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Sticker shock

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68_sprite said:
I agree with the sticker shock...my paint and clear ended up about 800.00 and I bought it online. That was about 250.00 lower than anywhere else I could find it even with shipping. Went with House of Kolor base and kandy color and was very happy with the results. My avatar is still the old black car, but this was for my current car, bright red.
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HOK is good stuff, how much did you buy to paint the midget?
I bought my stuff online from ALSA paints, they are out of somewhere in California. I think a lot of people buy way more paint then they need, though. No need to buy a gallon of paint for a midget when you will have more than that left over.
 
jvandyke said:
Silverghost said:
It seems historically red has been an expensive color......so why were barns traditionally painted red? On the face of it, it seems a costly expense for a farmer....
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I was told barns were red because back in the day farmers made the "paint" from red dirt. free paint, opposite of our problem I guess.
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I think it got jacked up due to being popular too. Almost everyone likes red, 'cept insurance companies. You'll even pay more for a red car at the auction simply 'cause it appeals to more people. I wonder how much beige is????
 
ok, I went back to my original invoices...total for my primer, paint and clear was about 650.00. the reamining amount went to sanding supplies and buffing pads.

Bought 3 qts base color, 3 qts candy and a gallon of clear. The car has 5 coats of the Cinder Red base, 7 coats of Tangerine Kandy (with a bit of candy red concentrate) and 3 coats of clear. HoK clear is really fussy and I believe we only needed 2 quarts, so I have leftovers.

I am really happy with how it turned out.
 
68_sprite said:
ok, I went back to my original invoices...total for my primer, paint and clear was about 650.00. the reamining amount went to sanding supplies and buffing pads.

Bought 3 qts base color, 3 qts candy and a gallon of clear. The car has 5 coats of the Cinder Red base, 7 coats of Tangerine Kandy (with a bit of candy red concentrate) and 3 coats of clear. HoK clear is really fussy and I believe we only needed 2 quarts, so I have leftovers.

I am really happy with how it turned out.
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And rightfully so, it looks fabulous!
 
I want to get some of that heat sensing paint from ALSA, it turns from blue to white when in the sun or any heat source and you can candy that and get all sorts of colors. Expensive stuff though. I gave $80 for 4 ounces of their mirrachrome and haven't used it yet. Supposed to have 98% of the same look as real chrome.
I have been thinking about painting some later rostyle wheels with it. Or maybe a head and valve cover. It can take the heat if the clear can handle it according to ALSA. If I was rich I would buy a lot more from these guys. https://www.alsacorp.com/products/mirrachrome/mirrachrome.htm
 
dklawson said:
I have sprayed only PPG and DuPont paints until recently. The last PPG paint I bought was SS urethane... red. I also experienced sticker shock even though I knew how much paint really costs. This was the first time I'd purchased "red".

The cost of the "name brand" PPG paint prompted me to try a less well known paint, TCP Global in CA. Their SS urethane is similar to PPG's DCC Concept series. I did find it a little more prone to runs. I chose a red from their "standard pallet" that was close to what I wanted and bought a gallon kit (paint, reducer, hardener) for under $200 delivered. With those savings, I'll learn to work with their paint on my current project.
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So "generally speaking", are you happy with the TCP paint? I have a Bugeye restoration underway that is going to need paint this year and I'm really tempted to give TCP a try due to the savings over PPG or dupont. Most people quote things like UV/sunfade durability to be the major considerations when using "other" name paints. How has your's held up?
 
My comments about TCP so far can only apply to the application of their paint, not its long term durability. My car will be a rolling restoration and so far only some of the under-bonnet areas and the driver's door are "red".

I found that the TCP paint buffs up rather nicely and where I applied the paint "correctly" (where wet sanding and subsequent buffing were not required) it looks good with nice gloss. It seems to be a bit thinner than PPG and therefore, perhaps a bit more prone to runs. With practice I can tell I'm getting the hang of it though.

Sorry I can't give you a ringing endorsement at this time. However, I have been happy with TCP's materials and their service.
 
dklawson said:
My comments about TCP so far can only apply to the application of their paint, not its long term durability. My car will be a rolling restoration and so far only some of the under-bonnet areas and the driver's door are "red".

I found that the TCP paint buffs up rather nicely and where I applied the paint "correctly" (where wet sanding and subsequent buffing were not required) it looks good with nice gloss. It seems to be a bit thinner than PPG and therefore, perhaps a bit more prone to runs. With practice I can tell I'm getting the hang of it though.

Sorry I can't give you a ringing endorsement at this time. However, I have been happy with TCP's materials and their service.
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I understand. Thanks for the info!
 
I have talke to a couple of body shops about this, most of the major brands have a lower cost line as well, they say the major difference is maybe not a perfect match on color when doing a repair on a factory paint job, big deal to a body shop, maybe not so much on a car you are painting yourself and you will probably have some left over for any touvh up needed.

I don't remember the names, but you local supplier or a web search should turn it up, one other option is to go with the low end brand for primer and such and switch to the high end for the color coat.

I am tryng the TCP Global as well this time, so far fine in the engine comparment, my problems mostly related to issues with the gun, paint was fine (doing single stage, not basecoat clearcoat).

The last car I painted I went to the body shop had been many years since I painted a car, got some epoxy primer and primer surfacer, not even any top coat, I didn't ask how much and no prices on the items at the professional body supply shop, rang up to over $800, crazy. However, although expensive I have decided that epoxy primer is "da bomb" I have used it for a couple of cars and no lifting crazing bleeding or other such paint related issues, and no rust through on the car I painted 20 years ago either.
 
Has anyone tried the new waterbourne paints on a project yet? the EPA changes at commercial shops is coming fast to only being able to spray water.
 
There have been a couple of recent threads about water based paints on the Triumph pages of this board. There may have been one here also. The explanation given for those paints was that they are a base/clear system with the base being water borne and requiring special care to "get right". The implication in those threads was that the top/clear coat was still solvent based. If I have misunderstood this I'm sure someone will post a correction.

One of the threads I read recently included a list of States where the water based paints were already in regular use. You may wish to use the search feature to see if you can find those threads.
 
Paintforcars.com (Trinity 1945 ) has paint reasonably priced. The color selection is limited. I have no experience with it, but was considering trying it for my 80 Spitfire.

I spent over $1,000 for all my paint suplpies (PPG SS acrylic enamel with urethane hardner plus epoxy primer, Kondar primer and some kind of sealer) for my 64. But I was buying it a quart at the time due to the slow rebuild process. And its signal red.
 
Anyone try this stuff?

Paint Shop Finish System

Paint Shop Finish System gives you everything you need to create a high-quality DIY finish – primer, color and clear. It’s a high-quality lacquer system designed for automotive and motorcycle applications. Paint Shop is easy to apply, dries quickly and can be buffed to a brilliant smooth finish. Paint Shop is a ready-to-spray system, so no mixing or reducing is required. And with no re-coat window, additional coats can be applied at anytime.
 
I'm in a different league than most of you guys. Since my car is a racer it only needs to look decent from 50 feet at 70 mph. :laugh:

And since it will probably take a few "love taps" here and there anyway, I don't want to stress over the cost and effort of a show-quality job.

The guy who owns my old '61 Mini Clubman just paid $1000 to paint it. He told me his son, who runs a body shop, did all the labor and prep for free....that was just the material cost. I have to admit, it looks great but it should for that price.

Someone suggested that I try the acrylic enamel "tractor paint" sold at Tractor Supply (along with the hardener that they also sell). I used ordinary thinner to help it spray decently. They didn't have the color I needed so I mixed two of their colors together (recording the ratio of each).
Is it perfect? No. Is it acceptable for a low-budget vintage racer. Yes, I'm quite happy with it.

Also, here is a popular, NJ-based online retailer of cheaper car paint. I've bought paint from them.....similar to Tractor Supply stuff.

https://www.paintforcars.com/acrylic_enamel_paint.html
 
I'm still tempted to someday try the Rustoleum and roller method, I know; labor intensive to the nth degree but results CAN be great and cost very low, it's just A LOT of time.
Having said that, my next project could very well end up being a rat job of some sort, that approach can take some of the pressure off, although I imagine doing a "nice" flat black paint job may well be quite a bit more prep work then anything else.....
 
check out summit racing..the red single stage urethane was used in an episode of the spike series "trucks". the painter(kevin tetz) did it in stages reducing from straight color to mixed clear to straight clear and it looked great(on tv anyway)..he also has a forum (paintucation)and spoke highly of the product there. i'm going to give it a go in the spring when it's warm enough here. i did my wifes mgb in a sherwin williams ss catalyzed enamel a couple of years ago , looks good and was fairly inexpensive..
 
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