In <Pine.ULT.3.91.950626083158.19182A-100000@ttown.apci.com>, S. L. Hower wrote:
>
>FWIW, the brand of urethane is Glasurit, the enamel is DuPont
>Centauri. I have heard that DuPont Imron is an excellent
>paint; the shop said it is overkill for an auto, but will use
>it if I so desire. I am afraid to ask for the Imron cost.
You are opening a big can of worms here. Paint preferences are very
personal, and there is no clear winner. In general, the urethane will
be more resistant to weather etc than the enamel, and both will look
real good from across the street. However, paints of this nature
generally do not "flatten" well, and will have a good deal of "orange
peel". This is evident in a kind of pimply surface, best visible from
a reflected point source (e.g., bulb, sun) of light. It takes a good
deal of rubbing to get rid of it, which is why a good body shop
charges beaucoups more than Earl Scheib. The worst offender is Imron.
It is good for trucks and airplanes, robust as hell, but is really
wrinkly on close inspection. My vote, if the car is to be kept
garaged, is acrylic lacquer. It is not as robust as the enamel or
urethan, and tends to chip, but is a solvent-based (rather than
"curing") paint and is easily fixed even years after the paint job.
Most important, it goes on pretty flat, and with a little rubbing
gives a shine about 9 miles deep. Virtually all antiques and show
cars are done in lacquer. Of course, YMMV depending on your potential
use for the car....
A. B. Bonds
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