clearcoat history

[dougn]

does anyone know when clearcoating became common. i just bought a 91 porsche 911 and it`s not clear coated. seems to me it should be ...but the paint sure appears to be original

[White95Max]

I believe there are still some cars that are not clearcoated. I`m not sure when it starting becoming common though.

[Setec Astronomy]

GM started mid- to late-`80`s.

[kartoon]

Mid 90s for many companies.

[paco]

Lexus had a black that wasn`t clearcoated not too long ago (couple of years). I believe the reason was that clearcoated black shows scratches very easily. Very early 90`s, there were many cars that didn`t. Mid 90`s, GM/Chrysler suffered a lot clearcoat failures so it wasn`t until to mid to late 90`s that it became truly std.

[Accumulator]

dougn- What color is the Porsche? My `87 and `91 were both b/c, but they were silver (metallics were often b/c as far back as the early `80s). Some colors were ss for a long time and some cars were offered in certain "special" ss paints (as with the ss Lexus black).

[Bill D]

I think Rolls Royce pioneered clear coat as far back as the `60s. Either that or they were known for an insane amount of coats of color :up

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Here`s some basic info about 1991 Porsche Paint Codes and Colors.



SINGLE STAGE CONVENTIONAL PAINT:

22C/22GN6 Murano Green

347/K5 Dark Blue

548/E4 Apricot Beige

60M/E2 Linen Gray

700/A1/LO41 Black

80K/G1/G8/25 Guards Red

908/P5/R4 Grand Prix White



CLEAR COAT PAINT:

22D/Q9 Slate Gray Met. CC

22E/W7 Forest Green Met. CC

35V/F7 Marine Blue Met. CC

37B/C7/LM5P Baltic Blue Met. CC

40L/Z7 Cognac Brown Met. CC

550/W5/LM5U Linen Gray Met. CC

693/U8/LY7U Stone Gray Met. CC

697/F5/LM5U Diamond Blue Met. CC

81KZ9 Coral Met. CC

81L/U6/LM3U Velvet Red Met. CC

980/S7 Silver Met. CC

LY1Z/U2 Lt. Gold Met. CC

LY5U/U1 Glacier Blue Met. CC

LY7P/Z6 Titanium Met. CC

LY7T/C6 Crystal Silver Met. CC

LY9Z/L7 Panthero Met. CC

LZ3T/S6 Zyclam Red Met. CC



Noticed how the Porsche metallic colors are all clear coated, while the basic non-metallic colors are not. During the late 1980s and early 90s many of the vehicle manufacturers changed over to clear coating the metallic colors first.

[Accumulator]

Good Porsche info, Mirrorfinishman :xyxthumbs



FWIW, Benz did sorta the same thing, doing their metallics in b/c first. They started doing it in the early `80s, and some of those b/c paintjobs had pretty thin clearcoats.



But my `85 Jag, painted "Rhodium silver" is ss. Kinda weird paint, I`d call it more of a metallic gray than a silver. But it`s definitely ss, I got paint transfer onto my pads the day I drove it home from the showroom. SS metallics have a truly unique look, generally you either like `em (as I do) or you don`t.

[dougn]

it`s guards red and apparently SS. i am using 3M waffle pads and 3M foam polishing pad glaze with a rotary at about 1400 rpm.



what is the preffered material, pad and rpm now-days. i`m removing fine scratches and oxidation. i think the current results are pretty good but i don`t see many people using 3M stuff around here



doug

[landshark_88]

My metallic blue `88 Porsche 928 has an origional clear-coat.

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Originally posted by landshark_88

My metallic blue `88 Porsche 928 has an origional clear-coat.

According to my information, it looks like all of the Porsche metallic colors were being painted with clear coats all the way back to at least 1980. Not sure what was being done before then.



landshark_88, here`s the paint code for your `88 Porsche 928 Venetian Blue Met. CC 35U/F8

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by dougn

it`s guards red and apparently SS. i am using 3M waffle pads and 3M foam polishing pad glaze with a rotary at about 1400 rpm.



what is the preffered material, pad and rpm now-days. i`m removing fine scratches and oxidation. i think the current results are pretty good but i don`t see many people using 3M stuff around here



doug

I use different 3M products (PI-III RC and MG, pns 05933 and 05937) and I use different pads, so I don`t know if I can really be helpful.



If you`re happy with your results then that`s that



I`d be using a flex backing plate to better accommodate the 911`s curves.



I`d probably switch to a PC as soon as possible (as soon as you remove the major problems) so you`re using less aggressive measures for a lot of the work. If that Guard`s Red is similar to the same color on my `78 then it cuts fairly easily. Heh heh, I`d forgotten all about that car until this moment.

[imported_Axe]

DId a quick research on this, and found this, quite a few controversial points raised here ::



---- cut

"Clear coat" is nothing more than non-pigmented paint. It was originally designed to protect metallic paints, but it is now applied to all colors. It is extremely thin, and it is easily scratched. Never rub the paint with abrasive compounds, or anything that holds dust or soil. This includes dusters, nylon brushes, wash mitts, natural chamois, heavy car covers, and bras. Instead, use cotton towels, natural sea sponges, clear coat-safe paint levelers, light washable car covers, and chip-resistant tape. Maintain the clear coat with a high-quality wax applied four times a year, a light surface polish twice a year, and always wash by hand.



There are many ways to distinguish between clear coat and conventional paint. An easy way to tell is to take a small amount of polishing compound on a white rag and rub a small and inconspicuous painted area of the vehicle. If the color of the vehicle comes off on the rag, the paint is conventional. If not, it is most likely clear coat.



--- end cut



Source bmwworld.com

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by Axe

DId a quick research on this, and found this, quite a few controversial points raised here ::



---- cut

"Clear coat" is nothing more than non-pigmented paint. It was originally designed to protect metallic paints, but it is now applied to all colors. It is extremely thin, and it is easily scratched. Never rub the paint with abrasive compounds, or anything that holds dust or soil. This includes dusters, nylon brushes, wash mitts, natural chamois, heavy car covers, and bras. Instead, use cotton towels, natural sea sponges, clear coat-safe paint levelers, light washable car covers, and chip-resistant tape. Maintain the clear coat with a high-quality wax applied four times a year, a light surface polish twice a year, and always wash by hand.

--- end cut



Source bmwworld.com

I wouldn`t consider it controversial as much as somewhat oversimplified and outdated in places. MF is safer than cotton, many wash mitts are OK, and plenty of (today`s) abrasive compounds are perfectly safe for clearcoats. It`s much like other, similar write-ups that were once accurate but haven`t been updated since recent sea-changes in detailing technology.