C2. A question about paints

[Barbara S.]

I've been reading about paints and talking with painters about lacquer. Is it even available any more?? What is the current attitude about a paint product that, for the most part, is unavailable? Is the NCRS ready to start accepting modern paint products and abandon the requirement for lacquer or lacquer appearance?

Thanks.
Tony

[Kevin M.]

No

You still have to use lacquer and you can still get it. You can go modern but as you stated you need to make it appear as lacquer.

Kevin

[Ed Jennings]

Re: C2. A question about paints

lacquer is still available, but it isn't your father's lacquer. With proper handling, modern urethanes can be made to simulate lacquers with much beter durability.

[Barbara S.]

Re: C2. A question about paints

How can the modern urethanes be simulated to give a lacquer appearance?
Tony

[Michael D.]

modern paint to lacquer look???

I was wondering how this can be done as well...

[Terry F.]

Re: modern paint to lacquer look???

That is a pretty big question. I am not an expert on this but I can give you a little bit of an idea on how it is achieved. There is more than just applying the paint to make it look like original. You need to apprciate how the cars were originally painted (couple coats of primer and then a top coat of paint). Minimal sanding and most of the sanding was done on the top half of the car. The lower half of the car may have been given very little attention. This process did not eliminate the waves in the panels, often left the bonding seams visable, showed signs of sanding under the paint, sometimes had runs in the paint. The door jams were not buffed (so they were dull with orange peel). The top half of the car was buffed out but the bottom half was neglected. The top half of the car was buffed shinny but was not flat, had orange peel. Panel and door alignment was poor in many cases.

So how do you make it look like laqure? Have poor panel alignment and fit. I supose you want to use minimal paint product and not flat sand the car so the waves in the panels stand out. Your goal will be to alow some of the body seam contours to show through a bit. A little drip might help also (thought I am not certain of this but I heard that some bodies were painted upside down so the drips might need to go upwards, don't quote me on that one, I heard it a long time ago and questioned the source). Flatten the paint in the door jams to make it look like it wasn't buffed out. Leave the lower half of the car rough if you can. Sounds wonderful! I would have a hard time doing this to a car.

Personally, if I had a car with origianl paint on it, I would try very hard to keep it regardless of how bad it looked. Otherwise, I would try to make it look nice. Just my opinion.

I eagerly stand to be corrected, Terry

[Steve B.]

Re: modern paint to lacquer look???

Terry, I have an original paint BB 67 and I have to admit that I am tempted to paint it so that it is as pretty as the engine compartment and chassis but at the end of the day I don't think that I will ever repaint that car.

[Terry F.]

Re: modern paint to lacquer look???

Yep, once you paint it, it will never be the same. There is no going back. That said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and a car is only worth what someone will pay for it. Sometimes it is hard to take the comments that come from people that don't appreciate an original paint over a fresh shinny new paint job. But, that is just how it goes. And for cars like mine there is no option, it will get repainted. Later, Terry

[Dale S.]

Re: modern paint to lacquer look???

Just be glad you dont have to paint your original 67 C-2, perfectly good Rally Red Coupe, because your son put a can of model airplane fuel on the hood. This was 20 years ago and I still could cry. Dale