Jayson M]

Of all the paint courses I have been to certification ,color tinting, etc the instructors have said the same thing about flex additive.I have been to ppg,akzo nobel(sikkens) basf, and they all say the same thing.Like I said before the only way to make your paint chip resistant is to add hardener in the base coat.I work in a quality minded production shop and I get to see what works and what doesn't,for me flex agent is over rated.