Single stage urethane for bottom & engine compartment??

[gomangoRT/SE]

I am thinking of going with a single stage for the bottom and engine compartment.   Not sure but I think I still wanna go with base coat/clear coat for the outer body panels.  Has anyone tried this.  With all the crevices and crannies on the bottom, I just think its easier.   Any comments from anyone who has tried this. 

[71340RT]

That is how the bottom of my Cuda is painted with single stage. I painted the engine compartment with base clear and was worried you would be able to see a color difference if I did not. The bottom is just way to bright if you use base clear but it is your car paint it the way you want.

[70Cuda]

The body shop I went to talked me into exactly what you are talking about.  They did the single stage underneath, inside and in the engine compartment and then base clear on the outer panels.  Everything looked good when I took it home however...after a year or two you can see the color difference in the FE5 engine compartment and for a show car, that doesn't cut it.  So, depending on what you are going to do with the car, I would go ahead and base clear the engine compartment and if I pull the motor out I may go ahead and do that.  Spend the time & money up front and in my opinion you'll be better off.  I shared this info with my body shop and they probably won't be doing it again this way unless somebody specifically requests it.

71340RT did it right.

[farmboy70]

One thing you may want to look into is if you are using PPG. You can mix the DBC base coat with DC-3000 or 4000 clear with the base.
This basicly turns it into a single stage.
It covers very well and there will be no color difference.
A single stage is fine for the underside also.
This just gives you more options if it is a difficult color and the benefit of only using one type of paint, helps save a little money on materials.
Dave

[FM3V6M]

I think you should single stage the whole car.  I was gonna do what you wanted but my body shop talked me out of it.  Simply put, if you get a chip on the outside,then touch-up the chip and color sand and you'll never know, can't do that with a clear coat.  Here's mine so far, looks so deep you can go swimming...

[torredcuda]

I like the black single stage better than a base/clear,just seems more black to me if that makes sense.As for other colors I did the same thing on my `cuda,bottom,jambs and engine bay single stage urethane and outer body panels base/clear.You can tell the difference but for my driver it`s fine,may depend on the color,mine is EV2 orange.I have been painting almost everything base/clear on the outside for years but am thinking of going single stage urethane in and out when I do my road runner as it will look more factory than over restored,factory FC7.Farmboys idea also sounds pretty good as I do use PPG productsmayb I`ll try that on a test panel.

[farmboy70]

I just started using the clear added base coat recently and for large areas I add a little extra reducer to help the spraying.
This formula is set up for cutting in edges of new parts on collision jobs. It works well for that but on large areas it's a little thick so the added reducer helps for the large jobs.
I agree the single stage for black works great. With DCC you can also add a 50/50 mix of clear also for extra depth in the paint on the last two coats.
Dave

[gomangoRT/SE]

Some very good comments from those who have experience with this.  My car is gonna be the gomango (orange) of course.  I like the idea of mixing a lil clear with the single stage urethane to give it a lil more depth.   I am still concerned though about the engine compartment being the same color as the outside base coat/clear cloat.  That is now IF I go with the base coat/clear coat idea.  You see I live in western Ky and even finding someone who wants to paint the car is a pain.   I do have a great body shop friend who works for his dad in their shop 70 miles away.   He will be gratious enough to paint my bottom and engine compartment, but doesnt have an interest in painting the car.  I dont blame him.   He states though that I can do it if I just do a few panels at a time.  Spray the door and fender with base, tack it, then paint a few coats of clear, wet sand it then paint the final coats of clear.  He swears I can do it.   I have doubts of course.  I am pretty talented at most things I do.  Ive done all the stripping, body work, priming, sanding, priming, sanding, blocking etc.   Its a good west coat car and very straight.   I have a 8HP 60 gallon single stage compressor and moisture filters and a pretty clean 4 car garage. Wow, things that make you go hmmmmm.

[71FJ6]

I have painted several cars in ssu and bc/cc.I prefer ssu unless the paint is metalic.My 71 R/T is done in ssu with clear added in the final coats.I actually don't see any much difference in the depth from the underside that is straight ssu.I paint my cars disassembled,doing the hood,deck lid,doors,and fender separately.I am not much of a painter,but it is the prep work that matters.You almost always sand out your painting mistakes.

[RusTy/SE]

My shop is liking ss for the Plum Crazy, a metallic color, to be used over the entire car. Since i'll be driving the car wherever she goes, would bc/cc hold up better against any heat generated in the engine compartment?

Russ

[berna4406]

 I clear coat everything.If it is a single stage formula I convert it over to 2 stage and clear coat it.I have been doing body and paint work now for 23 years and love having a clear coat.It is much easier to take care of clear than to take care of color.Clear acts as a barier from UV rays and the open enviroment and protects the pigments in the color.When properly applied it is very easy to work with and to repair.
                                Thanks Sam

[HemiDog]

I painted my car, curious yellow, with a single stage for the bottom, trunk , inside doors, under hood, under trunk lid, and engine compartment.  Then used a 2 stage for the outside.  I honestly can't see a color difference, but when I was done, I would have been happy to just single stage the whole car.  The car is not going to be a show car.
With the 2 stage, I did wet sand and polish.  That is where I see the difference. 

[73EStroker]

Chip and dent repairs are made the easiest by using Base Coat/Clear Coat. Basically you sand/prep the affected area and lightly wetsand the entire panel from seam to seam. Then respray the base colour on to the repair only then apply clearcoat on to the entire panel from body seam to body seam. IE if you put a ding just behind the door (in the quarter for example) then you will have to clearcoat a lot of tin. This is not as hard as it sounds and leaves absolutely no hint of a repair if it is done correctly. Of course if you are doing a #'s restoration then it is urethane SS with a little orange peel spray. That's why you can take a new car off the showroom floor, wetsand the clear (if the factory put enough on in the first place) and have a showpiece paint job. They all have BC/CC now.

[426HEMI]

I have had real good luck with both single and bc/cc.  Black is a good color for single stage.  I can make them really shine and no clear needed.