2 clear coat or not 2 clear coat

[stophos]

That is the question. 69t, ready for paint. Body shop is recommending Glasurit paint which was used originally and clear coat. I believe original paint was single stage Glasurit. If I take their recommendation will it affect the value of this 911 and if so how much? Any other reason not to clear coat?

Thanks- Chris

[DynoDave]

Is the color a solid or a metallic? If a metallic, you will want to clear coat for sure. If you don't, the metallic particles that are at the top surface of your paint job will oxidize and break down over time. You will not be able to colorsand and/or buff a single stage metallic paint job without destroying the finish coat because you will buff through the top layer of paint that was "misted" on by the painter in order to provide a uniform and even metallic final finish.

Also, you may want to check with your shop regarding the warranty they (& their Glasurit jobber) will give you on a single stage paint job. This may or may not be important to you. We use Sikkens & PPG paint at our shop. Our paint jobbers will not warrant a single stage paint job, hence we don't extend a warranty on any of the single stage solid colors that we spray.

Dave

[adam912]

I've had just about everything on my car in the 35 years I've owned my '66. I like clear coat because it seems to be a lot easier to take care of and keep looking decent. When it's polished, it looks deep and really brings out the color. When it''s not been polished in a while, it still looks good.

That said, there is something about original not-clear-coated paint that just looks so great when it's freshly waxed. My Mom's '58, bought new, had the most beautiful depth to it after I was done spending a Saturday waxing it. Even when I was 10 years old I could appreciate the quality. OTOH, it got oxidized and looked pretty crappy if not kept after.

I know that was not really helpful, but it's your choice. Don't base it on some mysterious "value". What do you want to live with?

cheers
Adam912.Out.

[stophos]

I believe that the original paint is non-metallic, The color is Coffee Brown, Porsche code 80342.
I do appreciate the ease of taking care of a clear coated paint but don't want to base the decision on that. I've seen some 911's clear coated that I think are just too much of a mirror finish. I came to the conclusion before posting that I won't know how this color clear coated will look until it is done. With the shop recommending to clear coat I figured to go that way if it does not change the value significantly. The plan with this project was to keep it original as possible with the exception of possibly adding S trim. (Another decision I find myself second guessing.)
If I do decide on single stage I will be sure to check on the shops warranty.
Thanks for the responses. Keep em coming.

-Chris

[jaudette3]

I have restored a number of cars and have always used clear coat. A friend of mine just restored a '64 356C and used single stage paint in the original color of red. To me, there is no comparison -- the single stage paint looks much more authentic. As has been said, it's a bit more work, but you're probably going to fussing over your car all of the time anyway.

Most body shops will strongly recommend clear coat as that's what they are used to using, plus it's much more forgiving to apply.

I'm going to use single stage from now on for non-metallic colors.

John

[boxster03]

When you are panel matching and blending you cannot use a single stage paint (well).

The advantage of 2-stage is that when you have collision repair. The clear coat is removed or sanded down from the damaged panel. The repair is made, the color is sprayed over the repair, and then blended into the surrounding area. Perfect match of color is not necessary because of the blending. Then the clearcoat is shot over the whole panel. This way the two adjoining panels match because clear matches clear.

[Netrom]

Is coffe brown darker then sepia brown? Any pictures?