I am talking to shops about painting my 71 white. The question the shops ask me is if I want a base coat/clear coat or just white. Do they look any different?

 

If the question was indeed posed that way, keep shopping for a painter.

Expect the shop to give more of an explaination than simply to ask if you want clear or not!

2 part systems like PPg dbu or dbc, Dupont chromabase/chroma clear require a base coat and clear coat.

There are one part systems in both PPG and Dupont that do not require a clear coat...refered to as single stage urethanes.

Acrylic lacquer froM PPg can also be considered a single stage paint as clear is not required but often applied.

 

Not really. There will be different opinions, but for white I would recommend a high quality single stage and no clear for the simple fact that you won't be able to tell the difference visually.

Depending on the color. The last time I used lacquer was 2003 and my PPG dealer said many formulas have changed and now require clear due to differences in the base product. Some colors can be mixed either way.

 

Thanks guys,
One more question. With the single stage paint, can you still color sand and buff? I heard that clear coat was better for this.
Rank novice..........

 

i never clear white or black. both will sand and buff well. reds and blues can change color when sanded and buffed because of toner floated to the top.

 

even if you go single stage, I would recommend using a clear coat over it anyway.. reason being is it will give that single stage more protection, and there are some tough clears out there.. take a look at the kirker kits, they are single stage paint, yet they sell it with clear .. the clear is added protection.. not needed, for single stage, but get the extra protection.. so whats this extra protection going to cost? ever wax a car with single stage paint? always ask the body shop, what paint they use.. there are some body shops out there that use some very low cost paint, you wont know, and be charged what a another shop would charge for the premium paint that they use for every customers car. it's called markup.. well, this subject can get into horror stories.. but you get the idea on single stage and 2 stage paint.. you work hard for your money, take your time and chose wisely. go to another bodyshop, if you have to, it's your money.