I'm getting ready to do some body and paint work on my 88 5spd vert. I have searched the forum but can not find whether or not the 88 year had a clear coat or just a glossy finish.

 

some one PLEASE correct me if im wrong. i belive it depends on the color of your car. i know that white did NOT have clear coat. but when i had my grey 88 i am pretty sure it had clear on it. my friends black 87 had clear casue it all was falling off..lol hope that helps. somone with a lil more knowlege my pipe in with more info!

 

It's a black car. I plan to start pulling dents next week.

 

Well the '88 brouchure says all but red/white/black were Metallic or Mica paints, so does that mean no clear coat on those?

 

If you're going to paint it....paint it. What does it matter what it was 18 years ago? I'd clear it.

 

Any solid colours were single stage. Pearls and metallics had clear.

 

My paint color is described as "Brilliant Black". The black is still there, but I think the brilliant has worn off.

 

^

 

pretty much. white and red dont, but the silvers and blues, and i guess black does

 

ALL cars being repainted should get a clear coat. otherwise just go buy some spray paint from kragen, and spray that on there.

I was pretty sure ALL FC's had clear coat on them. it dosnt JUST make the car shine, it protects the paint.

 

I was thinking about putting on a carbon fiber hood. It is for my model year, but for the turbo. Do they have the same fitment? It's on ebay right now for ~$500

 

All hoods are interchageable.

when your dealing with aftermerket body parts, sometimes the fitment isnt perfect. But with a hood, id imagine it would be fine. not too much you can really **** up with a hood

 

Excellent. That's one less body part to de-dentify. I bought the car in San Fran. It has door dings in the door dings. I guess that happens from living on the side of a hill. It also looks like the neighbor dropped his hamster cage on the hood a few times...

 

Yes and No.

Facts: Clear coat is a UV protectant as well as neutral (colourless) medium in place for polishing.

Clear-Coat is 100% urethane based (real clear, some economy's are acyrlic-urethane)

Single stage urethane has the same gloss retention, holdout, polishability (if its a solid colour) as clear coat, without the possibilty of inter-coat adhesion failure.

Single stage urethane is resiliant to UV, but on a daily driven, ran through the car wash type of car, it will dull within 6-8 years or less depending on abuse. However it CAN be polished back to 100% original.

Single stage urethane takes less time to spray and is overall a more inexpensive paint due to the lesser amount of stages involved.

The ultimate choice is really a matter of cost. Either will perform amazingly.....hint - watch the "junkyard dog" episode of American hotrod where they are wet-sanding the red on the Bel-air....the sanding water is red....=single stage urethane on a show car - thats right

 

Take the pop top off a soda can...lightly drag it across the paint. If it leaves a mark (It wipes off) NO clear coat. No mark...clear coat.

 

Another method is to lightly wetsand a down low area and see what colour the sanding dust in the water is. Body colour is single stage, white is BC/CC.........

 

what if you have a white car? :P

 

Thats the kanundrom.....

You'll never know till you peel it back with a white car.

 

I know my red 87 has clear...because it is peeling in a few places.

 

Read my post on the first page