paint opinions...brands and prices.

[ghosthunter242]

i have a 1966 charger that i am getting the body ready for paint and the bulk of the body work is probably 80% done. the car had very little damage and no rust at all.
i am in the trim teardown session, or in the middle, taking a break. i have a friend who is not a professional, but has done a decent job on the cars i have seen given the materials they had to start with. since i was unable to talk the car down enough in price, my budget is low... that's why i am trying to do it all or mostly myself.

i started looking at paint today at a local paint supply place. i thought this would be my one stop shopping place, but am now having second thoughts. the charger had worn it's original mauve metallic paint, although heavily pitted and oxidized, until the sanding and bodywork began. i want to change it over to silver since that has been the dream for...25? years now? plus my wife hates the 'pink' as she calls it. since she does not like the car to start, might as well make her as happy with it as possible too...

anyways, after looking through the paint chip books i was torn between several stock vehicle colors. i kept asking if there was anything 'brighter' than all these?!  he poured a dollup of just base metallic out and it was perfect! he warned me that adding metal flake would detract from this paint (true? you tell me..i have not a clue.) then he got high and mighty telling me i could step up to a higher quality and it looked even better but the cost was slightly worrysome. the first base silver metallic i did not get the price on, but the second was $250 a gallon. i am ok with this, but i just did some looking online and found "starfire acrylic" brand for 43 bucks a gallon. really? is there a major difference between brands?
what do you guys trust? because i want the best we can do but if a comparable way is out there for 1/6 the price, i might go that route.
i need advice on this. thanks!
mm

[Drop Top]

OK First off it sounds like the paint you found on line is a single stage and what your looking at in the store is base/clear. Big differance. B/C is a better paint and will last longer. Dont forget with B/C you will need to buy the clear also. B/C is a bit easier to shoot. Single stage oversprays really bad and if your doing your own painting it will get all over everything in the shop and you. About the color. Silver of any kind will not last as long as other colors and even worse in single stage. The guy was right about the metalic. You can play around with pearls over the base before you shoot the clear or in the clear for differant efects, but you should do that on an old deck lid first. With silver some pearls won't show up as well as other colors. If you have to go with silver go with Base/Clear. Its worth the extra $$

[ghosthunter242]

i guess better details would help and for that i apologize. both were 2 stage, base/reducer and clear.
the retail guy said one gallon with reducer would make 3 coats. the clear would be 3 coats as well.

my (self proclaimed non professional you get what you pay for) friend had thoughts of putting flake in the clear.
i am kind of on the fence now that i have seen the paint in the raw. i want plenty of depth and without risk of manliness, sparkle.
face it, i would drive the charger mauve. i am not afraid of sparkle, but i mean mmhmmm FLAKE.

so, that out of the way, both brands of paint are theoretically the same type of product.
is there really a 6 times the price better product? OR is the less expensive internet stuff just cheap stuff on the internet?
anyone gone the cheaper route? results? dismay? happy?
thanks
mm

[Highbanked Hauler]

  like  Drop Top said go with a base- clear system you wont regret it. If it is a solid color no metallic  you COULD go single stage urethane but you are way better off with a clear coat system.   Strictly my opinion, go with a formula mixed paint not a (throw some of this in) color because if you ever have to repaint some part later on you'll never match the color.  I used PPG,  DBC basecoat and 2021 clear when I did my car 14 years ago and its holding fine, BUT the car is under cover most of its life since then. I used Spies Hecker on my sons Challenger 6 years ago,excellent paint but the cost is LETHAL. I think paint $ material was at least $600 if not more. Most quality paint systems have a secondary line and I used  PPG'S on my van with no complaints and that was a daily driver for four years  .When I do my truck I'll use the same stuff again.

[69 OUR/TEA]

ghosthunter,are you going to be doing all your own paint/bodywork??

[ghosthunter242]

been sanding for days. yes....
we're gonna use a high fill primer and sand, another coat of high fill primer AND SAND paint it 3x then clear it 3x.

[69 OUR/TEA]

So what did you decide to go with,a metalic color?What kind of paint are you going to be going with?

[ghosthunter242]

i am looking to paint it with the brightest silver metallic flake i can find, what kind? i don't know.
i went to 2 retail paint shops and got conflicting info.
i am half tempted to just try and get the internet stuff i talked about earlier.
i have things like carpet to replace, emblems, interior trim, tires, etc.. and need to repair the brakes/carb/timing issue that popped up as well as the power steering AND the oil pressure and dipstick tube...so, the cheap-o stuff seems alluring. but there is always a caveat.
i know you get what you pay for but is the 500 dollar a gallon paint worth 453 dollars more than the internet stuff?
why not try it and add more flake to it if it is not enough? is flake that much? i doubt it is 453 bucks.
i have a budget. it is somewhat realistic if i can keep the paint cost down. but as soon as i start talking 500 bucks a gallon, that means i am using the best reducers, hardeners, and clears. materials alone would eat over 1/2-2/3's my budget. i would like to complete as much of the car this year ehile i have the funds in hand.

so, to condense, i am using a 2 stage metallic silver, as bright and *+*+sparkly*+*+ as possible.
i am willing to pay for the best but so far the best is marginally better looking than the not best.
is a 0-100 dollar a gallon paint really that bad? i am sure if you paid 600 a gallon you are going to be happy. it's the rest of you that maybe painted a cheapie and a more expensive and had decent results. thanks.
mm

[69 OUR/TEA]

I understand ghosthunter,when you're on a budget you have to do what is best for your wallet to make the whole thing happen.Per this thread,and the color you want(a metalic), B/C is the way to go.NOT because it is better than Single stage,but more so for the basecoat w/metalic to layout and for sanding/buffing purposes to not be touching the flake.
As said by others about overspray,Acylic enamel single stage gets everywhere and sticks to everything,I find no difference from SS urethane to BC overspray.Maybe he meant because you're seeing color,but if it were clear,it would still be there too,just would'nt see it as bad.
When I do solid colors,single stage without a doubt.I use PPG,so what I am talking about is DCC Concept single stage urethane.For B/C, I use like DBC base with 2021 clear.Great stuff.
Now,on the contrary to what was discussed above,about what is better,hands down the base/clear is slightly better in the UV protectant department.Now,as far as durability,the single stage IS stronger,and is more mar resistent then straight up clearcoat,hands down.Example,just finished a single stage black job,sanded/buffed and helped a friend at his shop buff a base/clear black car,at thye final stages you can clearly see when wiping down the panels ,you are leaving fine scratches easier in the car that is topcoated with clear.Pigment is stronger than resin,and being a single stage it is loaded up with pigment vs. clear which is mostly all resin.Perfect example,I have seen bird droppings etch(burn) into clear farther than it does on single stage urethane.NTM,the UV protectent is at best when they are out of the gun.Once you've sanded and buffed for a show job,you have just taken away some of its performance from uv rays.
Now, one step farther,if you are doing a solid color in a  single stage urethane such as PPG DCC,you can cocktail clear with the single stage color 50/50 in ready to spray form,for an even more rich,deeper finish and retain the durabilty of it.
Anyway,good luck on the project,this is what this section is for,ideas,answers and opinions from various members who do this line of work.

[Charger-Bodie]

VERY well said Paul!! I agree 100 % ....people think that clear is like a force field. It isn't.  It is easier for a novice to lay metallics with b/c c/c , but it isn't nearly as tough overall of a finish as most single stage paints IE concept dcc.

[dodgert68]

just wanted to chime in on this thread. i use nothing but ppg products in my shop and i've used both the lines. I did a little corvair that the guy wanted to save some money on with the omni line and its holding up very well. But for my main cars i always use DBC or DCC. one other thing to remember is that silver base doesn't cover very well so make sure you seal everything prior to your base coat so you have a nice uniform undercoat to cover and not trying to hide dark spots.

[ghosthunter242]

thanks guys.
i am not looking for concourse quality here. the car is a survivor and has most of it's original parts including the engine, tranny, and wheels etc...
i want a good looking car i can drive, not a trailer queen. i never wanted a perfect car. if i had that i would be afraid to drive it and that defeats the purpose of actually owning a car.
that said, now that i am putting the efforts forward i would like to maximize the budget i do have. i believe that with the appropriate setup and prep work, the more budget minded brands will do an adequate job. i am going to be the car's worse critic since 99% of the public either has no idea there was a charger before the general lee or if they do know hate them. so the latter might criticise, but who cares.
so, you mentioned the 'omni' brand, is that inexpensive? what is a gallon on average going for?
thanks.
mm