thanks. i decided that i'm just going to leave it at the paint and not do a clear coat layer. i tested what it would look like with clear and it's just too glossy.

Agreed, that color would lose its impact if there was too much reflection. I'll be curious to see a pic on the car. My only worry is that it would be too close in color to the hubs and would end up looking "rusty" on the car.

yeah, well we'll see. there is still plenty of snow on the ground at my house (currently an hour south at school) and I haven't been driving the car for winter so it's going to be at least a month before the car hits the road.