[Nick Davis]

My '72 442 is overdue for paint. The decklid has a lot of surface rust, so I've been considering having the entire car bead blasted for a "start from scratch" paint job. However, the car has an original Olds fiberglass hood. Is bead blasting a good idea at all? Can the same media be used for the hood as the for the sheet metal? What media is recommended for each?

Also, I want to paint the car its original color, but lacquer isn't really an option here in California. Does anyone have experience in shifting from lacquer to urethane and trying to get a reasonable color match, particularly with a metallic color? Did you clear coat it?

 

[Halloweenking]

Do NOT bead blast anything fiberglass, you'll end up with that surface looking like and feeling like the surface of mars, well not quite but it won't be smooth. The rest of the car I'd use glass beads, sands to hard to clean up and out of the little grooves and knooks. Thats just my opinion though. As for the paint, if you go to a local paint store they should be able to match it for you in any medium you like. The exact same or simular color should be hard to come by. If they are too boneheaded to match it ask to look through the color chips and books from places like PPG and House of Kolor, if neither of them make a match close enough to your desired color do it yourself. I'm a body tech and its not as hard as it looks/sounds.

HK

 

[Nick Davis]

Since DuPont was an original GM paint supplier, do they have any "replacement" urethanes in your experience?

 

[Halloweenking]

I'm not sure since they don't sell DuPont where I am, I've never had the chance to work with it, but I'm sure your local paint guy can either look it up or give you the books to do so yourself.

HK

 

[[email protected]]

A good auto paint store (look for one that has been around your town for years) has a paint matching expert that can match any color perfectly in any brand of paint. All shops have color formulas for all factory paints and laser color matching machines but the old timer eyeball expert can't be beat. Find a piece of sheet metal on your car that has been hidden from the elements and has true original color and take it to them. They will supply a perfect match.

I wouldn't consider painting anything, real cars, model cars, etc., with anything but color coat/ clear coat catalyzed urethane. This stuff is absolutely fantastic.

[ September 05, 2002: Message edited by: [email protected] ]</p>