Clear Coat

[TWAMECH]

I am going to try to spray some clear on my car before winter, expecting a few nice days in NY. How much clear do I need per coat for whole car? I would rather have extra than not enough. Any recommendations for which brand is better or preferred?  

[Leghome]

I use nothing but CromaBase G2-7779S. Formerly Dupont now Xalta. Good product and real good reliability. Had my car redone in 2013 and it still looks like new. 

[Blackhawk]

2 gallons sprayable should get 3 coats, 3 gallons sprayable would probably leave you a little extra for touchup. Of course you'll need more if you're painting the bottom of the hood/trunk or doing some heavy blocking in pursuit of perfection.

[TWAMECH]

Thanks for the help

 

Chris

 

[jft69z]

Are you spraying over basecoat or existing clear coat? If basecoat, what manufacturer was it, and maybe consider staying with the same brand.

Like Larry said, I've always been partial to DuPont/Axalta products, but have used others with good results.

[TWAMECH]

I will be spraying over base. I did some patch repairs over summer and had a mix of paint/primer/filler. I used Eastwood epoxy primer and blocked car. I mixed paint I had from other projects. I was going to try the Rustoleum clear  on a scrap piece, I also have some KBS diamond coat to try.

[jft69z]

Typically, there is a time window from when you spray basecoat to applying the clear. If you exceed that, the risk is poor adhesion of the clear coat. Is that the basecoat or a primer on the car in the picture? Sounds like a conglomeration of different materials there, with no guarantees that they'll all play nice together. It's generally recommended to stay within a paint manufacturers product line, so the different products will work together. I've mixed and matched a little in the past, but don't usually stray too far from the general rules.

Rustoleum clear? Never heard of it for an automotive application, so it may be a big risk you'll find out after you start laying it on the car. I looked at the tech data for that KBS clear too, not impressed. No catalyst, long drying time, etc. Wouldn't be my first (or any choice) to put on a vehicle I spent hundreds of hours getting prepped for paint. Lot of wasted work, and a lot of labor to re-work everything if disaster happens. Paint/body isn't one area that affords a lot of shortcuts. Not trying to be a dick, just something I learned after about 30 years of doing paint work...and I hate doing things twice, lol.

[Leghome]

Most basecoats need to be cleared in less than 24 hours, at least all of the clears I have used did. Rustoleum is a product that I never use on anything that is automotive related. Most of their products are oil based and not compatible with automotive products.

[TWAMECH]

All input is appreciated. When in doubt ask the experts.   I wasnt going to paint until spring, But I have alot of free time due to COVID  I have a scrap patch panel that I am going to experiment on. I will post results weather permitting.

 

Chris

[cny first gen 71]

I'm no body or paint guy and learned the hard way. I took my time and did what little body work was needed and came out pretty good.  The paint on the other hand was different,  it took 3 times to get the car to where it was presentable (far from perfect) at about $300.00 a gallon for paint it wasn't pretty.  That didnt include the clear took about a gallon and a half of that along with hardener and reducer. I used ppg good quality stuff. It got pretty expensive and that was 10 years ago. But I did learn a lot. Put enough clear on it so you can wet sand it smooth without going through to the base but dont put to much on at once so as to have sags or runs. Good luck with it, hope it comes out good.