Paint Choices

[71tr]

I'll soon be repainting the six and am undecided on my choice of paint vendor. The color will be as original, sapphire blue, and I am leaning towards single-stage with no clear-coat. Should I go with PPG, Dupont, Sherwin Williams or some other source. Tell me your experiences and suggestions including a good source for supplies.

PS. Ever wonder why auto paint is so expensive? Well the big providers were busted for price colusion some years ago. Check out the case: https://www.autobodynews.com/Paint-Price-Fixing-Settlement.pdf

 

[Stinky]

Years ago when I painted cars, I used Ditzler stuff. Nowadays, I pay a guy to paint. He's very good, and he swears that "Sikkens" is the best thing going these days.
That's about the extent of my paint knowledge.

 

[Guest]

I am a big fan of basecoat/clearcoat, especially in the darker colors. If you have a good spray man (might be you) that has a clean booth and knows how to handle the stuff, base/clear makes for one helluva gorgeous finish that requires very little upkeep. I know it is not original but to me it looks better than original. Check out some good examples and compare, especially after they have been around a few years.

I am a fan of PPG.

Bill

 

[Dugger]

I agree with TR6Bill, the base/clear is more durable and looks better. But that doesn't mean that a single stage system looks bad. Most of the single stage or base/clear systems vary very little in composition from the reputable suppliers/manufacturers. What is more important than what paint you finally decide to use is how well the surface is prepared before the paint is applied and the application.

If this will be done by others(?), then I would recommend that you use the supplier the applicator recommends and can show you examples of his finish products with that supplier.

You can use the best paint available but with poor prep or sloppy application it will look like it came from a "rattle can".

 

[dklawson]

How about a compromise? I'm also a fan of PPG. When I did my last paint job the supplier recommended their DCC paint system. This is a two-component urethane but it is NOT a BaseCoat/ClearCoat system. However, it is compatible with PPG's DUU paint system which IS a clear coat. The supplier encouraged me to put down two coats of the "standard" DCC paint and when it was time to apply the final top coat, mix my DCC color paint with 50% DUU clear. This gives you a LOT of color depth that will still keep a high-gloss after you do any post-painting wet sanding and buffing to clean up mistakes. I was very pleased and I found the PPG paints very easy to work with.

PS: I believe PPG used to (or does) own Ditzler. I haven't seen Ditzler paints in quite a while. I have also had good luck with DuPont and Martin-Senour (NAPA) paints. I've never used Sherwin Williams. I still like PPG best.

 

[BOXoROCKS]

Boy,we have been down this road before.gets almost religous.
Here's my opinion, go with who ever has the most convincing sales pitch.Excellent advice, cause thats what we all do.

 

[jayhawk]

Your choice might be perfectly fine depending on your intended use/exposure, etc. From my recent experience, Dugger's advice re prep is most important. I did the prep myself-- because it needed lots of work, I was trying to save money and I had done reasonably well with prep for other cars in the past. I went the same paint route as you are thinking. The paint itself is fine, especially for my fair weather TR, but my prep work resulted in a few spots that didn't take well-- plus the guys at the shop were not sufficiently careful with preventing dust/dirt from getting in the paint. Lots of work and still a fair amount of dough resulted in a not so hot paint job. I said I only wanted a clean driver and not a show car but when I see people leaning sideways and scrutinizing the paint job, I hafta feel some twinge of remorse.

 

[John Loftus]

I went with PPG DCC paint (acrylic urethane) which is single-stage, no clear finish. I personally prefer the look of single-stage on classic cars (with non-metallic finishes, of course).
I have a photo album showing the restoration progress .. pictures of the paint are near the end (page 4 and 5).

https://www.loftusdesign.net/restorationweb/

Cheers,
John

 

[PC]

[ QUOTE ]
...PS: I believe PPG used to (or does) own Ditzler. I haven't seen Ditzler paints in quite a while...

[/ QUOTE ]Ditzler has been the automotive coatings subsidiary of PPG since 1928. I would guess that PPG managements' "branding" plans didn't call for historical continuity and they came up with new names.


PC.

 

[71tr]

John, those are some great photos, the car really has beautiful lines. Yes, I've done all my own body work as well. I may sound jaded but I fully believe no paid employee of a bodyshop will put the love into these cars that they deserve.

One more question: how much paint does it take to cover one of these beasts? Three quarts, a gallon, two gallons?

 

[John Loftus]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, I've done all my own body work as well. I may sound jaded but I fully believe no paid employee of a bodyshop will put the love into these cars that they deserve.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't take the credit for the panelwork and paint. I took some bodywork courses and have painted a dozen cars in the past but these days I'm just too busy with my business. The important thing for me was to find individuals that love what they do. The Italian panel beater and the guy who prepped and painted the car both are very experienced and passionate about what they do. The few small problems that occurred during the wetsand/buffing were due to "helpers" that just didn't have the experience and concentration required.

I'm not sure about the exact quantity of paint. The Healey chassis has a lot of area to cover along with spraying both sides of fenders/shrouds. I do know the painter underestimated the quantities required and had to buy more. I think it took about 2 gallons by the time it was done.

Good luck!
John