Difference in paint single and 2 stage

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sublimeswinger

SUBLIME Senior Member
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Ok, i know that a two stage paint looks the best, or you can get a more "show" quality from it. But what results can you get from a single stage? New cars get single stage, and yes i know theres orange peel as a result, but they do reflect well. Wernt Mopars painted from the factory in a single stage? While my 36 year old paint doesnt have a glass finish, it has held up well. What are your thoughts?
 

You can get great results from single stage, the drawback is there's somewhat less UV protection. As long as it's not a metallic you can color sand so no big deal if you get OP.
 
You can do a single stage such as DuPont Imron (aircraft style polyurethane) and get an excellent glossy finish with no color sanding at all........

OR, lay on an original acrylic lacquer job, wet sanding between double-wet coats (hard to find though.....and getting harder each day) then buff it out for a true classic look...........

OR, if you have original paint in excellent condition (rare), you can wet sand it and clean it, then "kiss coat" it with the same color lacquer , then clear.....buff to finish.

OR, use one stage acrylic enamel with hardener.......color sand and buff.

Lots of options.
 
Mopar used acrylic enamel. Chevy used lacquer. Ford used enamel. Most were "baked" at the factory.

Great results can be obtained with Acrylic enamel with a hardener in it, abd Polyurethane enamels are even better. All paint is hazardous to your skin and lungs! wear protection...body condom...LOL.

2 stage is really great because if a problem occurs with the base color, you can sand/remove the problem before the clear goes on and it dries faster, getting less dust problems. The clear can be put on and a couple more coats added, if you want to wetsand to a smooth finish.

Just my thoughts and opinions...not always the right ones ; )
 
My car was painted with Dupont Chroma base/clear. Since it was painted in 2000 I have had to do some rust repair and I still had a quart of Dupont Chroma One single stage. I figured that I would use that and celar over it to feather in the paint. After spraying the single stage I saw no need to put clear over it. You can not tell where the base/clear is from the single stage.

If you look at the top of the wheel well down behind the rear wheel well and below the feature line on the front fender behind the wheel well those areas are single stage the rest is base/clear.

NewTires007-1.jpg


You likely couldn't get away with doing this with a metallic paint but certainly with a bright solid color it was no issue.
 
My car was painted with Dupont Chroma base/clear. Since it was painted in 2000 I have had to do some rust repair and I still had a quart of Dupont Chroma One single stage. I figured that I would use that and celar over it to feather in the paint. After spraying the single stage I saw no need to put clear over it. You can not tell where the base/clear is from the single stage.

If you look at the top of the wheel well down behind the rear wheel well and below the feature line on the front fender behind the wheel well those areas are single stage the rest is base/clear.

NewTires007-1.jpg


You likely couldn't get away with doing this with a metallic paint but certainly with a bright solid color it was no issue.

Like Sublime? Is that your color?
 
I painted this with acrylic enamel, urethane would be better (harder/more durable)


JP07.jpg
 
If you are doing a solid color single stage is a good way to go. Alot of your black high end cars are single stage. I work for a PPG jobber, we have a really nice single stage urethane, "Delfleet Essential" that is very easy to apply, good coverage, even yellows and greens, and affordably priced.
A sprayable gallon of black sells for $80+tax.... Can't buy a gallon of cheap acrylic enamel for that!!!!!!! It is available in metallics, but I would go base/clears for that... Either system can be wetsanded and buffed to a show car finish..

Bob


Bob
 
You can do a single stage such as DuPont Imron (aircraft style polyurethane) and get an excellent glossy finish with no color sanding at all........

OR, lay on an original acrylic lacquer job, wet sanding between double-wet coats (hard to find though.....and getting harder each day) then buff it out for a true classic look...........

OR, if you have original paint in excellent condition (rare), you can wet sand it and clean it, then "kiss coat" it with the same color lacquer , then clear.....buff to finish.

OR, use one stage acrylic enamel with hardener.......color sand and buff.

Lots of options.
Good suggestions, though ma Mopar never used lacquer
 
Ok, i know that a two stage paint looks the best, or you can get a more "show" quality from it.
Thread back from the dead.

But says who? You been readin too many forums and magazines. There's only a couple reasons for base coat clear coat. First, as with everything else, it's easier to get a good finish. In other words, a well trained chimp can spray it. Secondly, it's easier to make corrections and repairs. You can buff trash and bugs out of base coat clear coat, where single stage is more difficult. What it boils down to is single stage takes some actual skill and know how. Base coat clear coat does too, of course, but on a much smaller scale. You have to have experience and know what you're doing to get good results with single stage, but their finish can be just at good or better. Lacquers are single stage. Old school lacquer jobs can look so much deeper than base coat clear coat it's pathetic. All you have to do is look at the auto industry to see why bc cc was created. To speed up the building process.
 
Seventeen years... And somehow "It's Back!!!!!"

Since someone else dug it up... Here's a single stage paint job... Pretty decent depth... Car has been done for thirty years now & still looks good...

2.jpg
 
I have an 83 D250 in paint jail that's getting painted the dark forest green that was factory in the early 80s and since it's a truck that will be used daily in non salt season when done I suggested single stage and the paint shop said they only do base coat/ clear coat. So that's what it will be. The green in using does have metallic in it
 
I have an 83 D250 in paint jail that's getting painted the dark forest green that was factory in the early 80s and since it's a truck that will be used daily in non salt season when done I suggested single stage and the paint shop said they only do base coat/ clear coat. So that's what it will be. The green in using does have metallic in it
We WILL need pics, you know?


Was gonna post "Holy thread revival Batman", but I see that's been handled.
 
Ok that finally works so here's a few more pictures of the body headed for blast.

IMG_20250822_061809328_HDR.jpg


IMG_20250822_061749056_HDR.jpg


IMG_20250822_061800901.jpg
 
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Looking for "after blast" pix, can't find, I think those were in a text, not sure how to post from that file
 
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