Paint, paint, paint! Which to choose?

So I started looking around for some paint to use (B7). Figured I'd go with PPG BUT they only have b7 in Omni and shop line. Well wouldn't you know that everybody talks about how bad they both are. I was told to use the Omni and then use Deltron Clear but I don't know after the bad reviews of the cheaper paint. I figured I would go with PPG because I figured they had the original formula for B7 and closest matching to original color. I even heard Dupont aint that good no more. Any other paints I should consider? Thanks

Do not use Omni.. It has less solids and when sprayed it goes everywhere but on the car..
Bottom of my car is Omni, my painter is still cleaning up the mess in his booth from it....

Any paint store worth 2 cents can supply the same color in the better quality paints. I used Deltron on my charger 22 years ago and it still looks awesome. The cheaper lines are for collision shops that are trying to maximize their profit margin due to being controlled by the insurance companies.
After getting SEVERELY BURNED by a paint counterman's advice years ago, I then chose to go to the local paint rep for whatever brand you choose, I tell him what I am doing, and ask their advice. They normally recommend their more expensive line as I want it to last. if one doubts what they say, check the MFR's compatibility information and you will typically find that the cheaper base coats are not compatible with the more expensive topcoats, Regardless what the 15$ and hour counter man recommends. Contact the local rep, ask his opinion, get his advice, and follow it to the letter, from the bare steel, primers, sealers etc. Unless of course your just Flipping the car to maximize your profit.

BTDT

ppg

Local ppg seller told me the same thing years ago. Only a few 1970 colors are available in base clear, but several more were available in single stage and the Delstar enamel system. Maybe buy a small batch of the paint in another line and then pay them to mix up some base that matches the color? It may take several test spray out cards and trips to the paint store to get there though.

If you have an original part that has B7 on it they can work from that as well.

SPI makes a polyurethane clear that can be applied over other base coats. People who have used it claim it lays down smoother and sands and buffs out easier than the fast drying bodyshop production clears.

Ok. Omni and shop line is made by PPG and so is Deltron. PPG doesn't offer B7 in Deltron so maybe I just call PPG up and ask them what to do???

Standox...

Sprayed it in '93...


Never looked back...

This is Omni Base with PPG clear.

Stan

This is also Omni with PPG clear.

Stan

This is Omni single stage. Coverage was difficult but looked good.

Stan

This is PPG single stage.

Stan

Omni base coat with Omni clear coat.
the paint is 15 years old with 50K miles on it.
it's exactly the same paint you can buy today.

Sprayed this pickup 10 years ago with Omni single stage and mixed clear with it 50/50 on the last coat. Came out beautiful and is still going strong.

You can get any paint to look good...Prep and finish work will determine how good...And if the vehicle is never outside it'll last longer...But there's a reason the cheaper paint is cheaper...
We've shot omni on quite a few vehicles but not on restos worthy of a full teardown...Any good resto shop will never point the customer in the cheaper line's direction...It chips very easily and simply won't stand the test of time exposed to the elements and "normal use"... Not to mention the already stated differences...

Thanks everybody and Stan those cars look good. What do you guys use on rest cars screamindriver?

Autocolorlibrary/TCP global has all the codes and will mix PPG or their house brand in any OE color. I used PPG base/clear on my Challenger and house brand on DD's and a PU. I have been well satisfied.

http://www.autocolorlibrary.com/

I've used Dupont Imron for decades, and am starting to run low. My main concern has been toughness and durability outdoors. It doesn't look too bad for my use. So Friday I drop by local paint supply house, and what I have used in past is long gone, closest product replacement in a Dupont? Urethane, is now approx $434/gal (paint/activator). Ouch.

Man! Ok Even though you can't get b7 in the Deltron TCP global can mix the B7 in the Deltron themselves?

My brother got 2 cheaper line of b7 to test spay on gray primer. Nason and Sherman and they both were a different shade of blue. Ive seen 5 cars with b7 and none of then we're the same color lol???

Been painting for 30 years running my own shop, paint has changed a lot in the last 5 years, have tried many brands and types. Most relevant to good paint job is good prep, cleaning and a good spray gun. Restoring cars full time for last 17 years. Solid colour I spray Nason single stage,4 to 6 coats, Metallic colour Nason base/clear, 2 to 4 base, 3 to 5 clear. Everyone wants something different out off their paint. This Cuda was just done in single stage Nason, looks great, everyone that sees it says base/clear, cut and polished, NO, single stage right out of the gun, not polished. Lost pics of it but sold my 75 Power Wagon last fall, Forest Green single stage done 4 1/2 years outside all the time, never waxed, guy that purchased it thought it had been just painted, these results with with so called cheap paint, it prep and equipment

The Nason we sprayed looked closer to the darker B7 but the Sherman looked more like B5. A guy up the road from me restores cars also and he uses Nason for base but I think he uses a more expensive clear.

I just replaced the rear bumper and repaired the quarter panel on our GMC Envoy. It is a reddish maroon. My part store has a brand called Cromax. He asked me if I wanted the cheaper or more expensive line. I asked what the difference was. He said the more expensive was guaranteed to match. On this vehicle it didn't really matter but it was the best paint I have ever used and it did spot-in perfectly. As in painting and golf sometimes it's not the arrows, it's the indians.

As other posts have mentioned its more in the prep work than anything. Just painting as a hobbyist I have always used Chromobase and Nason products just because thats what I was first introduced to and became comfortable using. Chromobase products got very pricey awhile back so I switched to using Nason and have had very good results with the last couple of cars I painted with it. The one thing I have noticed with Nason paint and primer is that it takes alot more to cover than the with the Chromobase line(some of it may have just been the color I was using), but I like the Nason clearcoats, I didnt notice a whole lot of difference in those. In fact the Nason clear seemed to lay down better than the more expensive ones I have used. Just my 2 cents...

Omni will not cover as well l and you will use significantly more base coat to get good coverage. I use PPG and have painted with Omni. It's usually on something that will be sold quickly, You can get good results with it but it doesn't hold up to the elements very well.

I like Deltron DBC. It is easy to match if you need to make a repair later and covers well. I like the PPG 4000 clear. It lays down nice and polishes out well. As with most things, you will find opinions all over the place. There are other paints that will work well. I have always used PPG so thats what I am comfortable with. Like others have said, the paint is only a small part of the refinishing job.

You can buy the worlds most expensive paint and If your bodywork and prep are poor it will look like crap.

i painted my car base clear in Deltron DBC, its GB7 the 71 color, I have a friend that is a PPG rep and he found the formula for me. he said that he could not find it in any of the computers and only found it in a book and I believe it was under some special vehicle color, I guess since production numbers where low for the color.

Ok guys here is my 2 cents worth on paint. First, I am talking about our babies here. Budget paints have their place on an older commuter car that has seen better days, but not on any full on restoration.

I used to be a painter at a body shop, and have been around body shops and collision repair in some capacity or another as a professional for 30 years. With paint, much like anything else, you get about what you pay for. There is no way that I would spend 4k on a new engine and then put quaker state or bulk oil in it. Same thing with paint. All the work is in the prep. Why cover all that work with a budget line paint? There is a reason they are cheaper- fewer mixing colors mean poorer matches, lower solids mean more coats/time in the booth/ and materials on the car, and metallics are cheaper and not as sharp.

The best products for my money are PPG DBC base coat with PPG Global clear. DBC base system offers the best color match of any out there. True it may not matter when you are painting a car all over, but if you drive it at all it will need work again somewhere down the line. DBC line base covers better, so it means less coats, which means less material and less paint mileage, and less time in the booth (all good). Global clear is their highest level clear and was made to meet OEM specs for high end European imports. Glasurit and Sikkens are similar quality, but do not have the same color match capability and are harder to find.

I have sprayed Chromabase and Centari (dupont), Nason enamel, acrylic enamel, and base clear, Omni (PPG's budget line), Sikkens, Acme Probase, Western, Sherwin Williams (yes they do auto paint) and I can't remember what else. I would take the PPG DBC line and the Global clear over any of them. It will last longer

One exception. If I were painting a truck that was to be used as a truck and not a show car, I would use Dupont Imron 6000 base clear. Imron is what is used by heavy equipment manufacturers on semis, buses, airliners, etc. Something about Imron's chemical compounds makes it harden like no other paint and it has 10 times the scratch resistance of any other automotive paint I have used. You can spray this stuff and forget it. Left outside for 10 years with no care it will still look the same as when it was sprayed, assuming you just washed the car.

This is not meant in any way to offend anyone or come across as a know it all. Every painter has their own methods and preferred products. If you used something else that you are happy with, that is all that matters. Some of the differences in appearance between products would be difficult to discern for most, unless you had two cars side by side. Some other differences would only begin to show a couple of years after the paint job.

We are all car guys. Most of us know someone who works in a body shop. If you can get them to call in your paint order under the shop's name, and have them put it on a cash ticket, you can go pick it up pay cash and usually get a 30% or so discount off of the retail price. This makes high end not much more expensive than the retail price for the budget line stuff.

Hope this helps someone.

I appreciate the help. Wish I could find a rep that could find me a formula for 1970 B7 in the Deltron.

PPG number for b7 blue is 2020. If they don't have a formula for modern basecoat under that number, clonedshaker+6's post above mine say he just painted his and got someone at PPG to get the formula. You might ask him to take a pic of his paint can, as they put the mixing formula on a label on it a lot of times.

The 71 GB7 is darker than the 70 B7.

From what I remember, PPG makes the Deltron 2K paint in the base clear for B3 (2018) and B5 (2019) 1970 color codes - but never for the B7...(2020).

They will make it in single stage and delstar enamel and lacquer.

FWIW, The guy that mixes the PPG paint around here said there is no recipe for B7 (2020) in base/clear because the toners needed for it were not created in the base/clear line...

I've only sprayed PPG deltron 2K
Check Other brands Dupont, Glasurit, Sherwin Williams etc to see if they provide it...

Best of luck to you