[chevyrally68]

I would like to get some insite from you fellas, I am about to start painting my 68 chevelle in a couple of months. My idea is to stick with original butternut yellow paint code YY with some ghost pearls either a blue or green pearl. I have heard good things about House of Kolor? Going to bring it down to sheet metal all parts with remain on car except for the hood. I have a few questions:

What primer to use? quanity?
What base code brand? quanity?
What intercoat clear? How much pearl to add and intercoat? Overlap?
What top clear to use? quanity and brand?
What pearl do you recommend? Brand and color over butternut yellow?

Any thoughts would be helpful and maybe some pictures of your guys pearl paint jobs and recommendations. Thanks in advance!

[69 widetrack]

If your taking the car down to bare metal, I would apply 2 coats of Epoxy primer. I have recently tried SPI and I'm very happy with the results. It's applies and lays down well, good sanding qualities and gives great adhesion. As far as quantity...I don't know...are you painting inside the engine compartment, door jams, under the hood, inside the trunk...underneath of the body?

As far as brand goes...they all work...the easiest for you would be to visit your nearest Dupont Dealer and ask to see color chips called "Hot Hues"...they are basically a solid base coat with a pearl mid coat and they have numerous "pearls over Yellow" color chips. As far as how much? Again, how much of the car are you painting?

Your mid coat and how much pearl...if you go the Dupont Hot Hues way, they have formulas that will tell you exactly how much pearl for a specific color...you choose the color from a chip and they can mix the paint for you. As far as over lap goes...have you ever painted before or are you having somebody else paint it for you? If your painting the car and, no offence but by the questions your asking it doesn't sound like you have all that much experience, a "tri-coat" paint job is fairly ambitious for someone that isn't well versed in painting...a whole bunch can go wrong.

So if you can answer a few of these questions I hope I can give you better information.

Ray

[chevyrally68]

I am painting with a friend(he got experience) and I have done some in the past 2 stage years ago. We are painting inside trunk, and hood, door jams. I painted the firewall already. Just want to get the idea of how much painted needed and what brands are new and up to date. We haven't started sanding yet, and it does look like there is maybe to sets of old paint on this car. So maybe we won't make it down to bare metal. Just wanted to know what paint technology is out there now, and is giving good results, sometimes those paint reps. just want to sell you things you don't need.

[69 widetrack]

As I mentioned in my previous post...look at the Dupont Hot Hues....you could pick an off the self color that you like...as far as how much you need, I would suggest a gallon of each, base and mid coat. One gallon of uncatalyed clear should be enough as well (depending on how many coats of clear you plan on putting on the car...1 gallon should be enough for 2 coats of clear. Primer I would still recommend SPI epoxy if your going down to bare metal. You mentioned you may not be taking the car down to bare metal...if your not, you could use any 2K High build primer. If you chose to go the SPI route for your primer needs, you may want to also get their clear...I haven't sprayed it yet but have heard good things about it and will be trying it shortly...the product is also priced right.

I hope this answers your questions...as I said, a "tri-coat complete is a very ambitious project for any painter that may lack experience...not that it's that difficult, it's just that there are rules that need to be followed in order to get the end results that your looking for.

Below are several URL's of a tri-coat custom I did a while back. It was shot in PPG Vibrance with transparent orange over a blue metallic base...it has ghost flames on the hood, down the sides (3/4 of the way through the doors) and on the tonneau cover.

002 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

087 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask and I hope this helps.

Ray