Original Paint, Clear coat or Enamel? Options

[tracks914]

What did 914's come with originally. I am told VW and Porsche were some of the first manufacturers to use clear coats. My local paint dealers can mix the colour codes I provide them but cannot find if they were enamels or clear coated.
Tx
Doug

[tod914]

the 914 came with a baked enamel finish. paint manufacture was glassurit (not sure on spelling).
this was a single stage paint.

I believe the closest you can get to the orginal type of paint would be an acryric enamel single stage paint

So, if your going for orginality, which is what i would suggest, go with the glassurit single stage. Im not sure what type of primer to suggest.

[Mark Henry]

If you are after resto and want the orange peel, etc. shoot the enamel. If you want that incredible, deep, wet look then base/clear is the way to go.

I personally hate single stage paint, I would much rather shoot the base/clear, sand with 1000 grit and polish to a mirror. But hey that’s just me, I would rather have perfect paint and live with the fact that it’s not original. Only you and a couple of 914 perverts will notice the difference anyways. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

So far in Canada we still have real paint, but I hear that the water-based crap is coming soon. Damn (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

[Curvie Roadlover]

914 perverts?! Hey! I resemble that remark!!

[rick 918-S]

I hate clear coated solid colors. It looks plastic and fake. It's like looking at something through something. I think it clouds the rich pigment. I would use a nice single stage urethane like Dupont's Cromaone. You wet sand it and buff it just like the clear coats out there now. This is like the factory paint on steroids. Leave the clear for the metalic colors.

[tracks914]

"I would use a nice single stage urethane like Dupont's Cromaone. You wet sand it and buff it just like the clear coats out there now. This is like the factory paint on steroids."

Excuse my ignorance. I've only painted stock cars before and received quite good results without wetsanding, but never painted a street car.
What grit wet sand would you use? Would it not be possible to get the shine a body shop or factory would get without the wetsanding?
Dupont's Cromaone - is it an acrylic enamel?

[rick 918-S]

It's acrylic urethane. It's tougher than acrylic enamel and easier to spray. You can spray it and enjoy it as is or sand it perfectly flat and polish it out like glass. If you have a few flaws in the finish you want to work out block them out. I dry sand the stuff with like 1500 grit on an M.A. sander. (multi action like D.A. only smoother) You can also use wet sanding paper like 1200 or 1500 grit and polish it out. Check with your local supplier. Sometimes they have clinics.

[Mark Henry]

Sanding and polishing will remove any orange peel and leave a mirror finish. If you are doing a factory look resto, you may want to leave the orange peel, as they didn’t polish it out.

Most good body shops do polish (at least a bit) to get that perfect look, depends on how much your paying them.

I have used the paint that Rich is talking about and its a good look. I still like the look base/clear better, but that is total personal choice.
Also if you sand through the clear you can just respray a coat or two, sand through the colour and your screwed. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

The urethane is a better quality paint then Dupont Centari (acrylic enamal).
Again personal prefrence, but I like PPG paints better for base /clear and their epoxy primer is the best, as I've tried them all. (IMHO)