I read the post about painting your vette with a brush, and this is really not something I want want to try and accomplish. However, due to financial constraints, I was considering painting my vette with lacquer. Its pretty idiot proof, all things considered. I was also considering 4 coats of lacquer clear over the color, to add briliance and shine, and give more protection against the elements.

Opinions on lacquer paint? how long will the paint job last if cared for properly? Any drawbacks to using painting with lacquer?

Thanks

 

Is lacquer still available in Wisconsin? I would estimate lacquer life at least 10 years on a steel body, and I won't estimate a Vette unless it's kept out of the sun most of the time and stored in a climate controled building. The largest expense is in the base preparation materials (primers), which will be the same today no matter which topcoat you choose. I say the same, because you'll want to use epoxy primer now over bare glass, and urethane sanding primers to block with, not lacquer primers anymore if you want to get the longest length of service possible from your paint job. Once you get to the color stage, lacquer will cost more because you need to apply more paint versus poly's to ensure complete color coverage.
I painted lacquer for 30+ years, but lacquer doesn't compare to the newer poly paints as far as speed, finish quality, and durability, you just need practice and follow the product data sheets to get good results.
Lacquer is still a durable and less expensive solution for steel cars, but because of it's chemical properties, one being air dry vs. chemical dry, it's not the most durable choice for fiberglass anymore. The lacquer surface is harder but is also more prone to chipping and cracking. Clear lacquer will crack if built up too thick especially in changing northern climates. However, if the body has areas where the fiberglass was cracked (hairline cracks) prior to paint and are not repaired correctly, no paint will hold up over them. Lacquer is on the way out and painting has become a big investment that must be done right to get your moneys worth.

 

I was thinking of repainting with lacquer. One of the things to consider before painting is what type of paint is currently on the car. How long it will last depends on a lot of things. The original lacquer on my 76 is still reasonably good. The car has been parked in a garage for the 25 years I owned it. I'm planning on sanding it to straighten out some of the waves and fixing one seam crack. Should I not master the technique of painting, I'll find a body shop to do the painting. Laws vary from state to state with regards to body shops and lacquer paint. I'll be checking into into prior to buy the paint.

 

I painted my car with lacquer. I'm not sure if its available everywhere and I know that my supplier won't mix colors. This isn't a problem for me since my car is black but if you want an original or aftermarket color you're pretty much screwed.
Lacquer is a very forgiving paint to spray but it does have its quirks. Lacquer sprays on very thin so you have to build up the color with multiple coats. Two or three coats of lacquer is probably equivalent to one coat of enamel. If you go with 5 coats of color and 5 coats of clear you should be OK since that's what I used and its held up pretty well. If you go thicker you run into the problem of cracking.
Lacquer dries by evaporation not chemically. This means that if you spray 4 or 5 coats of primer and sand it the next day you're gonna see it shrink as it dries and it may not be as smooth as when you sanded it. Same goes for the topcoats. You have to spray the car and let it sit for a while. Two weeks is minimum and a month would be better. This goes for the primer and topcoat. Also, lacquer is not shiny when sprayed. It has to be color sanded and buffed to bring up the shine so consider this as extra labor over enamel. Another quirk that I've found when spraying lacquer is that it's very touchy as far as sand scratch swelling goes. When I sand my primer the coarsest I use is 400-600 wet or dry paper and I've had better results using 1000 grit. For color sanding I start with 1000 grit and move up to 2000 for the final sanding. Lacquer also isn't the most sturdy paint especially when exposed to the elements. If you leave it outside you will find yourself compounding and polishing it a number of times a year. Having said all that I can honestly say that lacquer will give you a shine you just can't get with other paints as far as depth and reflectiveness. You just have to decide whether or not you want to put up with it's shortcomings.

 

I just bought a quart of black lacquer to touch up my 69 vert. Bought it in Butler, which is just north of Pittsburgh, so it should be avaliable anywhere in PA.

 

I just bought some color matched laquer for touch-up and my grungy door jams. I've heard it's forgiving which is what I need since I'm not a pro and don't have a booth. I'm hoping it will be a good match for the laquer on there now.

I couldn't find it locally but these guys http://www.ppgcarpaint.com/ had the UPS truck at my door within 3 days.

 

I have painted customs using lacquer for many years. I can still find it here in Chicago,but it's days are numbered. I painted mine in lacquer as I was most familiar with it. It will not last as long as the 2 pack, and the 2 pack can be color sanded and buffed to almost as good as lacquer. Bottom line is go with the 2 pack and find someone to spray it.
If you are familiar with painting, do it yourself,but you MUST use a respirator!!! Touchup on my car will be impossible when my current supply dries up (and it will). My next paint job will be 2 pack(basecoat/clearcoat). When my vette needs repainting I will do the 2 pack.