straightbuchana

Hey every one!

My 82 T/A is still being restored (heck, I'm just trying to get it running at this point). Because of a spiteful ex husband, my car has to get a new paint job...after I just painted it a less than 6 months before he destroyed it, lol. Well, I had used flat clear since there were a lot of body issues (people can't drive in snow in GA, apparently). I just wanted to "hide" those issues before I can maybe one day get it situated, just not that big of a deal. Now, I had some one paint it before - I just sanded it down and sent the car on it's way with primer, paint and clear.
Is flat clear any harder to spray than regular? I'll be trying to paint it myself this go away possibly. And I had an extremely hard time keeping it clean - it was literally the worst. It's been 2 years since the car has been on the road but I still remember running around the car while washing it, trying to get it dry before water spots formed. Any tips on washing/maintaining it (since it can't be waxed)?
As soon as the car is running, I'll be getting new weatherstrip seals then work on paint. Also, any specific brands I should go for with the flat?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get as much info as I can before I start working on buying paint. Thanks ya'll!

vinny R

I believe the only thing you can do is Ceramic coat it. They make a flat coating so it won't gloss over the paint. Ceramic coating is not cheap, but if you are hell bent on a flat paint I think it is the only solution. IMHO flat clear coat should only be used on a garage kept show car. As you stated it is a nightmare to keep clean.

PaulyC

Basically you can't touch flat in any normal way you can a gloss. No wet sanding, no polishing, no nib repair so your spray area needs to be clean clean clean because what you spray is permanent. Any effort to fix a run or dust nib will likely stick out like a sore thumb. Depending on your desired results, make sure to get a quality paint (PPG) and get a good gun if you dont have one (Tekna Prolite). Even if you only use it once you can ebay it when you are done and get the majority of you investment back.

A couple links on spraying and care:

http://us.ppgrefinish.com/Training/T...Gloss-Finishes

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/f...-paint-161429/

straightbuchana

I was actually wanting to do it, but it's so pricey- but I'm sure anything will be cheaper than fixing all the body issues my car has, unfortunately. And it definitely is a nightmare - I was washing it almost every day. It was high maintenance and I still got asked by every one, "When are you going to paint that car?"

straightbuchana

Thank you! I'm thinking it may be too much for me to take on from the sounds of it, but I may still give it a go. It's a shame that flat is such a pain the butt just for people to think it's primer! Lol. Thank you for all the info, I'm looking into it now