i have read a lot about using 2pac but this is not an option for me but i was wondering about the diferences or the adv/disadv between enamel and acrylic. does either of them need to have a clear coat? what were splits originally painted in?

any help would be greatly appreciated....

firstly I would go for acrylic because enamel will tend to fade and go chalky. secondly you will only need a clear coat if you have a metallic colour or what they call a base coat colour. Most older cars came out in an acrylic paint.
matt

check out the paint and body threads, this has been discussed a lot. Seems to me to be, go ac. if you're having a go yourself as it's quite forgiving. 2Pac is the weapon of choice if you've got access to the right 'environment' or going to a shop. 2Pac Base Coat plus clear if you're gonna custom paint and airbrush as you will get top results from candys.

Ask 10 people, get 10 answers....however pro-shops might also give you the 'not very interested price'. So watch out. You can (as I have discovered, being a total newbie), do a lot of the prep yourself, and will probably be a lot more fussy too, it's lots of rubbing and is dead boring but can save you a packet, even if you then get someone to top coat it professionally.

Mines a bus, so drive in drive out prices were 8-12k depending on colour, pearls etc. in 2Pac. Raw materials are just the other side of a grand anyway. Ac. is less, but you then need to buff the shit out of it. (I quote others).

There are some top people in the paint dept like Hellbus, Steph et al, who have typed some good stuff.

Ye what crewcab said and some.

I have just finished a spray painting course and let me tell you I take my hat of to those guys there is a lot to take in but in saying that I am going to have a go with acrylic because you can do it at home and fix muck ups but like everything it takes practice

use acrylic............

as much as it pains me to say it as 2 pac far better.

for your needs acrylic is much more user friendly and will give a better and longer lasting result... but... not as good as 2pac.. go on u knows ya wanna.... go the 2 pac...hehee

steff..................................

you can use automotive air dry enamel,its what they were painted with originally and its what i used on my bug,but everyone to their own

cool crew, let me know which way u are going when you finaly get there.... mind u in saying that i changed my mind on my colour,and graphics,art work so many times.. even up to when i had the car all masked up ready for the second colour and changed my mind, ripping it all off and doing something totaly different.... oh the joys.. hahaha


steff.............

I've just sprayed a morris minor in enamel, and had a horrible time! It doesn't buff back at all, so you need to spray it on quite thick to get the desired effect. Then there is high risk of the paint running, which means sanding back and spraying again. Not fun, and the paint is very hard to repair if it gets scratched etc later on because it is quite hard to blend enamels.
My beetle is acrylic, and for a novice like me it is a godsend. If you want to blend it is so much easier, and you can buff out any irregularities and get quite a nice mirror effect. It is hard work, but worth it if you want to save on frustration.
I'm going to the extent that my morris is being sprayed over in 'acrylic enamel', apparently a blend of the two that won't react with the enamel underneath.
Good luck!

thanks for all the advice, me thinks i will go with acrylic based on some of the probs others have had. read most of the info FAQ posts and think i will go this way, im going to try to do something different with the graphics on a base of white. im just cutting the rust and etching/undercoating and wanted to know what top to use so the undercoat doesn't absorb moisture, at least the bolt ons will look good.

saw lots of good paint at the action day so i will see waht i can do at home.

Why the big fear of 2pac? i would spray it at home,you get a fantastic finish straight off the gun,you can block and buff any runs it realy isnt any harder than any other paint imho just mix it up as the lable says get your gun right with a test run and have a go.Easy if you want to do graphics just do all your art then 2pac clear over the whole lot.The gloss will leave any other paint for dead,but then again i know some old school painters that wont paint a old car in 2pac because its too glossy and dosent look original so it depends on what your affter.

I have been spraying cars for years, and a number of them show cars. I refuse to spray 2 pac without the proper air fed mask. I plan on having babies with 10 fingers and 10 toes thank you. I also like to avoid getting cancer in as many ways as possible.

2 Pac is more durable, shiner off the gun, more expensive, less forgiving, more poisinous, and does not go chalky. Any paint that goes chalky is just crap paint. Paint used to have up to 30% lead content, especially red, yellow and white. When the lead content had to be dropped down to it's current level of less than 1%, cheap paints went chalky, as they lacked a substitute for the lead to protect them from UV damage

Acrylic is less durable, needs polishing, less expensive more forgiving, less poisonous.

Metallic paint whether it is 2 pac or acrylic needs clear on top of it. Clear Over Base or C.O.B. Solid colours can be made up as a COB, but do not have to. 2 Pac solid colours are made as a Direct Gloss or DG. It is also possible to paint a DG solid colour and then put clear on top, although this method does not necessarily mean a better finish.

You can also get iso free 2pac if saftey is a concern i have done a fair bit with this,some painters lothe it,it is very triky to get a good result. i wouldn't recomend spraying 2pac every day with just a carbon mask but every now and then for a back shed job wouldn't bother me i can totaly understand if your spraying isocyanate every day you would want to reduce any contact with it to a minimum.