Painting question

[Dreamscape]

Ruthi, I used a single stage when I did mine. Had never painted before, and I'll never do it again.   Glad you found a pro that knows what he's doing. I had thought about using base/clear coat next time around. Got this info from a friend of mine who does it for a living, over 30 years and counting.

I think our finish is OK for a newbie, but I like the wet look. Call Mike at Willy's, he'll set you straight on what to use. He does it for a living and everything I have seen that he has done is immaculate!

We'll be expecting pics after you get it done!

Paul

[ruthi]

You will get pictures for sure, we are excited.

[luvrbus]

Our Eagle has 8 different colors of base with 5 coats of clear if painting one color with no graphics one step is what I would go with.As far as a warranty Mike warranties our clear and paint for as long as we own the bus the paint and clear are 6 years old now and looks like he painted it yesterday

good luck

[eddiepotts]

I think MACO even gives 3 yrs on their warranty. Just remember you not restoring a classic car. It is a bus hopefully used allot. Most show cars are trailered because of the cost of the paint. As much as we take care of them don't go overboard on cost of paint with "professionals" that you can't bear the thought of driving in the rain. Get a good product that you can enjoy for many years and not break the bank getting something that does not give you the comfort of using what you have. IT IS A HIGHWAY BUS . It will be backed into tree limbs and take rock chips. It will still always get ohhs and ahwws when it pules up no matter how much you spend on paint. When I was little we camped in a class c. after a few changes in coaches my dad won't even lets us or his grand kids come inside in fear of something getting messed up. I hope he is happy with it lol.

[ruthi]

Eddie, we use and I do mean use our coach. We work out of it and are on the road 10 and a half months out of the year. We put well over 50,000 a yr on it.

[cody]

The hardest part of any new paint job is the first scratch, once it's in place your over the hump so as they cash the check just nick a small inobtrusive place and you'll sleep better those first few nights lol.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

I think that the PO had our bus painted in 1984 0r 85. They fulltimed for 8 years and then did winters down south for the next 12. We have fulltimed for 6 1/2 years. The bus has 280,000 miles on it since converted and since we have had it, it has never spent even one day under cover. Don't know if the PO kept it under cover or not. About 2 years ago we started to lose the clear coat. People still like our paint job but one of these days i would like to have it re-done. Just have to make enough money.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Cody, years ago i worked with a guy that bought a new truck and was obsessive/anal about where and how he parked it so that he would not get a scratch on it. He drove me nuts for about 6-8 months with this. I told him to just scratch it himself and get over it. Told him i was going to do it myself.   Finally somebody got him in a parking lot even though he had parked way away from anybody else. After that he was ok to work with again......and no, it wasn't me!

[JackConrad]

Depends on how long you expect the finish to last. Our 95 Grand Cherokee was clearcoated when new. We are starting to have problems with the clearcoat lifting in a few spots along the window opening on the doors. We clearcoated over the vinyl lettering on our coach about 8 years ago. some of it is starting to lift. Our coach was painted with a single stage and 10 years later it still looks very good (except for the scratches, most incurred during Hurricane Charley).  Jack

[cody]

I know nothing about bus finishes but am reading with interest because at some point I will have to have the bus done, if it was wood sided I could give it a nice french polish but being metal I'm lost as usual but it would seem to me that the prep work is the critical issue with any paint job. (I have given thought at various times to creating a bus woodie)  ( don't go there please, I can get into enough trouble as it is lol).

[Van]

Cody, LMFAO! . Uh Oh!

[TomC]

At Freightliner, the two stage paint is the standard paint on the Cascadia.  If it is cost effective, Freightliner will do it.  Good Luck, TomC

[bevans6]

I think that base coat/ clear coat is more forgiving during the painting, and that's why virtually all production lines use it.  Industrial coatings like Imron are tough as old nails, but don't have quite the shine - but last forever.  My philosophy is that if I am hiring a person for a job, part of what I am hiring is his knowledge  and expertise, so why would I second guess his recommendation?  If he wants to do single stage paint, that's what would go on the bus.   Just so long as you like how it will look when it's done.  if the sample doesn't have the shine you want, ask for another suggestion.

I paint my race cars exclusively with single stage paint, never base coat clear coat.  less layers to sand off when I break it...

Brian

[BG6]

I would think the bus expands allot more in the sun than a car does.

Nope.  It expands less (more structure to sink the heat into).

HOWEVER, the expansion is far more obvious because flat panels deform more than panels with curves and corners, becoming wrinkled or "bulgy" between anchors.

This is why S&S have such big, sweeping trim in seemingly random directions and contrasting colors -- they attract the eye in a positive way, camouflaging the wrinkles.

[rv_safetyman]

Lots of good advice here.  I have painted several cars and have made the decision not to use clearcoat again.  I did my 56 Chevy in a basecoat/clearcoat with the very best material PPG offered (Urethane).  After about 8 years, I had to re-coat the clearcoat and that only lasted less than 4 years.  Today the paint is a disaster. The poor car is outside all of the time, so that is worse case.  

All you have to do is drive down the road and look at cars that are a few years old and you will see that most of them have some sort of clear coat issue.  

Most of our buses are not kept in a shop when we are not using them.  The sun will kill the paint pretty quickly.

Don't get me wrong, clear coat paint is gorgeous!!!  I tend to keep my vehicle a long time and I want durable.  

Don't get locked in to Urethane.  If you are spraying it yourself, it is DANGEROUS to your health!!!!  I have not followed the technology in recent years as much as I used to, but good old enamel paint used to be very durable.  Look at a 25 year old John Deere combine or tractor.  Worse case, you simply buff it a bit and it looks new.  It is much harder to spray (will run at the drop of a hat since it is slow drying and it needs to go on wet to look good).

The other consideration is metallic vs non-metallic.  Again, metallic  almost always looks better, but it is hard to spray, hard to repair, and not as durable.  The metallic particles are shaped like cigars and their orientation can change the color.  That is why some metallic paint looks blotchy and some repaired panels look like a perfect match in one direction and significantly different in a different direction.  Today's metallic paints are easier to spray (better technology), but 20 years ago, the painter technique made all the difference in the world.

Most automotive paint today is water based.  I have a hard time believing that it is as durable as the solvent based paints.  Even the solvent based paints are not what they used to be.  EPA regulations have force some of the "good stuff" off the market.

Just some random thoughts.  Ruthi, not sure this helps you, but it might help others reading this thread.

Jim