Paint question

Do you use single stage or base/clear when painting the engine compartment, inside of the trunk and interior of the car? Thanks in advance!

I understand that a lot of painters use single stage paint in those areas. That is assuming that you can get the single stage in the correct color.

Why do those areas different than the rest of the car?

Had my 70 Charger done with single stage in trunk, interior floor and underside. All the rest is base clear. I am very happy with it.

personally I like BC/CC on a vehicle, the idea of painting a vehicle with SS in the jambs/trunk/engine compartment, then BC/CC on the main body is just asinine IMHO, and looks like $h!t to top it off, paint the vehicle in ONE type of paint desired, and as a whole unit, not piece by piece either (another asinine process)

Thanks for the input!

Some of this depends on what you're doing: dealing with one area, driver vs. show vs. OEM, doing the whole car completely stripped down, budget...
I've done it all 3 ways depending on the car.
BC/CC stands up better to chemicals, bird crap, etc, easier to purchase in some systems, one formula does it all. Also easier to fix scuffs, but harder to fix chips/scratches.
The factory used SS, as we know, and there's almost always a difference in appearance ("depth") between SS and BC/CC. Texture isn't a big issue to duplicate.
Difference in appearance doing half/half is more noticeable to me with metallics than doing all the same, but the average non-car person will likely not notice.
It's easier to get the metallics right with BC/CC than with SS.
If you go with SS, by all means use a catalyzed product.

Sounds backwards, but if I were doing a rare high $$$ resto I would request single stage everywhere and let the minor flaws and orange peel stay.

The contemporary base-clear paint jobs that are glass smooth are not even close to what production cars looked like when new. They do make the factory oem paint jobs look like crap, (because they were crap done by guys in a hurry).

If you want to knock people's socks off with a perfect paint job at a local car show & cruise then the base/clear system is the way to go.

I used to do single stage as it was easier. I then started doing single stage urethane, straight ss for 1st coat, then mixed 50/50 with clear on second coat, then coat of just clear... but that was when everyone wanted the underside painted. Now I just use base/clear. Single stage just doesn't look as good in the end.

It was my first time painting and I went ahead and painted my bay and jambs in single stage a few years back. The car was just a bare shell at that point. Since then I've been able to install motor and things into bay. I have a solid color. If I had the money and skills back then I would have just done the whole shell in base/clear and be done with it.

This isn't going to be a show car. When I get around to finishing off the exterior I'm going to do base/clear just for ease of maintenance. I'll find out how it turns out? I'm thinking of trying out that 3M transition tape in order to avoid tape lines.

I used the foam tape, but make sure you tape it down on the inner edge as it doesn't always stick like it should.

If budget is an issue, you could always use a cheaper clear in the areas that won't see the sun... Just an idea..

Jeff

Thanks for all the feedback. Looks like bc/cc all the way around

Base / clear often alters the original paint color & hue.

Hemi Orange looks a lot more like Go Mango as just one example.

I did single stage on the inside of the engine compartment because it cost me $2700 just for the paint and BC/CC would have been another 400 more...

LOL - that's the truth

My brother and I both had cars painted at the same time at the same place. Both cars are EV2. My car is painted in SS, his in BC/CC.

He calls me up and tells me my car is too red. I freaked out. Went down there and looked at it. I went back home and compared it to some SS I bought back in 1990.

My car looks spot on, his is way to light.

Seeing that BC/CC has been the "norm" in the industry the last few decades, the manufacturers have decided over the years to curtail the alternatives or ALTs that were available on paint formulation, so as to simplify paint formulation and mix formulas esp with the event of computer mix programs, this resulted in many mix formulas being "averaged out", basically a "close match" if you will on one formula mix,... back in the day when mixing was done with written formulas and or color keys, some formulas could have upward of 5 different ALT's in order to achieve a correct color match, whether it was to match factory paint or repair blend of the current color on the vehicle...

A correct color match can be achieved in BC/CC if you are a mixer, or have a mixer that can work with you to achieve the proper color you desire, but many factors can still influence the final result no matter how correct the finish paint color mix is, simply using a dark or light primer/sealer base/alternate shade value can effect the outcome as well as coverage, paint application technique, etc, etc, etc...

Yup. The color you see is made up of different "toners" (think of them as base colors), mixed in at various small amounts to pull the final color in one direction or another.
My '68 Road Runner W1 white had small amounts of black & ochre in it, for example; I think there were 5 toners in all to make that color.
Older blues tend to be greener than contemporary blues, which tend to be redder.
My best painters understood the "color wheel" and primary colors, and had an eye for moving say a blue toward the green or red part of the spectrum. One guy in particular was a genius at it, with an excellent "eye", and always kept spray-out cards he'd make to save him time on matching colors.

What brand of paint do you recommend?

We got the best bang-for-buck, best color library, and best coverage (less color needed to achieve final result) with Standox. I've also used DuPont & Nason, which were also from the same parent company, PPG, Sikkens and a couple of the "budget" brands. Spies-Hecker had their fans as well.
You do get what you pay for in most respects. My Standox cars are going on 30 years and the paint looks as good as ever. My truck with Nason on it is going on 9 years, still looks the same.
All were 2-part BC/CC jobs, using the recommended system (primer, sealer, etc). Also did a Nason base with a DuPont clear that came out nice & has held up fine.

The problem with BC/CC is you can't "fog" the paint to get the 100% correct appearance on the bottom side of the car. Same problem in the trunk. If try fogging the clear coat your going to get "white dust" under the package tray and tops of the wheel tubs. If I was restoring a car that was a solid color (non-metallic) I would definitely spray it with a catalyzed single stage.
I get a big chuckle every time I see pics of a "restored" car with the entire belly side painted just like the exterior. Then they add inspection marks and paint dabs... WHY... it's already painted entirely incorrect!!

You can mix the base with clear and basically make it work just like a single stage urethane,

I tried that once and it was very "milky" (transparent coats), I didn't care for it. I don't recall if I did a 50/50 mix or not. Maybe a 70/30 mix is what works better