When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I still spray lacquer... I don't spray urethane at all on C1, C2 or C3 Corvettes...
At one point, Imron was the big thing which was a bad idea...
Where in the US are you buying lacquer?!?
My '67 was painted with Imron sometime in the '70s. With a razor blade and sharpened screwdriver, I could peel it off in large sheets. Had the car repainted in '82ish, which it still wears.
When I saw this I thought, wow, that is some real chip and scratch fix. Guess you weren't expecting that much either.
No, I wasn't. I took it in for some chip touch up work. They decided to spray the front clip. Said it was just easier for them. The price was fair. The clear will need to be wet sanded and buffed. My stingray emblems are a casualty. And there a bit pricey over here.
What don't you like about clearcoat (OP)? Nearly all modern cars have clearcoat. I'm assuming your Corvette stays indoors 90% of the time. Actually clearcoat allows a painter to 1) sand & buff dust and debris out of paint for a near perfect job. 2) Lasts a long time 3) Allows a lot of buffing ...if thick enough.
I personally wouldn't paint a car w/o clearcoat. OEM clearcoats aren't always very thick, like a painter can spray. I'm not saying lacquer doesn't look good, but like a urethane is a lot more flexible ..for a fiberglass car. But regardless of all that, sorry to hear how your touch-up deal turned out. Probably the best is to (as advised above) have car care 'carefully' sanded way down to the original primer, and work out a deal with the shop to repaint the whole car. That way they get through the old paint and put on a new finish. I know that isn't what you want to hear and your situation is awful. Best of luck.
My '67 was painted with Imron sometime in the '70s. With a razor blade and sharpened screwdriver, I could peel it off in large sheets. Had the car repainted in '82ish, which it still wears.
Back in the day, when clears were not usually applied, and particularly with lacquers, we’d spray out a couple of coats, then sand the layer (usually with 600 as finer grits were not widely available), spray another couple, sand again, then “float” a final coat to achieve the smoothest possible surface so the final buffing effort was minimized. We were literally sanding the actual color coats so we referred to it as “color sanding”.
I’ve sprayed a lot of multi-layered custom jobs and most involved an application of clear. I used the same idea with the clear coats - after sanding down the last time, I’d “float” (a very reduced ration of paint to reducer) the final layer to get it as smooth as possible in prep for buffing.
YES! THIS is how to spray acrylic lacquer! Yes, it is a lot of work from the color sanding between double coats...But it is slick as glass when done right...
I am old school as well and this is tried and true...I just never changed, as the world changed all around me...
Ah, thanks. I've seen the site before but always assumed you were limited to their color palette - this morning I discovered their link to factory colors: https://www.autocolorlibrary.com/
I don't know if I'll use lacquer on my cars since they aren't judged and, from what I understand, lacquer is pretty fragile compared to modern paints - but the look of lacquer is what I'd be after.
My '67 was painted with Imron sometime in the '70s. With a razor blade and sharpened screwdriver, I could peel it off in large sheets. Had the car repainted in '82ish, which it still wears.
I have my local jobber (FINISH MASTERS) mix the color and leave out the Base Clear binders and mixers. (2 largest line items on the mix) then I add the correctly tinted color toners to a quart of READY TO SPRAY LACQUER..
\
You can buy a quality READY TO SPRAY lacquer clear coat most everywhere-
You can buy the correct toners mixed to match from at your local jobber.
IF you could get a pint of lacquer from your jobber he would mix the color then fill the remaining 14 oz with lacquer binders and mixers. - you would take that 16 oz of mixed lacquer home and add 16 oz of lacquer thinner/lacquer retarder, giving you ONE QUART of ready to spray color matched lacquer.
BECAUSE your jobber doesn't carry lacquer binders they cannot mix a lacquer color for you unless you.
you buy a QUART of Ready to Spray lacquer clear AND ADD the one to two oz of mixed color. )
ur local jobber mix your color for a pint, TELL THEM TO LEAVE OUT THE BINDERS (the 2 largest line items either by weight or volume).
In the bottom of a PINT can there will be no more than an ounce or MAYBE 2 oz of actual color toners..
When I first approached Finish Masters the rep stated, WOW, never considered it, but YES, that will work, however you know we cannot warranty the product, I had taken this as a given.!
Ah, thanks. I've seen the site before but always assumed you were limited to their color palette - this morning I discovered their link to factory colors: https://www.autocolorlibrary.com/
I don't know if I'll use lacquer on my cars since they aren't judged and, from what I understand, lacquer is pretty fragile compared to modern paints - but the look of lacquer is what I'd be after.
nothing listed for any colors 1979 chevrolet.. have looked everywhere for lacquer monocoat.
Op..this sucks..i also like non clear look. You may want to confirm whatthey used for clear for a path forward.
nothing listed for any colors 1979 chevrolet.. have looked everywhere for lacquer monocoat.
Op..this sucks..i also like non clear look. You may want to confirm whatthey used for clear for a path forward.
They're intermixed with the other lines under the GM tag: https://www.autocolorlibrary.com/pag...HorizontalTab1
Look for the Cor abbreviation under the color chips and then enter the 2-digit color into the search box. (There are colors attributed to Corvette but not appearing in the color options for '79.)
OK, talked to the shop owner today. Let's just say the best way to describe his attitude was.
Mad as a wet hornet. Absolutely thought I was a total A hole for questioning the repair method.
thought I was extremely ungrateful, as he had gone above and beyond for what he charged me.
WOW, was he pissed off at me!
told me NO ONE sprays single coat paint anymore. And single coat paint has no UV protection.
(odd, my 23 year old paint isn't faded and shines nicely)
Also told me that clear coat would last 30 -40 years.
Me, I'm just going by how many cars I see with peeling clear. I'm no paint expert.
ended a pretty much one way conversation with, don't bring your car back here, your not welcome.
OK, talked to the shop owner today. Let's just say the best way to describe his attitude was.
Mad as a wet hornet. Absolutely thought I was a total A hole for questioning the repair method.
thought I was extremely ungrateful, as he had gone above and beyond for what he charged me.
WOW, was he pissed off at me!
told me NO ONE sprays single coat paint anymore. And single coat paint has no UV protection.
(odd, my 23 year old paint isn't faded and shines nicely)
Also told me that clear coat would last 30 -40 years.
Me, I'm just going by how many cars I see with peeling clear. I'm no paint expert.
ended a pretty much one way conversation with, don't bring your car back here, your not welcome.
I'm just curious as to why you're not demanding THEM to make it right. I wouldn't let them touch my ride again but I would try to get some cash to have it fixed the right way, whatever that may be. Good luck
I'm really surprised that they would clear the front of your car without asking first.
Did they prep the paint underneath at all? It sounds like they just sprayed over whatever was there, including your emblems, which is clearly NOT doing it right.
To get the owner as pissed off as he was, he must realize that he really screwed up.
Take your car to another shop nd just tell them you took your car in to another place for some chips fixed and this is what you got back . Don't throw the original body shop under the bus , just let the new place do that and just ask politely if there's an economical way to fix it . If nothing else you have something to tell your attorney
This last suggestion makes the most sense to me. Get an unbiased opinion from another shop or shops first.
running off to find a lawyer would only back me up to this anyway. No Lawyer is an expert on vintage car paint. Much less can I afford a Attorney.
things he said to me that didn't make any sense.
1. This clear coat will last 30 - 40 years.
Leaving work today, stopped at the light.the car next to me, maybe 10 years old, Marron in color. Clear was peeling badly on the hood and the roof. Looked behind that car, next in line, a blue car. Exact same. Peeling clear.
every second car I see in Australia has peeling clear!
2. Says in single stage paint there is no UV protection.
Why is my 23 year old paint not faded!
my car won the Corvette concours in my class 2 years in a row. I'm not thinking my paint was that faded.
not looking for, go get em stuff here.
Looking for real data.
2025 C2 of the Year ('64-'66) Finalist - Unmodified
2025 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2025 C4 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C4 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2023 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C4 of the Year Finalist- Modified
2022 C4 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2021 C7 of the Year Winner -- Modified
2020 C4 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Wet sand and clear the rest of the car?
Polyurethane clear is waaay better than lacquer
Fiberglass expands and contracts due to temperature, Polyurethane clear is more flexable and will hold up years longer (unless your car sits in a climate controlled environment all the time)
You can cut and buff Polyurethane clear and make it as flat as a lacquer job
1974 Corvette front end
Last edited by walleyfisher; Dec 5, 2023 at 07:50 AM.
The work they did looks good.
At least from the pictures…
I think I would go ahead and clearcoat (urethane) the back end to make everything the same so it should weather the same.
If you keep your car in a garage or under cover most of the time, it should look good for many years to come.
The difference between urethane and lacquer is that urethane is catalyzed and lacquer is not.
The lacquer thinner in the clear will chemically soften the old paint to create a stronger bond with the new paint.
As for the comparison,
look at any later model C3 with original paint (lacquer)and compare that to an early C4 with original paint (urethane).
)
