my 79 has the original factory paint and is in good shape for the age of it-i'd like to do some touch up and some buffing,polishing or.....is it enamel or...? is there a clearcoat on it(doesn't look like it)-any restoration tips for my original paint would be GREATLY appreciated as I cant afford a paint job right now or maybe ever thanx guys

 

I'm not positive but I don't think Corvette went to basecoat/clearcoat 'til '81s at Bowling Green. One way to tell is to take a white cloth (unless the paint is white, then pick a dark color) and some fine compound like a scratch remover or white rubbing compound and rub a small area and see if the color comes off on the cloth. If it does then it's not a two-stage paint system.

 

If it is still the original paint then it's acrylic lacquer, even if it has had some repair or partly repainted then there is a good chance any of that was done with acrylic lacquer. This type of paint can be hand rubbed or machine polished with good results if you don't have deep cracks in the paint. Be careful if using a machine to polish because you can cut through the paint quickly.

 

Thank you so much for your advice!

 

I thank you for your reply!Can a car be repainted in acrylic lacquer nowadays?

C.A.Guyer

 

I don't know if the body shops can use lacquer because of the environmental issues, I think it may depend on what each state law says. 73shark should be able to enlighten us on the subject.

 

Wow, 78buckshot, you know how to put the pressure on a guy. Not a paint expert (or legal) by any stretch of the imagination. But I think you're correct and if you could find a place to shoot lacquer, you probably couldn't afford it even if you could still find it. It probably is still around for those classic restorations that have to be perfect like NCRS and other orgns require.

 

Sorry 73, I didn't mean to overload 'ya with any extra stress, this site should be fun and RELAXING. Anyway, thanks for the info, I haven't done any paint and body work for a few years and I know things have changed quite a bit. I have shot a number of jobs, mostly pickup trucks. I used Ditzler/PPG products allot and was happy with them. Almost everything I shot was acrylic enamel with a catalyst hardener. I only used lacquer on some spot jobs in order to blend them better. I thought someone more up to date would have the skinny on the new products, I've been out of the loop too long.

 

I was kinda' hoping blueshark would pop in here, he's the man with the shop. I haven't seen him on the boards for a while.

 

Turns out it is lacquer and I called meguiars and they recommended #83 dual action cleaner/ polish followed by #7 glaze ,then carnuba wax-Its taking a good amount of time and effort but I can't believe the difference it's making-awesome!I saw an 82 the other day and the clearcoat was pealing in spots -looked like hell-I'm glad I have theOLD stuffThanx again guys for your help