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just wondering how long would paint last if it wasn't sprayed with a clearcoat ?? i was looking thru some old mags and seen the project silvia from he march 2002 sportcompactcar. i could care less about shiny paint i just want to raise hell on the tracks.

you dont need clear coat for shine. clear coat is not needed at all. it just protects the paint and helps with a long lasting shine. but if you take care of your paint, wax at least 2X a year. you will never have a problem, and it depends on how good the car was painted. they really didnt start using clear coat alot till the 70's and 80' thats why most of the time when you see a car from that era on the road with origional paint you see that crapy white pealing.

Originally posted by sallyO92mx-3:
just wondering how long would paint last if it wasn't sprayed with a clearcoat ?? i was looking thru some old mags and seen the project silvia from he march 2002 sportcompactcar. i could care less about shiny paint i just want to raise hell on the tracks.

The need for clearcoating depends on the type of paint used under the clearcoat. Nowdays, most paints have at least some metallic flake added for color depth & this is even true of dark colors or "solid" colors where the metallic flake can be seen if the paint is examined closely. Generally, the higher the metallic content, the more that a clearcoat is needed for protection from UV breakdown. Silver and champagne/gold are two of the highest metallic content paints. When a silver paint's clearcoat breaks down, the paint job turns to grey.

It is possible to use acrylic or enamel paints without any (or extremely low) metallic content & these do not necessarily need clearcoating. A good coat of applied wax or polymer type protectant can be used to maintain the gloss & depth & protect the paint. If no clearcoat is used here and wax isn't maintained, over time paint may appear lightly oxidized but can be "brought back" thru waxing and/or buffing because you essentially remove the whitish oxidized surface layer. This restoration is possible because a clearcoat wasn't overlayed. Ask your local autopainting shop & they can tell you the best paint types and colors to use if a clearcoat is not desired.

last post is more smarter post

Originally posted by mitmaks:
last post is more smarter post

I agree

Originally posted by mitmaks:
last post is more smarter post

That was ironic with a touch of hypocrisy. LOL

<small>[ June 09, 2004, 05:24 PM: Message edited by: MX3-Freak ]</small>