Acrylic Lacquer with Clear Coat

[TMQ]

Doing a 1969 Camaro SS with acrylic lacquer base coat with clear.

At first I was told that it was lacquer paint. So I proceeded to work on car as a single stage. As I was working, noticed something wasn't right.

Did the waterless wash. All's good then did clay---no dirt and no green paint? At the time, someone just buffed car out. It shows that buffing was attempted and they swirled the heck out of the paint.

Hummm...OK, maybe it was just super clean. Proceeded to rub out paint using Meguire's # 7. What??? no green paint or dirt! ###?

Again---thought it was just because it was just buffed out. Decided to proceed with the saturation of Meguires # 7.

Done, will let it sit for 24 hours. As I was cleaning up and thinking. This isn't right. Should have at least seen some color transfer.

After a few minutes, I had this nagging thought...Clear coat?? So I took a fine wet/dry sand paper and sanded a small spot to check. It came away white w/o green paint. What??? Clear coat?

Talked to shop management that bought the car and told them it has clear on the car. They said no, it's lacquer paint.

They had a box with 2 cans of unopened paint. We checked and sure enough---Acrylic Lacquer with can of clear to go with the paint. Awww crap, now I got a mess of # 7 to remove tomorrow. Decided just let it dry out some tonight and will remove tomorrow.

Lesson...even tho someone tells you it's a single stage paint, double check before wasting time with using Meguires # 7!

Darn...gotta go back tomorrow and remove the oily mess!

Tom

[TMQ]

And...any advise on polishing lacquer paint with clear coat?

Thinking of using AIO like Blackfire one step or Sonax paint cleaner?

Paint is super, super soft. Softly touched with microfiber and the paint just scratches like crazy!

Tom

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Tom,

Sometimes this can get confusing...

There are lacquer clears. Back in the 1950s and 1960s all the custom painters were spraying clear lacquer over their single stage lacquer when creating custom paint jobs.

Clear lacquer is simply old school lacquer paint without pigment.

In a way it's "like" urethane clearcoats except the resin is much different in chemistry.

You'll find an old school clear lacquer to be soft like a pigments lacquer, except for single stage white paint which tends to be the hardest paint of all.

Just treat like you learned at our class here and that is,

Do a test spot using the least aggressive product and process to get the job done


Be careful of ALL high points as you don't know who buffed on this before you or what they used and the high points at waist high are the parts of a car buffed the most and that's why the paint in these areas is the thinnest.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

Also just to note...

The #7 Rub Down is really only for chalky oxidized paint. I wouldn't use it for anything that has a hard shine already.

So if the paint is already shiny, just has swirls and scratches, treat as normal, that is use the least aggressive product to get the job done.

Maybe hit it with BLACKFIRE One-step and be done with it.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

.

Also, if you can, take a picture of the can of paint and share on the forum.


:)

[TMQ]

Perfect Mike! That's exactly what I needed to know. You've just made my day! I know now exactly what I need to do tomorrow!

Thank you---Thank you very much!

Will post pic of car later tonight. And will get pic of the canned paint tomorrow.

Tom

[TMQ]

Some pics...

[Mike Phillips]

Just to comment....

After looking at the pictures of the scratches in the paint job - whoever has been in charge of this car or the owner of this car is to blame for it's current condition.

The level of scratching is simply ridiculous.

Don't feel bad if you can't remove all the scratches Tom, don't put yourself at risk for going through the lacquer clear.


Looking forward to the after shots..


:)

[BillyJack]

Tom, after seeing the pictures, you probably didn't waste your time soaking the paint with #7. I have an '87 El Camino with factory lacquer and do the #7 soak yearly. Yes, it's time and labor intensive, but the moisturizing effect of the #7 makes subsequent polishing processes easier and more efficient. Lacquer that's old and neglected tends to also be parched and quickly soaks up the moisture in any compounds or polishes, reducing their efficiency and caking up your pads. A good #7 soaking seems to let the polishes do their job better IMO.

Bill

https://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/98636/title/1987-el-camino-first-place-winner/cat/500

[TMQ]

Up-dating...

And more to come---stand by...

[TMQ]

Got more information---The car sat outside under tarp for ten years on grass!

The owner of the car passed away and the shop bought the car from his estate.

We were going to do a re-paint of the car. But after I was done---Shop was very happy with the turn out and decided against painting the car.

62716627176271862719

[TMQ]

Rupes blue/blue

Rupes yellow/yellow

BLACKFIRE sealant all over car

BLACKFIRE's Midnight Sun carnauba wax on trunk and hood.

Took me about 14 hours to do...

Tom

[BillyJack]

Nice work, Tom!
From the looks of your car pics and the pads, you achieved a good level of correction without going thru the clear, not an easy task on the old lacquers. Don't ask me how I know.

Bill

[TMQ]

Thanks BillyJack.

I thought I'll go through the clear before touching the car!

But the paint turned out to be very hard! Almost like the paint turned into a varnish like state.

[TMQ]

Couple of more...