Pros/Cons Cortez Silver Lacquer or Enamel Paint

[Greg L.]

I'm really starting to think that I want to paint my car myself so I need lots of advice!

My preference is lacquer because from what I've read, that is the easiest to paint and of couse is correct for my 69. On the other hand I've read that it is a very poor choice for anything other than a trailer queen that is stored in a climate controled room...no kidding!

So what really is the scoop on todays lacquer? Will it crack if it gets down to -30F and will it chip like crazy on a car that only gets 1-2k miles a year? Is there a flex agent that can be added to make it more durable? Assumeing that the durability issues are not really an issue at all, where would be the best place to get correct Cortez Silver with the proper size metalic in it?

I'm pretty much set on going lacquer as long as durability will not be a major concern so that is what I really need to understand. I've read about using enamels and dulling down the door and hood areas and so forth to make it look like lacquer so that is also an option. The much longer drying time of the enamel though means a much greater chance of dust getting into the paint which means color sanding as well as buffing a harder paint. The way I understand it too is that if I mess up spraying the lacquer it will be much easier to fix it than if I was using enamel.

I just think that all in all, lacquer would be much easier to deal with...just spray it and buff it like they did 40 years ago. I just don't want it to have to worry about it every time I take it out or have it crack, craze or what ever else it might do at -30.

Any suggestions?

Greg Linton
#45455

[William L.]

Re: Pros/Cons Cortez Silver Lacquer or Enamel Pain

Greg
I think you will be lucky to find the two to three gallons of silver lacquer that it will take to paint your car. Here in ST Louis my supplyer can't get any kind silver lacquer. So it may be moog point?
Bill

[Ray C.]

Re: Pros/Cons Cortez Silver Lacquer or Enamel Pain

I just purchased some Sateen Silver Lacquer for my 61. I believe that PPG will still sell lacquer. I am not familiar with Cortes Silver, but if there is metallic in the paint, it is harder to paint than a solid color. I plan to re-paint my 61 and need to do my home work this time.

Ray #36314
the URL to locate a PPG distributor near you:

http://www.ppg.com/cr-refinish/phase1/frmFindDistributor.asp

[Thomas O.]

Re: Pros/Cons Cortez Silver Lacquer or Enamel Pain

Greg: I am not a paint expert. Now, I was at the winter NCRS show in Old Towne/Orando/Kissimmie and attended the Mecum sale. There was a very nice 69 Cortez Silver coupe which had base coat clear coat(cortez silver) and it was gorgeous and I am not a real lover of silver/gray . The 69 coupe sold for about 56,600. If the car were to be judged it should loose about 85 pts. but it was excellent looking coupe. tom

[Chuck S.]

Re: Pros/Cons Cortez Silver Lacquer or Enamel Pain

Neither.

I know this is going to stir up a storm of controversy, but if your car is going to have a life outside of your garage after judging, I would forego today's acrylic lacquer. From attending NCRS paint seminars, I am convinced that government regulation has ruined your Daddy's acrylic lacquer...it's a durability shadow of it's former self. Bird poop or acid rain will quickly ruin today's acrylic lacquer...or I've been lied to by people who should know what they're talking about.

My choice for maximum durability would be single stage acrylic urethane; you will lose points on the paint, there's no avoiding it. A knowledgeable exterior judge will be able to spot acrylic urethane in the dark (it'll be the glassy shiny one). Base coat/clear coat is even easier to spot. Do what you can to paint the hidden painted areas like the jambs and ledges first using flattener to simulate unbuffed lacquer. Someone told me the best way to simulate lacquer appearance was to use low pressure with a conventional siphon gun...probably too hard for an amateur like me; I'll just lay it down smooth with an excellent HVLP gravity gun.

Like Ray said, metallics are hard to spray uniformly...in fact cars from the factory would have banding and blotching from metallic particles having higher density in some areas. It would be better to learn how to paint with a solid color, but Cortez Silver is one of my favorites. One bit of advice...plan to spray everything at one time (one paint mixing if at all possible) and support any panels off the car (plenum grilles, wiper door, T-tops) in the same attitude as they will have ON the car. That will minimize color mismatch on parts, particularly those that are immediately adjacent.

Use of modern catalyzed finishes will require a spray booth, and a good supplied breathing air system. Acrylic lacquer you could spray in your driveway, but you get out what you put into it.

[Jim T.]

Re: Pros/Cons Cortez Silver Lacquer or Enamel Pain

Greg when I painted my 70 in 1991 Dupont lacquer was available and it turned out really good. I did not "buff" it out. After the color coat had time to dry I first wet sanded the finish with part number 3M 051131-02022 mirco fine color sanding 1200 followed by part number 3M 051131-02023 mirco fine color sanding 1500. This was followed by using Dupont's "polishing compound" not rubbing compound. All done by hand and one person.
A largely known professional Corvette bodyman/painter had a black 62 in our local car show. He showed me the drivers door on the 62 that he had to repaint. He painted it with urethane and told me that he had done it just before taking the car to Bloomington, this was in the late 80's. The cars paint was judged and he was glad that his door was not detected in urethane as the rest of the car was lacquer. Another friend of mine had his 72 painted in black urethane more than 20 years ago, I have not seen in many years but he told me that it still looks very good. It is garaged and with New York weather is not driven usually for several months.

[Jim R.]

Re: Pros/Cons Cortez Silver Lacquer or Enamel Pain

Greg, you can and should be able to get ppg lacquer for quite some time ,they sell gallons or whatever you need for restoration purposes and have your silver, a friend of mine nw of minneapolis mn paints corvettes for a living and does several lacquer paint jobs a year ,including my 65 nassau blue roadster and he recently did his own 69 silver roadster in lacquer.