Paint options for driver

GregLast

GregLast

Member
Hey team,

I've got a 31 that needs some paint touchup. My goal is NOT a fine points car. I just want to drive it, have fun with it, and have it look like it's not been driven through a box of nails.

It was painted last in 1970. I want to say I have a receipt from the shop that said it was DuPont paint, but I'm not sure if I'm remembering accurately. I know it's a single stage of something. Ford Maroon and, you guessed it, Black.

It's got the typical oxidation down the fenders by the hood panels, and scratches all over. It's been bumped around a bit.

I'm good to spend some time buffing, but for the paint, is getting both colors scanned and put into an aerosol can the way to do it? I'm not looking to sandblast and repaint the whole thing.

Any recommendations are appreciated recommendations!
 
GregLast said:
Hey team,

I've got a 31 that needs some paint touchup. My goal is NOT a fine points car. I just want to drive it, have fun with it, and have it look like it's not been driven through a box of nails.

It was painted last in 1970. I want to say I have a receipt from the shop that said it was DuPont paint, but I'm not sure if I'm remembering accurately. I know it's a single stage of something. Ford Maroon and, you guessed it, Black.

It's got the typical oxidation down the fenders by the hood panels, and scratches all over. It's been bumped around a bit.

I'm good to spend some time buffing, but for the paint, is getting both colors scanned and put into an aerosol can the way to do it? I'm not looking to sandblast and repaint the whole thing.

Any recommendations are appreciated recommendations!
Click to expand...


Your questions are really something that is much deeper than just a 4 - 5 sentence answer, but we'll give a go with it. What you likely have is not single-stage by the technology used today. Likely you have enamel (-maybe alkyd??) that has just dried out. My first suggestion is to clean it well with soap and water, then use a clay bar on it. Next using an electric orbital buffer, use a medium compound on the paint to see if it can be rejuvenated. Once that is done, wee what it looks like. If you can live with that, then see if you have an Axalta paint store nearby. If so, drive the vehicle to their store and see if they can scan the Maroon and the Black that you have and mix you a half-pint or a full pint in each color. Likely they will suggest Imron however you must have an activator to use it or it will take months to dry. At that point, touch-up your scratches and chips. Color-sand and rebuff if need be. Long, slow process but you can likely make the overall package look better.

Good Luck!!
 
Thanks for the help! I had a feeling you might chime in. Good to know it's not the same as a modern single stage paint. I'll grab some buckets and a clay bar and see what happens!

BRENT in 10-uh-C said:
Your questions are really something that is much deeper than just a 4 - 5 sentence answer, but we'll give a go with it. What you likely have is not single-stage by the technology used today. Likely you have enamel (-maybe alkyd??) that has just dried out. My first suggestion is to clean it well with soap and water, then use a clay bar on it. Next using an electric orbital buffer, use a medium compound on the paint to see if it can be rejuvenated. Once that is done, wee what it looks like. If you can live with that, then see if you have an Axalta paint store nearby. If so, drive the vehicle to their store and see if they can scan the Maroon and the Black that you have and mix you a half-pint or a full pint in each color. Likely they will suggest Imron however you must have an activator to use it or it will take months to dry. At that point, touch-up your scratches and chips. Color-sand and rebuff if need be. Long, slow process but you can likely make the overall package look better.

Good Luck!!
Click to expand...
 
Brent,
Very Informative post. If you have the time, could you please explain the purpose, and application technique, of the clay bar? Thank you in advance,
Phil
 
47topless said:
Brent,
Very Informative post. If you have the time, could you please explain the purpose, and application technique, of the clay bar? Thank you in advance,
Phil
Click to expand...

Phil, it basically picks-up and semi-embedded or loose debris on the paint so you have a clean surface to polish. If the buffer finds a small piece of sand (-or whatever) and starts spinning that grain of sand against the paint, you will find all kinds of marks where it scratched the paint's surface.

Wash the vehicle first by flooding the paint surface with just water. Then lightly wash the surface with a Terry-towel and detergent soap. I use Dawn dish soap because I want to remove old wax & chemicals before compounding. Multiple washings beginning with light washings and flooding with water will remove loose debris and then a medium washing again. Allow it to dry and then use the bar to remove debris. Follow-up with the Clay Bar by dragging it across the surface. Then buff with a coarse or heavy compound using an orbital DA buffer. For that application, Harbor Freight has a decent one that can be used.

Once complete, begin the scratch & chip touch-up process. Wipe the scratch & chip voids with Wax & Grease Remover first before applying paint. When colorsanding the proud areas of the paint that was used to touch-up, place masking tape of both sides of the new paint so that only the top portion of the new paint is removed. When you are sanding the masking tape through, you can remove it and lightly finish honing the new paint where it is flush with the surrounding areas. Once corrected, polish with a foam pad and fine compound.
 
Find your receipt. It probably has the original color used. I'm thinking in that time period it was an acrylic enamel with a hardener. The paint type and codes have changed over the years but if you know the car and color it was called from your receipt they can mix some up. Over the years cars fade so a scan will tell you the color now. Since Model As spend so much time in the garage the sun hasn't faded them much.
Once you price the cost of a new paint job you'll be very happy making your car a 10 footer rather than a 20 footer.
 
ModelA29 said:
Find your receipt. It probably has the original color used. I'm thinking in that time period it was an acrylic enamel with a hardener. The paint type and codes have changed over the years but if you know the car and color it was called from your receipt they can mix some up. Over the years cars fade so a scan will tell you the color now. Since Model As spend so much time in the garage the sun hasn't faded them much.
Once you price the cost of a new paint job you'll be very happy making your car a 10 footer rather than a 20 footer.
Click to expand...

Yes!! And wait until you price just the paint! We are paying $903.00-ish a gallon for Concept 9300 Black ...and I must drive 1 hour each way to get it. That is the closest Paint Store still carrying it. Then add $279 for a quart of Hardener, and $153.17 for the Reducer. Again, I must go get it because shipping is astronomical. That comes out to about $180.00 a sprayable quart.
 
Perhaps you can take the Model "A" to a paint shop like MAACO to get lower cost alternative. You can do the prep work and get an even lower cost.
 
Bob Bidonde said:
Perhaps you can take the Model "A" to a paint shop like MAACO to get lower cost alternative. You can do the prep work and get an even lower cost.
Click to expand...

Great idea. Offer to do the masking yourself as well. You may consider that as prep work. You can do the door jams, with a rattle can of your paint color, made up by your local paint store.
 
All of the Earl Schieb and MAACO paint shops have all filed for bankruptcy around here.

Secondly, they are not as inexpensive as they might seem. Most of their business models are based around a light quick sanding -and then one tack-coat and one full coat of cheap paint. If you want more mil thickness, -or a better quality of paint, ...well that costs extra.
 
In 1970, the two most common Dupont coatings were the Lucite acrylic lacquer and Centari acrylic enamel. Body shops prefered the Lucite due to it's easy to spray and quick dry characteristics that made it perfect for repairs. The Centari was the most durable and was prefered by owners that knew of it's resilient qualities. It became even more popular for a while when they started adding a hardener to give it a quality very much like Imron polyurethane enamel which started to gain more popularity in the late 70s.

Unfortunately, most of these type products are gone along with Dupont. Axalta is the owner of what was Dupont coatings.
 
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This thread has been very informative. I have a couple of dents that I need to work out, and an alignment issue on the rumble lid that I just can't seem to figure out, and I'll be getting to work on this.
Thanks everyone for all the good recommendations!
 
I have posted in the past agreement with Brent about the superior qualities of PPG's now-defunct Concept line of paints. Our local auto paint store finally pulled the plug on Concept. I got about the last batch to be mixed a few months ago. A great disappointment to lose Concept, expensive though it may have been. R.I.P., Concept!
I tried Centari, but 'didn't like the way it laid down or how difficult it was to buff out. Omni was recommended by the local paint store, so I gave it a try. Although it doesn't cover as well as Concept, it's still a pretty good alternative. I tried a pint of it first and was pleased by how nicely it flowed and laid down, as well as how easily it color-sanded and buffed out. With this positive experience under my belt, I purchased a gallon of Omni gloss black and the appropriate amount of reducer and hardener two weeks ago. As Brent stated, we were used to paying over $900 a gallon of Concept gloss black for JUST the paint. The reducer and catalyst supplies added up even quicker. $$$$$$ But I was pleasantly surprised that the Omni supplies I bought were a shade over $450. That's a LOT of paint and supplies for a fraction of what I used to pay for Concept. So far, I have only painted a couple fenders, splash aprons, one wire wheel and some small sheet metal parts, but am happy with the results. I'll report back once I have painted a body with its larger surface area to cover. If ever there is a place to test the quality of a paint and how it lays down, it will be on a BIG surface area like a quarter panel. Based on my experience with Omni to date, I am confident that the end result will be close to what I had come to expect from Concept. But you sure can't beat the price difference for a near comparable result!
Maybe the sky isn't falling after all???
Marshall
 
I don't pretend to know all about paint like you fellas... but this might be an option overlooked.

A local shop that builds street rods and restores muscle cars uses House of Kolor exclusively and he swears by it. They are owned by Sherwin-Williams. He said their paint is excellent quality and costs a fraction of what most others are gouging you for.

At a recent car show, a guy had his '70 Olds 442 Cutlass there that was painted with this paint, in black. It was absolutely stunning! And black is unforgiving it shows every fault!

https://www.houseofkolor.com/
 
Marshall, Buck the trend and use a colored primer or sealer which closely matches the top coat color.

Usually the price different is in the lack of coverage. jb
 
"Buck the trend and use a colored primer or sealer which closely matches the top coat color."

Jim -
Do they make Sky Blue Pink primer/sealer for show cars??? A late 1931 optional color. :) :) :)
M.
 
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