I’m planning on painting my car this summer and I’m debating between single stage and base coat/clear coat. It’s an 83 so its originally single stage. This is my restoration project so authenticity is important, however it will be a weekend driver and I want it to last. From what I’ve read bc/cc is better in just about every way but I don’t think it looks right on my car, but most the early thirdgens I see have faded old paint.

I‘ve already deviated from originality on the suspension, I have powder coated the rear end and control arms black because they came from the factory unpainted and are prone to rust. I want this car to last.

When looking at the two side by side is there a big difference? Would the decals on the bc/cc seem to float since they are on the clear and not the color coat?

 

I've seen some really good single stage paint jobs but they took a longggg way to get there. Personally i'd go with base coat/clear coat with anything that i have that is worth painting. It's a lot tougher, and the finish is usually much much better.

 

base coat clear coat will look deeper and hold up better

 

BC/CC will hold up better and shine better and deeper, I've done both base/clear and single stage paint jobs and I just like base/clear much better all around.