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You just bought a new whatever brand car/suv/van.

meanwhile, your Packard has finally been prepped and properly painted at the Earl Schieb of your choice.

Relative to a new car, how long/well will the repaint hold up? Rust? Shine? Color?

As long as you maintain it!!!!!!!

Pat, when the new car is 60+ years old, we'll be able to tell you.

Take a look at some of the cars from the late 20s and early 30s that still have original paint and can still score in the high 80s or low 90s points at CCCA Grand Classics. Given good quality paint and preparation it's mostly in the care they were given, protection from harsh elements, etc. and I suspect those factors are far more important than the paint itself.

Let me try this again.

Think longevity for an old car when used more like a new one would be. In other words, are the finishes and procedures we use remotely comparable to a new vehicle?

My car lives outdoors and is now 13 years old and has held up remarkably well. Conversely, I won't take my Packard out when there is salt anywhere on the highway....

Pat I'm no expert so this is just an opinion based on personal experience.

As a teenager I painted a number of cars.

To repaint a car in automotive enamel took about 15.00 worth of material, it looked good, but the finish was somewhat soft in the beginning and would scratch easily, in several years it began to look weathered.

To repaint in lacquer cost about twice as much in material and more labor, but to me nothing much beats the shine and depth of lacquer. The paint on my 48 is old if not original; it's cracked with age, but will still shine with a polishing.

As a younger person I spent more time polishing and waxing than I do today, our eight year old new car lives outside in heat or cold, sun, rain or snow, it has seen few wash jobs and I don't think ever seen polish or wax, I don't think it shines like the old style lacquer, but it still looks good with little maintenance. My opinion is that the new paint is a stronger finish based on the way we use our vehicles today.

Today's repaint may well depend on if it is the bargain basement repaint, knock the dust off and spray the paint, or a more expensive quality repaint. With any paint job the preparation has much to do with the final result and satisfaction.

Jim

The collection I used to work for has several cars that were restored in the late 70s-early 80s, and were painted there. They used up to date paints, at that time Ditzler acrylic lacquer was the big thing. Those cars look like the day they were completed, even today. Later, in the 90s we painted several cars with the newer basecoat/clearcoat systems and they look fantastic, like they were done last week. There are dead original cars with wonderful finishes, ones that have led a very sheltered life.

It all about sun, weather, and general treatment. No paint with will withstand years of baking sun, winter weather and poor treatment without showing it's age.

Quote:

Truer words have never been spoken. In the words of Baretta,
"You can take dat to da bank"

Quote:

Truer words have never been spoken. In the words of Baretta,
"You can take dat to da bank"

The paint on my modern car is still in excellent condition after 18 years. It has been waxed once, washed twice, and always parked outdoors.

The only part of the car with poor condition paint is where a drug addict drunk ran into the back of it when parked.

That was a terrible thing to hear. And of course the cops let him go even with a suspended license. They told me I shouldn't park on the street. Then I got a letter from a judge saying that he was sentenced to 30 hours of community service. This while a passenger hit the windshield and was dumped on the side of the road.