Re: Sanding Car ready for Paint

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2010/12/31 16:24:09

I MADE A MISTAKE. PACKARD USED PYROXILIN LACQUER NOT PYROXILIN ENAMEL.

RUSTY OTOOLE MADE A MISTAKE. HE SAID PACKARD USED ENAMEL. PACKARD DID NOT USE ENAMEL IN 1954. THEY USED LACQUER.

I hope that is plain enough.

Now to get back to the original question. Does a 1954 Packard have to be stripped to the bare metal to get a decent paint job? Is the lacquer they used so finicky that it will crack and craze if you look at it hard? Is is impossible to paint over factory lacquer?

My position is that it is not necessary to strip the car to bare metal. If the original finish is in good shape it is counter productive.

This is based on experience of having done bodywork on, and having painted several cars from the forties and fifties without stripping and without problems.

Now it might be true that SOME lacquer jobs are different. I am thinking of the "30 coats of hand rubbed lacquer, custom body, custom paint job" type of finish.

When you do that type of paint job the thickness of the paint enters into it. If the paint is too thick it will not expand and contract with the body and it will crack and peel eventually. In that case piling more paint on top only makes things worse.

Now I hope that is understandable. If it is not, I give up.

In fact I am ready to give up on this thread altogether. Go ahead and strip your Packard to the bare metal with a disc grinder and a 60 grit disc. Paint it with waterborne paint. Have the paint supplier match the color from a photograph downloaded off the internet. Do whatever the hell you want. I don't have a cent invested and I no longer give a damn.