Daydreaming about the my idea of the perfect paint job. Curiosity struck..having bare metal(w/o flaws) and then applying a clear coat? Word is it doesn't stick? Or at least a paint job that appears to have the same visual characteristics and personality of bare metal?

Picturing a 3rdGen lurking through a wall of tire-shredding smoke under a street light on a rainy night with a full moon......'Cold, Intense, and Ominous'


Excuse the soft-core **** like narrative, I'm not a writer, just molested the thesaurus.


Any and all thoughts guys.

 

Just a small visual aid, similar to what I'm talking about.

 

yes it is plausible camaro performers magazine did an article on bare metal rally stripes in one of their issues not sure wich one but do a search on the net for their site and then look up their projects you should be able to find enough to peak your interest you have a cool idea good luck

 

It'd be interesting if someone fabbed stainless body panels and made a SS third gen. Almost a tribute to a DeLorean

 

Clear coat and clear paint are two totaly different things. What would you do about the body filler? There is body filler from the factory where the roof meets the quarters.

 

The filler could be replaced with metal filler and ground smooth, but the bumper covers and ground f/x are a complete different problem.

 

Fab up some stainless bumpers & gfx.

 

My friend was talking to me about this once, lets see if my memory serves me correctly. I believe it was mercedes in the 80's that did this to get around the rules in racing. they were shedding weight on their cars and knew that paint weighed quite a bit , esp on the aluminum panels. They tried to leave them bare but it was later deemed against the rules, so they scuffed the surface and hit it with a few coats of clear. It had to be a finish but they never said anything about the pigment. I believe they said they saved 40 pounds by doing this, and every bit helps.

In responce to this idea, yes you can, but beware these cars arent straight so that could cause a problem. Also you cant make the metal to polished, or the clear wont stick due too the surface being smooth+

 

I remember watching an episode of overhauling where Mr. Foose made some stripes look like brushed metal by scuffing fresh silver paint with a scotch bright before shooting it with a coat of clear.

 

Ah ha.... That triggered a memory. The USAF used to do something similar in the late '40s & early '50s. The first jet fighters were way under powered, and adding paint reduced their top speed by around 100 mph. Most of that was drag, but I'm sure weight was a factor too. I think they solved it by just leaving it bare metal. Isn't there a stainless steel protectant that is clear, but not clear coat....?

 

even with the right prep work it still could turn yellow after time

 

Its possible, heres a picture of a hood someone did at a state competition for SKills USA.

this hood had so much work into it it was beautiful, and it was painted by a 17 year old kid.
Underneath where you see silver is where alot of bondo had been applied

 

yeah then see if you can fit in a flux capasitor.

 

there is always room for a flux capacitor :P

 

^It goes behind the seats.

 

There were some Screamin Eagle edition Harley Davidson motorcycles a few years back that had bare metal stripes like that hood pictured above. It looked cool, but any stone chip or anything and you'll have a rust spot in a matter of minutes.

 

I've had some very crazy ideas of what would make a Third Gen look good, but even I wouldn't dream of this. I love the idea, but it would be nearly impossible to pull it off.

You're talking covering the whole car in what is basically aluminum siding. Steel is too picky of a metal when it comes to buffing scratches out. That would be extremely labor intensive. 1-2 hours just to perfectly grind, progressively sand with finer and finer grits, and finally buff probably just one square foot. Otherwise, it would look like absolute crap when you laid down clear, or this clear paint that was mentioned.

The only way I see it being feasible is to basically mold sheets of aluminum to the body. Even that would be extremely labor intensive, even if you're experienced on an English Wheel.

I've seen a few cars like this.

Random aluminum bodied race car.



Bugatti Veyron "Pur Sang".



And of course.. I do not need to name this one.



The Delorean is the only one that would be close to looking nice up close. The Veyron and that random race car probably look like someone took 500 grit sandpaper to them.

 

This car has been posted here, but it will give you a good idea of what you are wanting to do. Unless you can fab some metal bumpers, then you would be better off just painting it silver.
http://www.radrides.com/proj.htm Check out the camaro poject.

 

It can be done. I've done it. The trick is to make sure you use a completely clear(read: non yellow) clear, otherwise it'll tint the metal an amber color with each pass. You can verify that by taking the lid off the clear and peering into the can, if it's clear to the bottom, it'll be fine. Oh, and don't expect it to last very long.

 

...this is exactly what I was talking about..

Personally I think it'd look great on a Thirdgen..

 

Isn't that stainless? that was also already posted a couple posts up from your's :P

 

Guys take it from a delorean owner...Bare metal gets old really fast.
There have been many times when I have regretted stripping the paint off of my car because it just isn't as amazing as it would seem. The novelty wears off really fast... still haven't gotten tired of the gullwings though

 

There is a guy in England who got all excited and bought a 'chromed' Mini. It looks amazing, but he just found out he can't insure the damn thing because it dings and scratches up so easy! And I imagine the cops would pull him over all the time because of the sun reflecting off it and blinding other drivers... although not in England come to think of it- NO SUN!

 

Clear coat is designed to stick to and protect paint not metal. Paint is designed to stick to primer. Primer is the big dog designed not only to stick to metal,but to protect it from rusting. Primer is the most important one,paint and clear just make it look good.Clear paint would also need clear coat. I just cleared an aluminum center section for my 9",my LS1 brake calipers and an enderlie intake for a hemi. I had to use a special clear for bare aluminum. I first washed the parts with etching wheel cleaner,its a very mild acid,then i treated the parts with a special solution that turns the oxidation into like a primer. Now its time for the clear coat,turned out great but the parts arent yet installed so i dont know how durable it is.Talk to a good paint distibuter there may be special products for bare steel.