7 replies to this topic

[Shooter63]

Do any of you guys know what type of paint the factory would have used back in the day (60's). Today when you see a restored or freshly finished car they seem to be too shiny if you know what I mean, I just seem to remember new cars being shiny yes but not bling shiny. Or it could be a touch of brain fade.

Shooter

[Ethel]

Wasn't it all cellulose? I hadn't even heard of anything else until the 80s.

[imack]

I'd imagine it was probably cellulose with basically a finish straight from the gun.
Everyone seems to either wet and flat the paint now before polishing or just machine polish the hell out of it.
Cars originally left the factory with a pretty heavy orange peel, which seems to be considered undesirable these days.
Even cellulose will polish up to a mirror finish if you flat the orange peel out of it. Modern paint jobs look nice, but the fit and finish is way beyond factory standards.

[weef]

Cellulose paint was used to refinish cars in the 1960's and some factory finishes were less than desireable, as said above the "orange peel" look was regarded as being acceptable on mass produced vehicles.

This paint is still available and is less honourous to use against the modern day 2K products, but health and safety still has to be addressed when spraying. 

It is a very different spraying technique than used with 2K, the finish is an "out of the gun". no polishing after the last coat.

The last coat was generally an 80/20 split thinners to paint so you had to work quick but the shine is superb.

It had to be left for about a couple of weeks to cure before you even went near it with a polishing, and then only gently.

Even after a few years you still get paint on the cloths when polishing, its the way it is.

I think there is nothing nicer than being able to "look in" to the paint , a trait of cellulose, something I think the 2K finish does not give.

In my mind 2K has an artificial shine compared to cellulose and does not look right on a classic.

Yes the 2K is a more robust product compared to cellulose and probably easier to look after, but it has it's place and I don't think its on a classic.

[Shooter63]

Cellulose paint was used to refinish cars in the 1960's and some factory finishes were less than desireable, as said above the "orange peel" look was regarded as being acceptable on mass produced vehicles.
This paint is still available and is less honourous to use against the modern day 2K products, but health and safety still has to be addressed when spraying. 
It is a very different spraying technique than used with 2K, the finish is an "out of the gun". no polishing after the last coat.
The last coat was generally an 80/20 split thinners to paint so you had to work quick but the shine is superb.
It had to be left for about a couple of weeks to cure before you even went near it with a polishing, and then only gently.
Even after a few years you still get paint on the cloths when polishing, its the way it is.
I think there is nothing nicer than being able to "look in" to the paint , a trait of cellulose, something I think the 2K finish does not give.
In my mind 2K has an artificial shine compared to cellulose and does not look right on a classic.
Yes the 2K is a more robust product compared to cellulose and probably easier to look after, but it has it's place and I don't think its on a classic.

Thanks for the info, and your description is 1000% better then I could have ever come up with.

Shooter

[mab01uk]

British Leyland cars were known for sometimes having an excessive 'orange peel' paint finish back in the day. Some people refer to the modern smooth shiny 2K finish when applied to a classic car as making it look like it has been 'plastic coated'. However as said 2K is a more robust product compared to cellulose and easier to look after and maintains its shine with far less need to polish, etc. I'm not sure the latest water based paints are as resistant to things like bird droppings though?

Edited by mab01uk, 11 August 2024 - 07:05 PM.

[68+86auto]

Even modern cars have orange peel. Part of the challenge when repairing them is to match the factory orange peel.

[slidehammer]

In my opinion, unless you are after a show car that is period correct, I wouldn't waste my time with cellulose paint. Also it is harder to get and use than modern paints. I would go for a modern 2K finish, it need much less looking after and is more forgiving than cellulose to work with.