My local paint supply store was able to match the color (GM DDL3539) deep royal blue firemist. I touched up some chips, scratches and repainted the fillers. Perfect match. The problem through is that there is a lot of checking in the paint on the roof and the trunk. A body shop told me that the paint was lacquer and that the whole car must be repainted at a cost of 4 to 5k, no bodywork required. A friend told me that I could lightly scuff the pain and shoot a couple of coats of lacquer on it. Maybe just clean and apply a clear coat. I can clean and wax but after a month the checking reappears as chalky. When I was a teen I read a book about the great auto customizers of the day. I seam to remember Lacquer was king, you could keep applying coat after coat and achieve a deep luster. I really think 5 grand is a little steep but I understand the shops want the money. Other than the checking the car is flawless with only 45K mi. showing. Any advice is most welcome.
How do I restore the finish on my 83 Eldorado?
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
I'd get another opinion on whether the paint is lacquer, perhaps from the dealer. Doesn't your car have a basecoat/clearcoat system for your paint?
If all you want is a scuffing and then lay down another coat or two of clear, that shouldn't cost anywhere near $5K!
The better part of $2K is more realistic, especially if there is no bodywork involved. You might even be able to whittle that down further if you're prepared to tape off all the brightwork and glass panels prior to delivering the car to the paint booth.
If all you want is a scuffing and then lay down another coat or two of clear, that shouldn't cost anywhere near $5K!
The better part of $2K is more realistic, especially if there is no bodywork involved. You might even be able to whittle that down further if you're prepared to tape off all the brightwork and glass panels prior to delivering the car to the paint booth.
I spoke with the manager of my local Caddy dealer body shop and he told me that the 83 Eldorado used a single stage lacquer for the firemist option. Therefore no basecoat/clearcoat. The reason the repaint cost was so high was because they would have to strip to metal and repaint the car using a basecoat/clearcoat system. A lot of shops won’t spray lacquer. The car is low mileage and is old enough to be listed classic. I want to preserve the original paint not strip it off and replace it. If possible I’ll attempt the job my self. I’ve sprayed some enamel on a couple of rigs but never any lacquer. :shhh:
Back in the Dark Ages a multicoat lacquer job was king. Just as in any paint or wood work, the prep is the key to a good final finish - and prep is labor. I did a 53 MG - disassembled it - with 4 hand-rubbed coats of DuPont Deep Black covered with 2 coats of clear - all lacquer - and stayed high for a week. (No such thing as a fresh air respirator......) Stunningly beautiful.
Point ?? A good lacquer job is few and far between these days, both due to the labor involved, the dying technique of shooting the stuff, and the EPA demanding low-VOC and waterbased production paints.
You can do it, but practice, use the best gun you can afford, and PREP.
If you use a shop, do as much chrome removal and masking as you can - that's all costly labor.
Put NOTHING on the paint for 6 months, especially not bird crap: that will eat a hole in lacquer.
Point ?? A good lacquer job is few and far between these days, both due to the labor involved, the dying technique of shooting the stuff, and the EPA demanding low-VOC and waterbased production paints.
You can do it, but practice, use the best gun you can afford, and PREP.
If you use a shop, do as much chrome removal and masking as you can - that's all costly labor.
Put NOTHING on the paint for 6 months, especially not bird crap: that will eat a hole in lacquer.
Thanks for the tips submariner409. :thumbsup:The car looks fantastic at 10 ft. At 5 ft you can see my chip touchup. You cant see the checking when wet or when freshly cleaned and waxed. But after approx. 2 wks the wax that gets into the fine cracks turns milky white. The car is always garaged and I only drive it in really nice weather. As a collectable Auto, original will always trump restored in value. With that said, I would very much want to keep the original paint.
The questions are…
1. What would I need to do to prep the surface to receive just a topcoat of lacquer?
2. Will the new Acrylic Lacquers work as topcoat over the original GM lacquer.
Like I’ve said I’m willing to shoot it myself. The last car I painted was a 71 custom VW Beetle. It was single stage enamel and I used a wet look hardener additive to GM Bahamas Blue Metallic. The car placed second for best paint in a field of 100 cars at a local show.:cool2: I did all the work myself in my garage/shop homemade paint booth.
Lacquer on the other hand I realize will require a somewhat different approach as well as materials.:hmm:
It’s only the hood, roof and trunk that are at issue. I was thinking from the pinstripe up.
Any specific advice will be most appreciated.
The questions are…
1. What would I need to do to prep the surface to receive just a topcoat of lacquer?
2. Will the new Acrylic Lacquers work as topcoat over the original GM lacquer.
Like I’ve said I’m willing to shoot it myself. The last car I painted was a 71 custom VW Beetle. It was single stage enamel and I used a wet look hardener additive to GM Bahamas Blue Metallic. The car placed second for best paint in a field of 100 cars at a local show.:cool2: I did all the work myself in my garage/shop homemade paint booth.
Lacquer on the other hand I realize will require a somewhat different approach as well as materials.:hmm:
It’s only the hood, roof and trunk that are at issue. I was thinking from the pinstripe up.
Any specific advice will be most appreciated.
1991 Cadillac Brougham D'Elegance 5.7 Litre, 1994 DeVille
Joined
·
6,796 Posts
It shouldn't have to be stripped down to bare metal unless there is something wrong with the paint. You can forget about the original paint thing because even if you don't strip it off you're still painting over it so it won't mean anything anymore anyway.
Get a Micro Mesh kit they're like 18 bucks but they go from 2400 all the way up to 12000 grit, you can get that car smooth as a baby's backside with little risk of damaging your paint job.as for cleaning i would use a wax and grease remover. heres a few links to help you out.post some pics.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-UP404/?image=large
http://www.micromark.com/MICRO-MESH-FINISHING-KIT,7601.html
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!