Clear Coat Problems
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 404
Likes: 0
From: RED SOX NATION
Clear Coat Problems
For you guys that have painted your vette....i just finished painting mine.... used PPG premium paint....might of used too much clear...about 6-7 coats....having a tough time with the aligatoring...how much should i wet sand.... im scared to hit the base coat.....i've wet sanded the whole car with 1500 then buffed with a fine abrasive and then with polish..... still have some aligatoring and alot of dull spots..... overall i'm happy with the job i've done.... just want it to be better.... also how easy is it to touch up and areas if i bang it during re-assembly....i figured i would wait until i have the car back together 100% before i go any further with the paint just in case i get a nick or scratch in the process.... i'm not looking to make this a museum car but it's discouraging to have this happen with all of the work and time i've spent....i would like to make it better and know how to correct it .............. thanks Chris 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 3,407
Likes: 2
From: Carmichael CA
I've heard of fisheyes, but not aligatoring...do you have any pics?
I painted my front and back bumpers. By no means am I an expert especially since I did the big no no and sanded my metalic paint base coat which gave me some streaks in my base coat...that makes it look a little oxidized. But, I did do a great job on the clear coat...with around 5 or 6 coats. I wet sanded on the bumpers with 1500 grit like all day and never hit base coat...in fact there's still some spots that need some more sanding. After I got all the scratches out I wet sanded with 2000 grit. Then I hand rubbed some swirl mark remover into the clear coat and finished up with Zaino. The parts of the bumper where there is no base coat streaking looks exactly like the original paint on the car...same finish and everything.
However, I really don't know how much of the clear coat got taken off with your buffer though. Buffer's are nice to have for making a job quick, but they are notorious for taking off more than you wanted and scratching up the paint unless you change pads like every 5 minutes. So, for buffer expertise I hope someone else lends you some words of advice.
I painted my front and back bumpers. By no means am I an expert especially since I did the big no no and sanded my metalic paint base coat which gave me some streaks in my base coat...that makes it look a little oxidized. But, I did do a great job on the clear coat...with around 5 or 6 coats. I wet sanded on the bumpers with 1500 grit like all day and never hit base coat...in fact there's still some spots that need some more sanding. After I got all the scratches out I wet sanded with 2000 grit. Then I hand rubbed some swirl mark remover into the clear coat and finished up with Zaino. The parts of the bumper where there is no base coat streaking looks exactly like the original paint on the car...same finish and everything.
However, I really don't know how much of the clear coat got taken off with your buffer though. Buffer's are nice to have for making a job quick, but they are notorious for taking off more than you wanted and scratching up the paint unless you change pads like every 5 minutes. So, for buffer expertise I hope someone else lends you some words of advice.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 8,918
Likes: 27
From: New Hill NC
Six or Seven coats? I would say that is way too much, except if it has a lot of dull places and orange peal, you probably didnt put it on too heavy per coat. There is no reason to uses so many coats. Two is a gracious plenty for most applications, but it is applied so that it lays slick and smooth without sanding and buffing. I dont think that you will go through if you stay away from the edges. It would be easier to sand it with 600 and shoot it again with a tack and finish coat. That way you can get it smooth and shiny without the buffing.
