Tower paint in Oshkosh sells enamel, lacquer and primer.

Paintscratch sells basecoat, clearcoat, and primer. They also offer "tricoat", which is composed of a basecoat followed by a tinted midcoat and finally clearcoat.



HELP! Which ones do I need to get?

TIA,

Jen

Best advice is to call the paint shop that is going to shoot your car and ask them what they are going to use. Then get the most suitable equivalent.

Use the tricoat.

You will need primer also..

Gint.. I'm pretty sure Maaco wont use anything as nice as what we use for the engine compartment.

B

If you are looking for paint for the engine compartment, I would use singe stage paint. You don't need multistage paint in the engine compartment. Use an etching primer befor you paint. SEM makes an etching primer in rattle cans that works great.

Tricoat, Brad?

Not to question the Master, but... huh?

That's three coats to sand off, if there's a problem. Three times the cost in materials.

If it was my car, I'd consider just a BC/CC or maybe even a single stage, if it was a good quality product.

MHO,
-Rusty

You have references for a reputable Maaco? I hear they differ quite a bit. Is it in the north or south bay? I'm asking for semi-selfish reasons though I'm still tempted just to paint my car in the parking lot here at work some day this summer.

OK.. ok here is my thinking:

If we do the engine compartment in good stuff.. one day..one day.. the car might get a worthy paint job and the engine compartment wont have to be redone to match a multi stage paint.

I'm a huge fan of bitchin clean engine compartments.. and when I have the chance to do it nicely.. I will.

I totally agree that single is cheaper.

B

Fair enough - it's not my car.

And, I'm not thinking of the money. Accidents happen with paint (I know from personal experience) and 3 stage paint is 50% more chance for that to happen than 2 stage.

Yeah, I love a beautiful engine compartment, too.

Someday.

Ya know, I'm surprised we all don't know some Bay Area P-car enthusiast that paints in his garage on the side. I mean someone who might charge what Maaco would charge but use better paint and do a better job as well as guide you in doing a lot of the prep yourself.

They cant afford to live here... and their neighbors would shut them down quickly.

I personally dont know anybody... and would prefer to take it to a private party.

The problem is: most of the guys I have known in the past only do it part time..which means we wouldnt get the car back for a few months.

B

Like 12-15 years ago my VW mechanic turned us on to a guy in Concord that would paint the whole car for $350. And it always looked awesome. You could remove as much trim as you liked and he would mask everything else. Turn-around time was always less than a week too.

I guess the smog nazis have cracked down and all this environmentally friendly paint is way more expensive these days.

Bob Cross, over in the East Bay. Was it San Leandro?? I forget. He's a hobbyist, no doubt about it, so it takes a while to happen.

I'm not sure if he still paints; last I knew was about 8 years ago...

--DD

a 3!!! coat process and you have to sand between each?. in the engine compartment, 3!!! times? no thank you. i rolled mine out in the sunlight today. the paint is not nearly as "shiny/ mirrior" as my pictures looked, but i sure like it. i couldn't figure it out. it was the flash. that whole process, you rea... my wife just banged into the saw horses that the HOOD is on with the car.

kevin