Licit

How many coats of tintcoat are used on the cars that have it from the factory? I thought it is one coat applied after the clearcoat but can't remember.
From what I was able to find out online I guess the steps are paint, then the tintcoat, and then the clearcoat. According to my body shop guy my paint code, U512Q(I have jetstream blue metallic tintcoat) only brings up bluestream paint. No further info relating to the tintcoat. A guy who does painting that did some fuel rail covers for a jsb car mentions this in his thread on streetcarsusa.org
"the color is a special order color. takes about a week to get it in and cost me $85/pint. thats just the color. not the reducer for it, or the clear coat that goes on top. it has a special flop pigment in it. the color flops from blue to teal."
Thread is : http://www.streetcarsusa.org/forums/...read.php?t=652
Apparently he is calling the tintcoat a reducer. Regardless, my body shop guy thinks he did the painting of the extra rear valence I got correctly but I knew when I saw it that it looked too light, hard to tell right away but looking closely holding it next to my car I could tell. He told me to call the GM dealership nearby and verify if it is a three stage paint, so I guess I will call tomorrow and verify that it is.

Licit

Dang I wish I could find the post where a guy mentioned how JSB and CRM are different from the non tintcoat. Search didn't find it for me.

Licit

Updated my original post. This pisses me off because a paint supplier is giving incorrect information for cars with jetstream blue metallic tintcoat, leaving body shop guys to assume they can paint and clearcoat and then done.

MARSC6

Three stage paints are different because they have a midcoat. Monterey red which I have is also a Tricoat.

A little Tricoat info http://www.cyclecolor.com/id38.htm

BabyBlueVert

Holler Cheverlot removed and sprayed my 08's JSB nose to remove chips right before my purchase. The shop had to redo it once to get the color right. I believe the body shop manager said 3 coats of different products were used for JSB tincoat process. Tony Johnson in sales may verify this process for you or transfer you to the body and paint manager: 888 SHOP CHEVY

I bought in JAN. Holler did a very commendable job, matching the car perfectly.

Mike's LS3

I remember this topic came up in the past and there were conflicting answers.

1. Base coat (color)
2. Tint coat - a more transparent coat to bring depth in the metallics.
3. Clear coat

VS

1. Base coat
2. Tint coat - a more transparent base coat.

Interesting enough my Crystal red touch up kit comes in two bottles.

1. Base coat
2. Top coat - a more transparent base coat.

I am still confused

Licit

You think you are confused, I am sitting and waiting on a part I paid for and have had painted but is apparently painted incorrectly. Now I think my body shop guy knows he fooked up and will probably have to repaint it for me for the cost of materials. I even told him about my estimate from another independent(non GM) shop that says specifically on it "three stage paint." Their pricing was higher so I went with my guy, I can't verify what his paint supplier is telling him. I guess I will call the dealership here and if not I can try the 1-800 number BabyBlueVert mentioned.
Am I right in asking my body guy to repaint for just cost of the paint once I get a dealer confirmation on 3 stage painting?

talon90

Every Corvette that is painted in Bowling Green goes through essentially the same paint process which is comprised of a primer coat, a base (color) coat and a clear coat. Where the "tint coat" colors differ is that a tint (pigment) is added to the clear coat stage to change the final color of the car from what it would be with a conventional clear. Crystal Red Metallic and Jetstream Blue metallic are two of the colors over the model years that have a tint coat in place of a conventional clear coat. These are not tri-stage paints but simply base coat / clear coat paints with a bit of tinting added to the clear.

The reason for the additional charge for metallic tint coat colors is as much due to material costs as it is due to labor costs. The tint coats are painted by a clear coat robot that has to be drained down and cleaned to switch between conventional clear coat and tinted clear coat.

jvinsepa

when I had my CRM bumper repainted it specifically said three stage paint - and required extra labor and materials to paint correctly.

talon90

We need to be careful when comparing the OEM paint process and materials to those of the aftermarket. The paint the plant uses is a wet on wet process with an oven cure. This simply can't be done effectively on the outside and as such, different manufacturers have different approaches to achieve the desired results and match.

GotVett?

Since it can't be repainted at the factory (which would be great) it's still an "iffy" proposition to a large degree. .

Licit

I agree, especially after my conversation with the big GM dealership here today. First I spoke with a body shop guy and explained my whole story about having a painted part for my car that looks as if it is missing the tintcoat aspect when compared to my car. He ran my paint code u512q(jetstream blue metallic tintcoat) and it came back as a basecoat of bluestream metallic followed with a clearcoat, NO MIDCOAT. I explained that I had an original printed quote from an independent body shop that stated three stage was necessary. He then got their head paint guy on the phone for me and he confirmed that the basecoat/clearcoat was the correct process for my car and that they would recommend blending to make the match as close to correct as possible. He said that aftermarket painting is such a difficult situation and that tintcoats, pearlcoats and so on are tough to match regardless of whether they are done in 2 or 3 stages. Whether or not the paint was water based or not could be a another factor. He said that there they usually will shoot something small to check a match to a cars paint and once close enough they will paint a whole part or parts. Basically I was left with them recommending that I call the original shop I was quoted from and see if they can give me info on a 3 stage process that would match the rear valence to my car better. Then I can pass that info on to my guy that already did it and see if we want to try again for a better match. The other shop was closed by the time I got off the phone with the dealership so looks like I will call them tomorrow and see where I can get with them. I should mention that my body shop guy said that there is not a tint that is added to clearcoat that he has ever done before, and he has a reputable shop that has done restorations and body work for years. Hopefully I can find out what this mystery clearcoat tint additive is so I can get the color to match better. If not I guess he can always try a different paint than spies hecker which he used and the GM dealer uses. Also he can shoot it on something else and see whether it gets closer. I guess up till now I have been lucky since my cars had non-metallic paints and any time I had painting done the match was spot on. Kind of makes me think about what paint I want on future cars I purchase since I do mod the exterior.
It's really a crazy situation because the rear valence looks like if you would lay some 50% tint over it there would be a 99% match to my jsb's factory paint.

Licit

After I call the shop that did my original quote I may be calling them for info, thanks for the number.

Mike's LS3

So, is the oem process a two coat process and the aftermarket a three coat process? Or does it depend on the aftermarket bodyshop which method they choose to use?

tomiboy

I think if you paid him, in total, the amount the other shop was going to do it for, it would be more than fair for him, and you still won't have overpaid. I know many here will tell you he should have known and make him get it right for the price he quoted, but I'm speaking as an ex-tradesman and current estimator. People make mistakes. Flame suit on.

Slogo

The "tint coat" is what used to be called "candy".It is sprayed to achieve the desired effect or in your case a color match.It is translucent and applied over the base.A letdown panel is sprayed with one or more coats of candy to find the amount of coats to be used for the best color match for your car.Then clear applied.

Licit

Unfortunately my body shop guy was right as it turned out, the GM dealership confirmed he used the same process that they would if I bring it to them. The only difference is that they want to blend whereas my guy wanted to stay away from that if possible.

Licit

From what I have learned it is the other way around in general, oem is three stage and most aftermarket two. As I found here in Bloomington the dealership and two independents quote it as just a two stage, whereas one independent shop quoted it as three. As I found out, without blending to adjacent panels it seems two stage is harder to achieve a good match. Slogo is right in what he said since the paint guy at the GM dealership even mentioned it being a candy paint.

BabyBlueVert

Holler removed the the gas cap with the front bumper to help match the color. They had it nearly reassembled when I arrived to buy it.

Watching the car reassembly in the body shop, I asked if any any additional paint might be remaining to take with the car. The shop manager said he had two of the three products remaining in cans, but, I would need to later purchase more of the third.

It may have been all three - primer, paint and clear tincoat. He said something about a special process to get the color right. Paperwork took some additional time. A long storm during rush hour through the dark was attending to my better interests to safely be homebound.

I later thought fresh product matches for paint coverings may be best. The time-related storage considerations and finding a talented applicator agreeing to use the products started bouncing off my radar. Later, I wish I had it for a GM C6 Vert 1/12 model. Now, I'm thankful that project never left the drawing board. Factory silver is good for good.

RACE U

Is there a Dupont rep on the forum that I can talk to about how jsb should be paonted aftermarket? The body shop gave me a car back that looks like a patchwork quilt.