Does anyone remember what Kirk uses for body paint; lacquer of acrylic and does apply a gel coat. I ask this for I need to work out some scuff marks and do not want to get to aggressive and make matters worse.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe that lacquer is is allowed to be used in California any longer.
whatever it is its water based in CA.
Why don't you just call him?
All fiberglass bodies will have a gel coat finish - usually white is used in the mold. CMC/FF is only one that uses it as a factory finish coat and, of course, it can be sanded and painted. I painted few cars as a hobby in NJ and VA years ago - lacquer/acrylic lacquer finish paint hasn't been readily available for 20 years due to EPA/OSHA laws.
Forget about lacquer- as well as it being hard to get, it doesn't weather well, and even the acrylic version isn't as tough as a well applied acrylic enamel. And the 2 component finishes- 2 summers ago I painted a friend's fiberglass buggy in a polyurethane. Nice to work with, great gloss, and boy is that stuff tough! Hadn't painted a car in 25? years; boy, was that fun (what can I say, I love working for beer and pizza)! I realized part way through the last coat- it'd be easier to reach inside the tub (I'm a short *ss 5'6") if we let the air out of the tires! Next time...
Just to chime in here about paint---acrylic enamel in particular. My VS was painted with Acrylic enamel about 9 years ago. After having it color sanded by a great shop it turned out absolutely gorgeous and still does after all these years. The car actually won a "best paint" award in a fairly large car show. There is no clear coat on it---just primer or whatever was used under the paint and what is there is a pure paint without any metallic flakes or clear coat. The best thing besides the gloss is how beautifully it takes a paint repair for chips---most occurring on the nose area. I use the Lanka System (Google it) and get sensational results---even the most shallow or the deepest chips or flaws where rocks or debris strikes it.
I used to work for Dupont in the Fabrics and Finishes Division (that's paint!) many years ago and never knew about Acrylc enamel---all we had was a lacquer named Duco and an enamel named Dulux . Nothing fancier like metallics or base coat/clear coat so I was unaware of Acrylic Enamel. I think it is really a great finish for a Speedster. I don't know what Kirk is painting with these days but if I ever had to have a replica painted I'd try to go with the A/C paint, if it was available.
Just my 2 kroner.
I think the currency of choice now is rubles Jack ;-)
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If you ask Kirk, please post his response.
He told me once but I can't remember exactly what the name was, I didn't know it was water based. Is that for sure? I saw my car come back to VS freshly painted before it was buffed and the guy he contracts with is a pretty good painter. Other than a few problems with the color sanding, the body work is good and is holding up well so I think it is a good brand of paint. It was a foreign brand, not Glasurit but another. I asked Kirk because I wanted to get some touch up paint. If someone names some good brands of foreign paint I'll know it.
Spies Hecker (MB)
BASF
Per my records for my 2013 built car Kirk confined he used an acrylic enamel with no top clearcoat.
He also game me the color code ---- PPG-DBU 35136, silver with some metallic, and he sent me a 8oz can of paint... Which I have been able to use for chip repair... I too have used the Lanka system to repair chips. Works great.
Give him a ring, he keeps good records.
Luis, I'm pretty sure there is no way they single stage on your car if there is metallic in the paint. Mine has no metallic in the color and it is clear coated. I thought Kirk told me it was a foreign paint but mine is the same year as yours so I doubt the painter switched brands so quick. So I guess it's PPG. So much for the 66 year old memory.
I can confirm the paint code that Kirk gave me and 8oz sample can provided in 2013 when I picked up my car to be accurate. Crystal Silver, ppg 35136, also compatible/ used by body shops to repair Porsche/Audis from early 1990s. I believe it's a two stage paint.
i believe this has been the standard Kirk has used for a decade or more for his silver build cars. But don't quote me on this... I just remember other forum members with early 2000 build cars confirming they also had been given the same color code when they had their cars built.
also, and more importantly--- in 2015 I had to repaint a the front bumper, took it to a local auto paint shop that uses PPG. I gave them the reference #. They scanned the car paint to make sure.. and properly match it... Not that they didn't believe me but they said its what they needed to do to warranty their work... ( they also mentioned they did not want to use the paint I brought in to fix the bumper.... I totally understand why). They confirmed and used PPG 35136. They also mentioned that no clear coat appeared to have been used on the car or bumpers... And that's maybe why the car was so prone to chips. But did say the ppg's DBU system was a two part base coat + clear coat system. So who knows.... The bumper matched perfectly...
here is a useful color comparability chart---
http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/co...ame=Crystal%20Silver
hope this helps,
cheers,
Luis
Acrylic enamel car paint got big about 30 years ago. Maybe 40. It was miles ahead of available lacquers but required more dry time and actually liked to be baked on. A lot of shops shot it with "integral clear coat," meaning the clear and color were mixed in the gun and went on all at once. Durable stuff.
But some time ago (20 years? I'm not sure when) enamels gave way to polyurethane paints. Solvent-based poly paints dry faster than old lacquers used to, and the 2-part clears that go on top of them are tougher by far than the acrylic enamels could ever be. The water-based ones are just as tough but like to be dried in a warm breeze. The stuff's a joy to shoot but requires some serious precautions and breather masks because of the isocyanates in these paints. They can kill you fast.
Of course you can still buy acrylic enamel—or lacquer. A lot of furniture makers and artists still use lacquer. It's just not as tough on a car as the other choices.
I have the same year VS as Luis has 2013. Sounds like and if I'm lucky Kirk will answer my call or email if he can look at my cars work order and tell me the color code and if its with a clear coat. In the meantime I can try the Griot's finish polish I bought on a small spot on the underside of the wheel well. Thanks everyone for the info and history lesson.