I have a few surface rust spots and was planning on getting them fixed one at a time and then down the road getting my Olds taken entirely down to the metal for a whole body paint. The paint on the car now is absolutely not show quality, but is the original paint with exception of the lower quarters. It's the original 37 year old finish on a 32K original mile car. Let's say it's 20 foot paint. It looks damn good from 20 feet away!

So I'm hearing by 2012 the industy is going to all water based finishes. Have any of you used this yet? I know in California they are using it now. I'm a little concerned about it. I'm not a scientist or chemist, but it makes no sense to me how a water based paint would be superior over a lacquer thinned paint. And I'm a little out of my knowledge base here. Growing up my dad painted cars and did body work as a hobby. All he would ever let me do is spray primer. I never got to the level of spraying paint. (Guess he didn't trust me! LOL! And with good reason, too!)

I'm just concerned about the finish and quality and longevity of a water based paint. I'm planning on a total repaint within the next 2 years. So if the water based stuff isn't going to suit the needs of us restoring enthusiasts.....SHOULD I get my hands on the paint and primers that I will need that are not water based, oh lets say.....within the next year and keep it climate controlled until it's needed?

 

All you have to do is look at Chevy Vegas and you will see what water-based paint will do after a few years exposure.

 

Better for the environment.
Period.
It will probably take a decade after 2012 to perfect it.

 

Water based paints are not new. They have been around for some time and in use all over the world for many things other than vehicles. You can't seriously compare them to the paints that would have been used in the 70's on the Vega's and other such cars.

Yes they are better for the enviroment but they are also a hell of a lot better for the people applying the paints.

 

The paint/basecoat will be water based but they still haven't come up with a water based clearcoat that works and that's the most toxic part.
I doubt it would be single stage.

Latex house paint has been around for years and it's still junk.
Okay for interior walls and ceilings, otherwise I wouldn't hit a flying monkey in the butt with it.

 

The water is just the tranport (solvent) for the material. Most are reluctant to this technology for cars but it will be adopted. The one major difference is that the dry time between coats and final coat is much longer than what most are familiar with.

PPG has it. They spend $$$ on R&D.

 

Actually they are now using an electroplating technology to apply paint at some factories. Similar to powdercoating in design, the car is charged, and dipped into the opposite charged paint solution and then baked. makes for a near perfect uniform coat.

John

 

I overheard a conversation about this in an automotive paint store a few months ago. It sounded like restrictions were already in place in some major metro areas, but not the rural towns. I'd like to know more about this.

 

I sure like powdercoating - it seems very easy, safe, economical (for the shops), tough, and it comes in many colors. I had my wheels done and I am more than impressed.

Perhaps the govts are now concerned about the increased production and painting of new cars after all the cash for clunkers crap??
That was more polution than it was worth.

 

the collision shop i used to work at (as the painter for 10 years) has switched to dupont waterborne basecoat at the end of 2008/beginning of 2009. it was inevitable it was gonna happen, but it happened alot sooner because i became very ill in the summer of 2008. no doctor has said it was the paints that caused it (well, one did). but if it was, my employer didn't want it to happen to the other guys in the paint shop. so, i'm pretty sure they became duponts guinea pig in this area. i know of only one other shop using it around here.

i still haven't fully recovered from my illness, so i'm not back to work yet (if i ever will be...... as a painter anyway). but i'm kinda glad, because they've had all kinds of problems with it. adhesion problems mostly. from what i hear, it has been getting better. but, i'm glad i don't have to deal with it......