Single stage urethane versus basecoat/clearcoat

[Euro60]

Considering where Arroyo lives, there is no way in hell i would use a single stage.
Base/clears hard to blend? You may not be able to just piss it on and have it look good, but that is where skill and technique comes into play. So what if you have to paint a little extra to do an entire panel respray? Lacquers are about the EASIEST paints to blend, does that make them a good idea for a car that will ever see sunlight? I didn't think so.
Anyhow, it appears most of the guys touting the benefits of single stages live up north. I probably wouldnt worry about it if I lived up there either. But down here the sun is brutal, and a single stage WILL fade if you don't wax it often.
I'd post pics of my Merkur I painted about 7 years ago using a DuPont single stage if I had them on this comp. It looked awesome when I painted it, a nice deep blue. 4 years later it was just "blue" on most panels, and baby blue on the roof and hood. I pulled up the pictures of it after not seeing them for 3 years and couldnt beleive it was the same car.
We painted my mom's car with Dupont's base clear in 1991. When that car went to the junkyard in like 1996 or 1997, the color looked as fresh as it did when it was painted.
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60 Euro Beetle
Handful of Rabbits and Golfs

[Bklyn63]

like I said pros and cons for both paints..depends on waht YOUR preference is...

I live up north...I prefer single stage for a restored car...

If I had to paint a new car of course 2 stage paint would be used....


just my 2 cents...

[Tim rag'59]

well we found some ground...so in all,paint that bug,bus with what you can afford now and in the long run, some like single,some like 2 stage,I live in NewEngland and I use both...it all depends on how extensive the resto(and finances) is.
-Tim

[rcadmus]

Don 't get mixed up between single stage laquer (ages poorly), and the 2 part, single stage urethanes such as PPG concept. There is a huge difference between the two in both cost and performance.

[Tim rag'59]

laquer..remeber that stuff? 10 coats only to buff most of it off to get that "show car" look

[Miguel Arroyo]

My 1970 Beetle was painted using PPG Deltron single stage urethane. The color is Yukon Yellow. Time will tell if it was a poor decision or not. As far as other cars we will see.

[Euro60]

[Tim rag'59]

dude that's comedy!! I remember sprayin' my baja kawasaki green laquer outside...I buffed it 10 minutes later!! itwas dryin' before it hit the car!I think I was 2" away from the panels when I was sprayin' it...just to keep the "flow" goin'!! also just a side note...when you spray single stage...just a tip...on the last coat mix a little catalized clear(same brand and quality) and give it a shot(please...do a test panel...old hood or something..)it makes the depth of the paint a little deeper..it also seems to help the "sanding" go a little smoother...seeing as single stage is a little tough once it's cured..just a thought..give it a whirl
-Tim

[inksling]

ok, first off let me state that i AM NOT A TRAINED PRO. i went to school for art and wound up doing custom jobs on cars (murals, flames) for about a year, and then when business was slow they had me do insurance work. so, i'm not one of these ASE guys.

now, with that out of the way.....

when i paint my own cars i use one shot enamel. it works ok for me. i have found that it does not really matter what color the car is painted, any kind of new paint looks better than that 30 years of rust, bumps, and scrapes. i used to go and buy laquer from the jobber, i would buy up the colors someone brought back or did not pick up, they sold them for 15 bucks a gallon (way back in 1999, haha). i got some ugly colors, but it would always look better than 30 years of being out in the sun, rain, and hail.

if you want a show stopper then take it to the auto body guys and pay to have it done. if you just like pimping around town and turning heads then do it yourself. heck, use a rattle can for that matter, and if you mess up you have at least learned something.
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Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past. ~Jack London

www.inksling.com

[Big Jim]

To me, the essence of the difference between bc/cc and single is this:
bc/cc will stay looking very good throught its life and then fail catrostrophically. Single stage will very slowly start to deteoriate and continue to do so for its whole life. It may have a somewhat longer useful life because it becomes a judgement call about when the paint is unbearable.
I think the choice should be based on your plans for the car. I lean toward single stage for a restoration, 2 or 3 stage for a show car, and whatever excites you for a daily driver. Before you can even ask what paint technology to use, you have to have a solid picture of what you want out of the car.

[Tim rag'59]

yup...not to many guys wanna shell out $4g's in paint and matterials for an off-pan resto...and thats' not including your time.
-Tim

[willz0072002]

i just finished my 69 square...dupont alpine white pearlcoat with bombay blue tri stage. this was my first 2 tone, and it really went smoother than i thought...after a color sand and buff...the paint is flawless mirror finish with extreme pearl....u cant do that with single stage...but definantll7y for a oem look it works fabulous...i do think base/clear systems are easier to work with, and make repairs with.

i couldntt figure out how to upload pics here..but there are alot of them in the gallery for type IIIs posted today[/list]

[CymonSez]

This fight is still going on....I hear a lot of people saying single stage is the best. Then there is the ones that say two stage is the best. To all you single stage guys.....dont wreck your car and expect to fix it real easy.

[maximus]

I just painted my bug with a single stage couple weeks ago and it came out awesome. Everyone seems to be impressed, including me, for a first time thing. And the paint truly looks like an original paint job. I was going to do base/clear but ran out of $$$ in the budget, but the single stage came out better than exected.

On a side note, anyone ever use Tremclad? Is it an enamel or urethane? My friends dad said that his buddies and him used to paint their bugs with tremclad back in the day. Apparently really cheap. He said he would be glad to do it but I was kinda skeptical. Good thing I did it myself. Curious to see though if any of you guys have done that.