Does anyone have any experience or opinions on clear coating? I've seen a couple of very nice examples, but one local collector advises against because of UV issues...??? Anyway, to be specific of what I'm referring to, this is a local (to Seattle) outfit: https://www.facebook.com/restechusa. no affiliation; just one of the places I am considering. I've still got the original paint, and it's in pretty good condition. I'd like to keep it that way as long as I can. Any thoughts?
What kind of UV-issues? It's today's standard procedure and I can see absolutely no problems. My clear cloated repaint is now 15 years old and still shines as new. O.k., I'm not anal about cleaning, polishing and such things. But after a thorough cleaning, the paint is still perfect. And clear coat makes removal of slight scratches or similar much easier. Especially on metallic paints. Though it's not original. But an original repaint on your 70s car is impossible anyway. Because noone today paints with TPA. Thermoplastic acrylics is, what Ferrari used up till the injected 308. And also means bare metal job. Best Regards from Germany Martin
I had my car clear coated about a month after picking her up from the dealer. That was over 35 years ago, and the paint still looks as good as the day I first got her.
I used to have a Lotus Excel which was red and turned pink when UV bleached the paint. Nothing could be done about it because it was clear coated. If it had not been clear coated it would have been possible to compound it and get back to red. I sold the car because the only way to get it back to red would have been a complete respray. The car was not garaged and I suspect that if it had been, it would not have got enough UV exposure to cause this though.
While I am not a paint engineer, it was always my understanding a bc/cc is superior to ss with respect to UV protection, though you could achieve the same with ss by applying a coat of clear urethane. 95%+ new cars are manufactured with bc/cc. I would think if your lotus changed colour to pink it was a faulty application or only bc was applied and the cc missed, or you had ss and it needed to be buffed to take the oxidized layer off.
My opinion is that if a car has single stage paint it should stay that way. It's jarring to see a classic car painted like a new Lexus -- i.e., too deep/perfect. My 308 was resprayed in single stage (before I bought it), and my 356 Speedster was redone in single stage enamel as original. I'm sure the clear layer provides extra UV protection, but how often/long is the car parked outdoors anyway?
I used to park the car in the front drive and the side of the car which was exposed to sun turned pink. The other side didnt. It was a gradual process which happened over 5 years or so. The paint was original factory and was impossible to buff owing to the clear coat which was definitely present. Red pigment is particularly susceptible to UV fading. I would only use clear coat on a red car if the car is going to be garaged and then there wont be a UV problem. Most Ferraris would be garaged so maybe not an issue. I now own a white Lotus which is about to be resprayed and this will have clear coat as white wont be a fade risk.
Thanks to all for your input. I decided against clear coating over existing paint for now. I'd be locking in any imperfections and making it impossible to rub out any UV bleaching - not that it spends much time parked in the sun; but considering a respray done right will cost up to $15 K, I'm just going to take better care of what I've got now and address the respray when it really needs it. Thanks again!
