Talk me out of a Lacquer Paint Job....

So I would have to mix the the gold dust/powder into the base coat and put a clear on top of that?

 

The thought of DrJ taking a shower on an Sunbeam Alpine hood makes me uncomfortable. I hope you were at least in the back yard.

 

you could......if its pearl that you have, or are looking for that effect, base it, then mix the powder in clear, and apply until you get the effect you want. you will then need 6 or so coats of straight clear to protect that......


skull

 

terry....glad to hear this car is gettin close...im jealous... my coupe is almost done as well.. im almost to the paint stage... thxx for asking the question i been pondering ... stoked for pictures!

 

Do it you will like it. I have it on my 32-5-W and i love it.--TV

 

Go for it. The modern lacquers are better than the old nitrocelluous. With the care and use your going to give it it will be good for 10 years easy. I've seen black go better than 20 years with good care. I wouldn't use lacqure primer. That's generally where the failures come from.

 

I have no Idea how to paint so dont laugh Im going to do my first paint job Im gonna do a one stage so whats the difference between laquer and acrylic enamel

 

\


doesnt sound that fast if u have to take a laq all the way 3k. uros with 3k can get come to shine easy with even a white foam pad and some medium cut 3m compound. wool will get it usually with the first pass, or for sure with the 2nd.

 

My 56 has the original laquer paint, still has a great shine. When I ever repaint the car it will be laquer again. I figure if its lasted 53 years, so should the repaint. I painted the roof with a black laquer 4 years ago and it still looks wet.

 

lacquer is awesome if u take your time. if u rush it thats when all the problems happen.

 

Nothing has a mirror like shine like Black Lacquer! My dad's 70 SS Chevelle was painted Black Lacquer back in the early 80's,it was done really nice, they took the car down to bare metal, it was a 6 month job. Anyway, he drove the car almost everyday for 10 years, always covered it, washed and waxed faithfully. It wasnt till about the mid 90's that it started to crack in some areas. Now its cracking all over, BUT it still has its shine! So I would say GO FOR IT!! Just like anything maintain it, and it will last!

 

I have to agree!!

Maybe I just haven't seen a really nice BC/CC paint job, cause I've never seen one that even came close to a nice lacquer job; can it be done?

 

Oh yeah, right. I said this was the fast way to do lacquer.

 

Ok, how about just one quick question......Is this car going to be pampered? Garaged, and waxed/polished frequently?
If so, I have no problems doing it in lacquer. It will last a long time if maintained, and garaged. Even longer in temperate weather...not a lot of hot and cold cycles. Even if you use clear over it...which isn't necessary if you go with a solid color...even a metallic! Metallic lacquers do NOT "layer" like enamel metallics. They go on evenly and stay the same coat to coat, so you can cut and buff it without shading, or blotching. like enamels. I've got one Nitro lacquer job I did about 18 years ago (in NJ's crazy climate) that started to craze a bit a few years ago, but overall,, still looks OK. Acrylic lacquer lasts even longer than nitocellulose does.
BUT, if the car is going to stay outside, get driven almost on a daily basis, and have less of a maintenance program, use modern materials.
You can get "close" to the look of lacquer by putting enough color coats on to cover the primer, then put on 2-3 more coats of color, mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with clear, if the paint is SS urethane. After sanding and buffing, it will look close to lacquer's depth. I've even done this with Centari (black) and most people thought it was a black lacquer job. I'm sure an expert could tell, but 98% of most folks couldn't.
I haven't tried this with metallics, but it might work just as well!

 

I painted my 31 Model A Pickup in 1986 with acrylic laquer. It has held up great, there are no checks or cracks. It does have its fair share of chips, but I do drive it. Ot course it is garage kept, all I do is wax it once a year, no other upkeep and it still has a great shine.

 

What I like about laquer is nitrocellulose .You paint your car 1/2 hour later you sand your car +buff Plus you dont have to worry about dust as much .Sets up faster.Unfortunately I have to paint my car with at the very least enamel.Fiberglass car. I wouldn't use laquer over glass but thats my own opinioin

 

Someone finally posted how to PROPERLY do a lacquer job.
It NEEDS cure time and everyone rushes it which is why it cracks from shrinking.
Y'all want a traditional paint job nothing but lacquer will do the trick......

regards,
DJ

 

Wow , is this the car that has been at circle city for a few years? I went out and painted pauls pu for jimmy and saw this thing. He called asking about me painting it, but I haven't heard anything else. Iwouldn't do it in lacquer, for one the technoligy isn't there anymore. the manufactures are trying to do away with it. color match it the other problem, colors aren't as crisp and pure as urethanes. But it sounds like you've made up your mind, I wouldn't listen to the painters cause they are dumb and really don't know what they are talking about. They just do it for a living ,EVERY DAY,the products now are really good. yes i know what you are talking about on the look, lacquer does look different. I have 2 cars I painted with the stuff. And it is what I learned on, then pissed on shine enamel. now nothing but ureathanes! But I DRIVE my shit, everyday, no garage queens. And I go to cali. detroit, austin all over the country, which you probably won't. you will be fine with lacquer but much better off with something else. It's your car have someone else build it and paint it the way you want it done. You are the guy writing the check, get what you want. I do love the look, jimmy and crew did a killer job!

 

Nothing shines like a good lacquer paint job.....

 

Chaz is right.

I used to be against lacquer...because I've spent countless hours trying to strip that cracked-out paint off cars, but nowadays you can just soda-blast it, so it's not such a big issue.

And these guys are right, it would be traditional.

 

OK, I agree with all of the positive input and opinions in this post. I have a 25 year old lacquer paint job on my 40 Ford 2dr. It still looks great, I get comments on it all the time and people don't believe it when I tell them it's 25 year old acrylic lacquer. It was painted in 82 with duponts version of Porsche Indian Red. Now I find myself needing some touch up and spot work(my fault not the paints) Here's the question, Where can I buy the paint and materials? We can no longer purchase lacquer paint in this area(Southwest Washington-Portland Oregon). Any help would be appreciated.

 

Lacquer is always available. PPG keeps it for the furniture and musical instrument industry. It's widely down-played because of production and profit margins but it's there. Do a search for autocolorlibrary.com and that company sells the stuff. It's good ol PPG lacquer. What's missing in lacquer is a measure of the trace metals that are usually in refinish materials, specifically automotive mat'l. Fortify your color with a bit of clear and hardness, handling, and even match and blend issues are gone. Don't be scared fellas. For the ultimate show finish, Elvis is dead...lacquer is king

 

yes , it can , and is done........but its tough.

no question nitro lacquer has a look thats hard to beat. acrylic will hold up a bit better.

lacquer does hold a shine for its whole life, where some products mentioned will fade(centari). even properly applied you run the checking risk though.

over the years and many lacquer jobs done, id say that ppg seemed, to be more elastic, and less prone to checking. stays rubbery in the sun though.

rm laquer used to get real hard, easy to buff, but you were guraenteed to get checking. duponts clear was to yellow looking and checked as well.
just some little fyi's from the day.


skull

 

I'm with MATT 3083,----IF you are a driver, you WILL incure rock chips, scratches,etc.---& will need repainting about every 10-15 years, especially on full fendered cars.
On the first 200,000 miles I painted 2 solid colors---Baby blue/ Black fenders, using DuPont acrlic laquer, lasted to 1995. Then I wanted the WET look, so had a professional painter do the job for 4500.00 bucks, it came out great, body met.grape color, fenders black again, painter used Sikkens brand with clear coat. Still looks good today at 73,000 new miles since 1996.
I would go with today's modern paints & colors-----Don

 

Hey,

In 1974 I painted a then ten year old Buick Riviera for a local fireman. The job was a colour change from the metalic blue to black. Since the GMs of this era were all shot in DuPont acrylic lacquer from the factory ,I figgered no problems with one lacquer over the other. The job was pretty straight foward for a lacquer job over an oem finish, sanded with 400 after it was wiped down with grease and wax remover, sealed and resanded with 400, the first of five or six coats (I forget) was sprayed, thinned at 150% with about an hour between coats, with Dupont's preminum lacquer thinner. The job then sat for about 3-4 weeks in the side yard of the shop, actually my buddy's yard! The job was washed and resanded with 400 and another five or six coats thinned at 175% with the last couple of coats" knocked up" with some retarder. I always liked to flow out the last couple coats to save on coloursanding and wheeling. The job sat another 3+ weeks then was washed and resanded with 600 and dish soap and alot of water. The job was cut with Dupont's old 303S compound on a yarn pad, than followed up with a lambs wool pad and some Liquid Ebony. I than put 4-5 coats of straight carnuba wax "Harleys", and told the owner to never use a wax with any cleaner in it , only straight carnuba wax! The job looked good, like a naughty redhead in a cocktail dress! I saw the job once in the late 70s and it was still owned by the same guy! The paint looked really good, I figgured he had had it re shot, he said "no, I jus' have always done like ya told me!" About ten years ago I again saw the car, now owned by the original owners younger brother, at a car show. This paint job is now over 35 years old and except for the heat damage over the hood panel looks good from 10 feet!

Swankey Devils C.C.
"Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of Compassion!"

 

ive seen lacquer paint jobs.... i think people just like the idea of it because "its old school" and " my dad painted it at night in the dirt and still looks better than yours".....i think its better these days to get a deep true black guys are primering, then single stage black, then sand it and then black base and clear, and it comes out amazing. but if you want to be "that guy" then go for it......

 

You are right, "Nothing looks better than Black laquer", however, I believe you mentioned you were going to paint it Maroon. The color pigments in Maroon laquer are unstabe and if the car is in the sum very much, the color will change making it very difficult to match if the need arises. Whatever you finally do, Good Luck.

 

i bought a gallon of blk lac in bellingham wa. at local auto parts store

 

I painted my dads harley sheetmetal in Lacquer and they came out really nice. put 4 coats on then sanded with 600 then 4 coats then 600 then 4 coats and cut and buff. its a lot of work but looks nice.

 

I'm reading alot of ways to do Lacquer right, many of the suggestions describing alot of waiting time, lots of sanding, and buffing and sometimes days if not weeks of waiting for evaporation, etc..
My question is.... How were the factory cars of the 50's and 60's painted? Were the parts painted and then buffed and polished seperately weeks before they went on the car?
I'm sure that the factory finish on alot of survivors that still look great today didn't take weeks and months to do. What did they do different?
I have no idea, but I'd love to know.
Ozzie