v.s. clearcoat

does anyone know if vintage uses a clearcoat on their speedsters? i noticed an enormous difference in finish on my new speedster after i applied a coat of wax. i also noticed that the paint is very prone to light surface scratches. any input would be greatly appreciated.

The GelCoat on glass is what is needed to protect the fibre glass. After it's applied it needs to be shine/sanded with low grit/wet/dry then the paint is put on. If you can easily scratch the surface I suspect it would be the gelcoat. To protect it you are correct, many layers of clear should be applied. When my car was painted he put on 3 layers of paint and 5 layers of clear.

VS paints their cars; in my case it's PPG; I suspect yours is the same.

george, call vs if your interested. you may have three answers.
A. colored gelcoat finish (the color is added to a thin resin called gelcoat and sprayed into mold first) no paint
B. single stage poly paint (no clear coat) solid color thru
C. two stage paint , first a somewhat flat base is applied followed by clear coat (makes everthing shine).
the care is the same for all. i feel the clear coat jobs look deeper.

My CMC has a color gelcoat surface --- like a boat. Gelcoat is brittle and cracks and chips and doesn't really take a shine like a show clear coat paint job. The problem with paint on a fiberglass car is it can't be baked on like a steel car so even if not clearcoated the paint is soft and easily scratched for quite sometime (6 months to a year). It is often advised not to wax a new paint job for 6 months (to allow it to dry completely). Even new steel cars seem to have paint problems now days due to new EPA reguations on paint formulation. You used to be able to buy IMRON which was used on airplane noses and had a constant wet look -- one had to use an expensive respirator to paint with it though. Now you can't even find lacquer paints much any more. Unless your car is kept very very clean avoid nose bras and car covers too.

Yes the new EPA laws make it difficult to maintain a car. I have been looking for a parts cleaner like GUNK and the auto parts stores will not sell it unless I have a business license. Maybe this is just a problem here in california but.........................

Wow, maybe we can start a secret GUNK dealer thing. How many Keys do you need man. I love Gunk! Only problem is that what was oily, greasy, yucky is now clean and rusty in a week.

i've, got imron=good stuff

My VS is black single stage, no clear coat. Eddie

Eddie has it right... it's PPG Black. I have the number here somewhre as I bought two pints and some reducer along with some feathering stuff (forgot the brand name). Next week I'm taking off the bumper (Front) and then feather in the chaff marks and a light scratch on the front fender, sand them out and spray.

Here are my thoughts... If you have gel coat, it is like sanding concrete, but it is hard. If it just lacks gloss, sand it all over with 1500, then 2000, then get a big, real buffer and buff it with a microcut and glaze. something that will remove scratches above 1500. Now, if you want a serious new shine, take and sand that gel coat with 220, then 440 with a DA, or random orbital sander. Then take a sanding block and wet 600 sand it, then sand it with 1000 and 1500. Now go spray a urethane sealer, then a solid urethane color coat, then 4 coats of urethane clear coat. Wait a couple of days and take 2000 grit wet sandpaper on a block to that clear coat. Then take a micro cut compound and glaze to it with a powerful buffer. You will take all that orange peel out of the urethane and make it look a quarter of an inch deep.

Jim, the PPG # is DAR 4000. Eddie

jack, thats the way to go. i usually paint my own stuff.
most people don't understand the layers of labor (and cost) of a
proper job. but its well worth the effort.