Type of paint?

[Six_Shooter]

I searched through a number of threads and couldn't find what I was looking for.

I'm curious what type of paint was originally used on the S30s. Base/clear, Acrylic, etc?

[Arne]

Amino Alkyd Enamel. Whatever that is...

[bigoak]

a waterborne alkyd-amino enamel designed for general metal finishing. It provides a hard, tough coating at 2.3 lb/gal VOC without the hazards of flammable solvents.

[Walter Moore]

Water based? In the 1970s? That is different.

No car company in North America switched to water based paint until the EPA forced them to in the 1980's.

[Six_Shooter]

So that is a one step process, I take it?

The reason I ask is because the 240 I'm buying has what looks like flaking clear coat. I've only seen pictures of the car, since it's 3000 miles away from me right now. Just trying to figure out if there was any body work or repaint done at some point, before it gets here.

Walter Moore, do you ave any more pics online of your car? I'm trying to decide on the colour to paint mine. At this point, I have it down to a nice bright red or a lime green similar to yours. I keep "reserving" the lime green for a Lotus Esprit, which I'll probably never own anyway, so I'm thinking about using it on my 240, as long as I think it suits it well, just need to see more pics of a lime green 240.

Do you have videos of your car on YouTube? I can't imagine there being too many lime green 240s, and found some vids the other night that made me think that the green might be a good way to go.

[Six_Shooter]

Walter Moore; I found your gallery. I like the colour of your car.

I hate these decisions, lime green or bright red?

[beandip]

So that is a one step process, I take it?

The reason I ask is because the 240 I'm buying has what looks like flaking clear coat. I've only seen pictures of the car, since it's 3000 miles away from me right now. Just trying to figure out if there was any body work or repaint done at some point, before it gets here.

Shooter Finding a 240 that has never been repainted is extremely rare if the finish is in any sort of acceptable condition. Chances are it has been repainted more than once. What color is the Z now? This alone could tell you right off. Apparently you bought the car sight unseen . Did you have it inspected by a disinterested party before purchase? Or did you just go by pictures and descriptions from the seller? Gary

[Six_Shooter]

So that is a one step process, I take it?

The reason I ask is because the 240 I'm buying has what looks like flaking clear coat. I've only seen pictures of the car, since it's 3000 miles away from me right now. Just trying to figure out if there was any body work or repaint done at some point, before it gets here.

Shooter Finding a 240 that has never been repainted is extremely rare if the finish is in any sort of acceptable condition. Chances are it has been repainted more than once. What color is the Z now? This alone could tell you right off. Apparently you bought the car sight unseen . Did you have it inspected by a disinterested party before purchase? Or did you just go by pictures and descriptions from the seller? Gary

Unfortunatly I don't know anyone in the area of the car, the closest people I know to the car are 11 hours away from it, so no, I don't have anyone else to inspect it. I'm thinking I might fly out there myself in about 2 weeks to look at it in person, the money situation might not allow that though.

The outside colour and behind the panels colour seem to match perfectly. I realized that it would be pretty rare to find one that has not been re-painted, hense the reason for the thread.

[Carl Beck]

I searched through a number of threads and couldn't find what I was looking for.

I'm curious what type of paint was originally used on the S30s. Base/clear, Acrylic, etc?

What was "original" on an S30 depends on what model and year, as well as what color you are asking about.

Most likely the reason Gary ask you what Color the car is.

S30 = 69 though 78 - - 240/260/280Z here in the US.

For the 69/70 Datsun 240-Z's the non metallic colors were Amino Alkyd Enamel, but the Metallic Silver 70-73 was Acrylic Enamel with a clear coat.

Amino Alkyd Enamel = enamel paint comprised of amino resins and alkyd resins - it is thinned with enamel reducers, petroleum reducers. Film hardened by oxidation, after some solvent evaporation. (this was NOT a water based paint).

FWIW,

Carl B.

[Six_Shooter]

The car is a '73, and is brown. Yeah I know, but that's going to change, no way is it staying brown.

So it looks like it was repainted then, must have been a long time ago, because it looks like much of the clear coat has flaked away and not much remains, but the brown paint under it doesn't look to be flaking at all. Just a few small patches of rust, the only one in the usually places is the left dogleg, and that looks to me started from the dent that was formed there, probably from hitting something.

[Arne]

The brown in '73 was also metallic, so it may have been clear-coated as well. I know that the metallic green on my wife's '74 B210 back in the day was factory clear-coat, so I'd bet the '73 brown was too.

[Jeff G 78]

Where is the car located? Just because you don't know anybody in the area doesn't mean that you are SOL. There is always a chance that a member here lives in the area. I'd put out a request for a vehicle inspection and see if you get lucky. I did one inspection where a member was just about to buy a Z sight unseen based on photos and the sellers description. I inspected the car and found lots of problems that didn't show up in photos and let the buyer know what I found. It saved him lots of money and headaches as the car was NOT what he thought it was. I have also bought cars sight unseen and have always found things that were not in the condition promissed. Good luck and assume the car will be worse than described.