Clear Coat

[rockfoot]

but the day MIGHT come (as it has with base/clear paint on stockers).

This comment was made in an earlier post that I was reading. I was wondering what the comment was referring to. Is there a problem with using base/clear paint on the cars that are being restored? I went to buy paint for the one that I am restoring and could not get lacquer...was told that I had to use urethane and hardeners and a clear coat... I would like to put the right stuff on it when I do paint it... I am all ears... thanks, RB[?]

1955 President one owner
Moncks Corner, SC

[StudeRich]

If I recall correctly Dick Steinkamp was saying that someday, something will be excepted even though wrong, just because everyone is doing it, like the base-clear paint is! '50's and '60's cars did not have glass smooth finishes that have a built in shine a mile deep!

They were single stage Baked Enamel with some orange peel and not 100% flat or as shiny as todays show cars and new cars are, but to have a car like that would not fit in todays world of super shiny over-restored show cars. [:0]

StudeRich -Studebakers Northwest Ferndale, WA

[Dick Steinkamp]

Here is the judging manual for Studebaker International meets...

http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/sdcjudgingpolicies.asp

Clear coat paints are "not allowed" in stock classes (see page 23)...actually, I think there is only a minor point deduction for clear coats.

I just had my '65 Impala (white) painted with a catalyzed single stage acrylic enamel. After color sanding and buffing, it is impossible (for me) to tell the difference between that and a 2 stage (base/clear) paint job. You might consider that if your car will be a solid color. The materials and labor are far less for a single stage paint job.

If I was doing a restoration, I would still consider a base/clear paint job. The minor deduction would be worth it to me. My '63 Hawk on the cover of this month's TW is a fresh base/clear paint job.

[camden]

You can use either base coat/clear coat or single stage which won't need to be clear coated. I have used both on diff. cars. The single stage would look more like the orginal, as the clear has more shine. Both can be color sanded and rubbed out.

[Chris Pile]

Lacquer is hard to come by now - the greenies don't like the VOC's from it.
That's all I used to shoot (acrylic and nitrocellulose).

Chris Pile
StudeFolk Manager

http://tiny.cc/RYqAK

[Skip Lackie]

As Dick noted, this issue is discussed in the Judging Forum. It has also been discussed at some length by the board of directors when voting on the revised judging manual. Along with the AACA and many other old car clubs, SDC is facing a conundrum: our judging standards deduct points for anything that detracts from a vehicle's "as originally built by Studebaker" condition. But paint technology has improved, and some original-style finishes are no longer available. The solution to date has been to only deduct a few points for better-than-original paint jobs. And since base coat/clear coat finishes often cannot be detected, most judges won't catch them anyway. It may not seem strictly correct, but it seems a reasonable compromise.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[studegary]

You can get lacquer, but it would only be correct on an Avanti. The other (post WWII) Studebakers used enamel.

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

SDC member since 1968
Studebaker enthusiast much longer