What brand and type of paint materials did you use on your Cal Look Project?

[rick m]

There are a lot of good paints out there today that we did not have 35 years ago. What types of paint have you guys all used for your Cal Look project cars?

• Acrylic Enamel w/Hardner
• Base Coat/Clear Coat
• Acrylic Urethane

Just getting ready to change the color on a car I have and wondered what all of you have found the most durable for all type weather conditions, easy to keep up and looking good for the long haul.

Also, share what brand or type paints you have used:

• PPG
• OMNI
• Dupont
• Glazurit
• Any other brand you have found that works great

One final set of questions. What type of and brand of Primer Surfacers, Self-Etching Primers, Primer Sealers, body filler materials have you found best to use for all weather conditions and best results for an under-layment for your paint?

Rick Mortensen

[nlvtinman]

Rick,
With so many different results possible with today's paint materials, the choice is wide open. I've been a painter/restorer for 35 years. I've given all the paint companies a try.
In my book, I will nowdays choose a Base/Clearcoat system, even for a solid color. They have perfected chemical adhesion of the products so that de-lamination is not a concern.  I feel that that clear helps protect your colorcoat from staining, attack of environmental fallout, and deepens the look to the finished paint job.

PPG, DuPont, and any of the european paints are great to use...just depends on the depth of your wallet. If I can be of any help to you, please write and we can discuss your questions,
Steve

[louisb]

I have not done a whole car but I have worked with the PPG DP line of primers before and was very happy with the results. You should make sure to read up on the helath hazards of some of the new paints. Some of that stuff is pretty nasty if you don't have a fresh air system.

I am planning to paint my '67 from start to finish this time so I will be watching this thread with interest.

--louis

[Mike Maize]

Hey Rick, I agree that most of the high end stuff is as good as the next. The biggest thing is to follow instructions to the smallest detail, including the health warnings. I prefer single stage urethane on solid colors because I feel it touches up better with a brush on chips etc...and I build cars to be driven hard. I am Dupont diehard though, because my Father in law has his own mixing system at his shop and as far as durability goes I can't imagine anything holding up better. My black car has been ten years and counting and has zero issues on bonding or shine, other than needing a light buff after a million washes and lots of miles..... The black paint was over white Dupont urethane paint I did 20 years ago!

[Jason Foster]

Dupont   single stage

[jick]

i used dupont cellulose on my last 3 cars i painted, i just dont like the plasticky look of the two pack paints...although they area lot more durable....

[.]

GLASURIT SINGLE STAGE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
   

[Rennsurfer]

My friend, Robert, and I sprayed my orange '66 using Ditzler brand paint which I had custom blended to my color specs. We were very happy with how it applied and turned out.

[Brian Silva]

Had my car painted about a year ago with spies and hecker base coat/clear coat and it turned out beautiful.

[rick m]

I appreciated every one's input so far. I will be practicing and studying the painting process and redoing the color on my Chop Top this fall.  Right now I am studying and investigating and appreciate the input of forum members so far. I have done everything else to my cars including engine, drive train and metal work and felt it is now time to go full circle and paint one.

It will be a full strip down process. I am building a new floor pan and chassis for my Chop Top I acquired.  I need to have my own hand in the whole car and will do a complete rebuild in the traditional Cal Look. All the chrome will come off, an EMPI eyebrow decklid I will create and other body mods before repainting it.

I will keep forum members posed on my progress.  Here is how the car looks now. It will get a color change, interior change, wheel change and drivetrain change.  Anyone interested in a complete interior out of the car, let me know. I will be selling the front and rear seats and matching door panels as a complete set.  I am replacing them with something different for my new look.

Rick Mortensen

[louisb]

You decided on a color?

--louis

[Mike Maize]

Dupont   single stage

Dupont Chroma One is their single stage (no clear coat) urethane. Not sure what looks "plasticky" but a couple coats of wax and people are drooling over my single stage painted builds all the time.

[louisb]

Dupont   single stage

Dupont Chroma One is their single stage (no clear coat) urethane. Not sure what looks "plasticky" but a couple coats of wax and people are drooling over my single stage painted builds all the time.

Can you color sand single stage paints to remove orange peal?

--louis

[Mike Maize]

Absolutely can sand and buff!

[Matt H]

I like single stage urethanes for non metallic colors. When I did my car I used PPG Concept. It still looked great the day I shipped it off to Norway. If I was spraying a metallic I would go base clear. So you know Omni is entry level PPG. You can buff SS no problems. The way to think about SS is the clear is in there. You can also add some clear to your last coat if you realy feel you need to. You only need epoxy primer if you are going back to bare metal. Check the websites for tech information. Good luck Rick

[rick m]

Matt,

Thanks for your input. I have been playing around with multiple coats of Acrylic Enamel with Hardner, color sanding and buffing. Amazing what you can get it to look like.  I am only playing with small pieces right now, testing out my new gravity feed gun. I will probably not strip the chop top clear back to bare metal and use a primer sealer on it, depending on how well the current paint is adhering.  I have some body mods I will be doing, welding up the chrome holes, building and eyebrow 67 decklid and some other mods (welding in the over rider holes and exhaust cut outs) before I strip the car.

I am also building a new pan for the car as well. Have some drive train updates I want to do and it is easier to build and prepare a new rolling pan for the car.  I will post progress shots later in the year as I progress the project.

RM

[Tony Wilkie]

Hey Rick,
I use PPG base coat clear coat.
Deltron base & concepts clear. Pretty easy to use and has one of the best gloss retention.
If you need any help let me know. I'm not to far from you. (peoria)



tw

[rick m]

Hey Tony,

I don't think we've ever met but I was sad to hear you closed the shop down. Where are you working now? Would like to meet up with you some time. Sorry we never hooked up before. I will definitely be interested in any input you have. I like to do all my own work...motors, etc. Paint is a new venture for me so I always seek a lot of information and feedback before trying anything.

Email me and let me know how to get ahold of you and hook up.

Rick M

[Dick Mitchell]

I'd have to agree with the majority and recommend PPG Base/clear.  I've been using it for the past 4 years in school and have noticed a huge difference between it and the DuPont Chroma-base paint I used before.  The difference IMO is in the ease of applying both the base and the clear. 

[Tony Wilkie]

Hey Rick,
I'm doing work for Chris @ wedge vee dub. He has tons of work and takes good care of me 
Give me a call anytime. My cell 623-980-9905

By the way I heard my buddy Trevor got a good scare in Don's car when he was hanging with you guys 

tw

[deano]

Buddy Hale used Pro Spray urethane on my '67. He likes it better than Spies Hecker. We ended up doing a three stage paint job to get the right shade of orange. He first applied a solid bright orange toner to my car, then sprayed the correct shade of orange on top of that, then clear. This gave the paint job a lot more depth, and covered better, since my orange contained so much transpartent yellow in the mixture.

[Tony Wilkie]

Spies is hard to spray unless you have used it before & VERY expensive because you need to use all of there products together. $$$ But they warranty all there paint if you should have a problem.

It does gloss out nice though!

tw

[Donny B.]

By the way I heard my buddy Trevor got a good scare in Don's car when he was hanging with you guys

Now Tony how could anybody get scared in my car?  He should ride in a really fast car sometime....

[2manytoys]

I appreciated every one's input so far. I will be practicing and studying the painting process and redoing the color on my Chop Top this fall.  Right now I am studying and investigating and appreciate the input of forum members so far. I have done everything else to my cars including engine, drive train and metal work and felt it is now time to go full circle and paint one.

It will be a full strip down process. I am building a new floor pan and chassis for my Chop Top I acquired.  I need to have my own hand in the whole car and will do a complete rebuild in the traditional Cal Look. All the chrome will come off, an EMPI eyebrow decklid I will create and other body mods before repainting it.

I will keep forum members posed on my progress.  Here is how the car looks now. It will get a color change, interior change, wheel change and drivetrain change.  Anyone interested in a complete interior out of the car, let me know. I will be selling the front and rear seats and matching door panels as a complete set.  I am replacing them with something different for my new look.

Rick Mortensen

Rick,
I see you bought a car that was local to me here a few months ago. I was looking at it and gave it a thought. My plan would have been to strip it, paint it, sell the interior and build it new again. Good luck with the "re-birth" I have always loved chop tops, every since the days of my first chop, the Green M&M,..man that was a long time ago, about 18 years.