Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Paint Systems

My paint experience is still in the dark ages with cellulose, but with a repaint looming on my restoration job I would welcome comments on some modern paints and systems regarding their durability, etc.
Since the car already has red upholstery and a blue hood I have been trawling the silvery, bluey metallic pallettes on luxury cars such as RRs, Ferraris and Astons but what do I know of these systems - nil!
The paintshop warned me that some of these paints can be complex to apply and expensive to buy but since I haven't chosen anything I am still in the dark on what is best. This is a job I won't be tackling - was cellulose really that bad?

simon

Where are you located? There is a very good and renowned Morgan body and paint specialist but no good if your not in the UK

Thanks SJ

I'm in Norfolk - north of Norwich. The car will be a trailer job in and out as the wings will be held on with minimal fixings and all other brightwork, trim, etc stripped off.

In fact I have had a local paint guy recommended to me who is willing to handle a bare metal wings off/on paint job for £2.8k to £3.2k incl. which seems a good quote against up to £4k+vat for a Malvern job. Difficult one to call as I don't like letting the car out of my sight for more than a few days (in case a bodyshop goes t.ts up or burns down with my car in it) and some classic restorers can take weeks.
I could handle a cellulose job myself but sprayers I've spoken to advise me to use a more modern system as these are superior (?)and the car warrants a decent durable finish.

simon

Your advisors are 100%correct about modern refinishing materials. I was going to recommend Tudor Motors in Market Drayton, I have been in the motor trade all my working life and am still staggered by the care and workmanship there. I had a £750 quote to repair a lifted clear oat issue on one wing and some micro bubbling on another as the car is a Mica paint (expensive and difficult). Tudor Motors did the job for a shade over £200 inclusive of VAT and a perfect colour match. I am just a customer with no connection but very, very impressed.

...and Kevin makes up stainless brake hoses...

Thanks, learning fast - just looked up Mica v Metallic, very interesting. I have seen a mica effect on a Mog but didn't know what it was at the time, only that there was a mother-of-pearl effect with the light. Needless to say the colour was from a Lambourgini not a Mondeo.

sr

Simon

To my understanding your looking for advise on actual Products and their application rather than the Applicator (Painter), unfortunately if you choose to use an independent Painter rather than the Factory you will have to ask the question what product Brand and quality do they intend to use on your vehicle.

There are 3 known Pigment Manufacturers in the world who sell to Paint Manufacturers, it is at this stage the (watering down process) begins, also the Paint Manufacturers market their products in different ways.........as an example a well known Paint Company sells the same product in three different branded cans, it is sold as follows

a) To "C" + "D" grade Trade, take it and do as you please (£20 per 1ltr)
b) To Respectable independent Shop Distributors (£40 per ltr)
c) To Approved "A" accident repair body shops that are tied to insurance provision work. (£60) per ltr

All the same product.

As for the Product spec, use 2K application, cellulose is old hat, only someone who is not confident in using modern day 2K products would want to use Cellulose, a long and painfull process which will require constant polishing once completed as the UV protection is poor compared to the modern day systems.

As for expensive RR or Lamborghini colours, these are usually high in price at first Manufacture, once demand is obtained and volume quantities rise, the prices do fall. RR colours are not anything special, they are just perceived to be to the potential RR purchaser.

High pricing for special effect is generally down to the additives mixed into the resins, for instance Tropical Fish are scraped for their colours, this is where you see "mother of Pearl, or what's commonly known as "TWIST COLOURS" see ASBOS Aero, Bees are bred in various out back Countries such like Venezuela, their bodies are crushed to make paint isolator, preventing paint reaction on application.

this is where the costs derive from, not how good the Painter is, therefore I strongly advise you to question not whose painting your car, but what products are been applied to your car.

Thanks, that is just the sort of inside knowledge I have been looking for. Glasurit seems to be a product name often mentioned but any other suggestions appreciated.
Somehow, today's expensive cars seem to carry more exotic paint names, a bit like Farrow & Ball of the domestic paint market ie Elephant's Breath, Mouse's Back, etc instead of Wickes grey probably all from the same maker but with an expensive twist. More often than not when one queries a Morgan colour the answer is Ferrari this or RR that, never Ford silver. However, when it comes down to the sharp end, all they are is just another paint code on a list.
The painter I have been working with runs a small paintshop with a Mazda agency approval - primarily crash repairs but likes a classic when the chance arises. I would guess that many classic restorers restore but don't actually paint and have their own tame paint shops up the road, problem is sniffing them out and I understand preparing/painting aluminium isn't as straightforward as it seems.

Still doing "The Knowledge" if you've ever lived in the Smoke.

Simon

Scraped tropical fish and crushed bees?

I think I had that in a restaurant in Shanghai