Painting in California

[Rich1]

Thanks to Preston and everyone else who send advice on PPG products and color codes.

Any suggestions on how to get good paint in California? My body shop uses PPG Omni, but they can't acquire the other PPG products. Are there any back alley specialty/ DIY shops in southern California that still peddle the 'good stuff'?

[conedodger]

Drive to Nevada

[Rich1]

Yeah, I've heard that one!

Another thought...what about online vendors?

[Mike B]

I could be wrong, but I think even if you find "the good stuff" you would have trouble finding a paint shop in CA that would paint your car with it. Seems like a lot of risk for a shop to take on for not much gain.

-Mike

[Rich1]

Mike--you make a good point. I do not want to ask anyone do anything illegal.

What would be the 'good stuff' considering the available options for a base coat/clear paint job? (918 orange)

PPG OMNI

Sherwin William Dimension

Matrix

OMNI and Sherwin Williams both have paint codes for 918 Mexican Orange. The concern with OMNI is that the black tint that is used is more grey that true black--and surprisingly, there is quite a bit of black needed to make 918.

Has anyone used Sherwin Williams, Matrix, or other brands? How were the results?

[EScanlon]

It sounds as though you're hearing second hand hearsay on what the "good stuff" means.

If you're having paint matched to an existing piece, then that's what will rule, and not your perception of black being more grey than true black. i.e. it either matches or it doesn't.

If on the other hand you're mixing to formula, then how will you know that the "good stuff" is mixed to what the color formula is TRULY supposed to be and not DARKER because of your perception of the black being more true black than grey. A formula doesn't give you something to compare to, and paint chips are just an approximation.

Omni mixed, prepped and sprayed properly with a slightly better clear (Delstar or the like) will perform very well. If you're looking for the "perfect" paint job (and someone please define that term) then you should be looking into the $300-400 per gallon range of paint and not the $100-$150 per gallon, which is what Omni sells for around here.

FWIW

E

[datsunrides]

Uh, yeah. Stay away from Omni clear. Paint seems OK, but the clear sucks, or at least it did as of 5 years ago. Started flaking off after 2 years. Now it's almost completely gone. Big waste of money. (this was on a proffesionally painted Chevy PU, FWIW)

Mark

[kenz240z]

I sprayed my '73 with PPG Omni basecoat followed by the Omni MC260 Quick Clear. I painted the car in my garage. That was, oh, almost 7 years ago and the finish still looks great. No flaking, peeling, delaminating or anything. And that was the first time I ever painted a car. Used a Harbor Freight gun, no less.

I just recently sprayed a '71 with PPG Omni bc/cc and it turned out fantastic. The color is their formula for 903 blue and you should see it in the sun.

[EScanlon]

I've sprayed three cars with Omni, two with Omni Clear and one with the Delstar Clear.

You've all seen pictures of the two with Omni Clear, the one with the upgraded clear is currently being re-assembled. All three look great ... spectacular if I use other people's words.

The two that have 3+ years on their paint have both won show awards in their respective showings. One of them has won consistently in just about every show it's been entered in. It hasn't won in every one, but that's due more to the other vehicles in it's class than anything else. The other car hasn't won more because it's owner doesn't enter it in as many shows, but he's been criticized for that... people keep telling him to enter it and he "modestly" refuses.

I think that the problems reported with ANY paint are due more to inattention to preparation, environment conditions and time frames than a fault in the product being blamed.

There are specific time windows given by the manufacturer for certain steps to be taken, followed by the next process, and minimum and maximums for all of those.

Wait too long on a non-sanding primer, and you MUST sand before you can continue, BUT wait too long on the base coat in a bc/cc paint job and I've seen people just go ahead and shoot the clear, then bitch that the clear doesn't adhere properly and call it a cheap product. That also requires a mild sand AND a light re-coat of base to get the clear to adhere properly. You can also get good results just sanding and then clear coating, but the BEST results involve a complete chemical bond between the base and the clear. That's how these paints are formulated to work. Take short-cuts and you'll be totally on your own as far as what to expect.

Same applies to not waiting the minimum amount of time.

Well, enough said. I've said my 2 cents worth, but let me add that if you're trying to get your painter to shoot a different product than he's used to working with, then expect him to have a bit of a learning/adjustment curve... are you sure you want it to be on your car?

FWIW

E

[Rich1]

I've said my 2 cents worth, but let me add that if you're trying to get your painter to shoot a different product than he's used to working with, then expect him to have a bit of a learning/adjustment curve... are you sure you want it to be on your car?

Point well made! I think I will just trust my painter on this one....

Thanks to everyone for the input.

Rich