How do you guys feel about acrylic enamel? How does it hold up for longevity? durability? shine? ease of application? what do you body guys prefer?

 

Base plus clear is easier to work with- there's less prep and less finishing work needed for a nice finish that's why the manufacturers went to it.

Enamel needs the proper hardeners (in the right ratio) or it'll never harden- my father's 83 Blazer wasn't painted right- it was sprayed with Imron (you know, the fire engine paint- extreme duty stuff). You can dig your fingernail in the paint to this day- over 15 years later.

 

If you can get it to lay down good then your in business. I have never done base/clear. But i have done 3 cars with acrylic enamel and they were no show cars. But it turned out fine.

 

If you want solvent resistance, the paint must be mixed with a hardener / catalyst. both single stage and color / clear need this
If you are using a rattle-can you can still use enamels but you wont get a catalyzed clear. Best to get a spray outfit and spray urethanes.
You can get decent looking paint with an enamel but its not as durable as a color and clear combo.
any chip damage to the clear can be touched up and sanded easily.

remember if you are repainting from bare metal to try to stick with one manufacturers paints all the way through so you dont get any incompatibilities.
If you use an etch primer as the first layer youll need a primer-sealer over it.

if you use rattle-can paints, heres a trick.. try heating the can in a pan of warm water before use (dont go over 120F). Makes the paint spray finer and helps keep the temps up if you spray too long and the nozzle cools.

 

I have painted both...I found that single stage acrylic enamel is way easier to apply,2 to 3 coats of paint and your done.With base/clear the process is a bit longer.Two to three coats of base and 3 to 6 coats of clear.I use base/clear now.I found it holds better to rock chips.Advantange of acrylic enamel is you could almost paint a whole car outside....without a booth...But I also did a crazy paint job with base/clear last summer with no booth...And it turned out ok...Still would recommend a paint booth..

 

I love the acrylic enamel and have painted many cars/trucks but they weren't show cars. The trick is in using the right reducer for the temperature conditions you are painting in. You need the paint to flash off for a good finish but not run. I don't use a paint booth so I heat the area up then shut off the furnace, the outside air temp changes how fast the area cools down so it can be tricky.

 

I'm subscribing cause my 95 needs paint. Little bro had his painted with single stage with hardner, turned out very OK.

Not new car or show quality, but mighty nice.