[dataway]

After more research I found that "back in the day" the acrylic enamel SS metallics were intended as spray and out the door paints. Their selling point was they did not need buffing or polishing after application because they had a decent surface shine. So obviously they had to be applied perfectly from the get go. I'm guessing they were never intended for the level of gloss and smoothness most people expect from paint today.

[MUSLCAH]

Yup ...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^.......did plenty of SingleStage Metallic ..DuPont ...RM Supermax, Ditzler, back in the 80’s.....could spray that stuff with the old siphon Devilbiss gun with a #30 cap...and get all that metallic nice and even.....with a few booger’s in it.....and if sprayed on a rainy day,even better flow...with very little dirt.

[Formulajones]

Something else about the factory paint process is that in a lot of cases I'm aware of, they went through an oven process, sometimes more than once, where they would heat it up to soften the paint and help it lay down to minimize orange peel and negate the need for buffing.

Like Muslcah said, metallic is not something that should be sprayed in single stage if you plan to wet sand and buff, and chances are pretty good you'll get some spots in it that you can't leave well enough alone.

Verdoro Green calls for 10% metallic, so it's not much at all, but it's there. It's not seen as well in the original lacquer paint job because it's a bit on the dull side to begin with. You will see it more with either modern paint system you go with today, whether single stage or base clear. Not so much under artificial light but in sunlight you'll see it.

I painted dad's a couple years ago in it's original Verdoro Green in a BC system. The color match was perfect based on some of the original green left on the car. The biggest difference really is that you see the metallic in the paint when under sunlight. Under artificial light the color appears darker, the metallic disappears. My opinion the color looks better in BC anyway. The dark greens need some pop and the clear helps with that. After 50 years of my father looking at this car, I think he likes this color more now than he ever did when he bought it in 1969.

[Greg Reid]

Love that Verdoro with the parchment and white top!
I personally can't see any reason to avoid bccc in favor of ss. I have never painted a car, as much as I'd like to if I had a suitable place... but from what I've seen bcccc can almost make you a good painter if you know how to cut and buff the clearcoat. Of course, as with any paint job..it's only as good as the surface prep.

[dataway]

Looks like I'm a convert, I'll try the BC/CC. I used in on a few race bikes ten years ago, seemed like you had to be pretty ham fisted to screw it up badly.

Love the RA, mine came in Verdora with a Parchment top also. I'll also be using the same wheel and dog dish setup. That's exactly what I am shooting for right there.

[Formulajones]

You both are right in that, sand and buff is a big player, and the base/clear system is really pretty easy to use.

You can have a lot of orange peel and even a few runs, but if you take your time sanding and polishing it flat, it'll look like a million bucks when you're done. So the orange peel isn't a big deal, just a little more work. Something you can't do with a metallic color and single stage, so if you want a flat high quality paint job that's polished to perfection, it's something to consider. However, If you use the right reducer for the temperature, or even a slow reducer, it gives the clear (or single stage) more time to lay down. With practice, and the right technique and gun settings, I can lay the clear down (or single stage) to the point it doesn't need buffed other than knocking a few specs out of it.

The base in a base clear system is mixed fairly thin with most brands, usually 2:1 or 4:1 so it lays flat, and it dries fast like lacquer so you rarely ever have a chance of dirt getting in the paint, it's pretty hard to screw up the base coat. Metallics can sometimes use a little different spray technique, and some guns spray metallic better than others. But while spraying the base, it's so dull when it dries you won't even see the metallic in it until the clear goes on. Quick tip with metallic, Usually after I have 2-3 coats of color and happy with coverage, I'll back up and go over it with a light dusting to make sure the metallic is even and it also removes tiger stripes.

[MUSLCAH]

Coverage is key....seen a lot of paint jobs where you can see primer underneath.....Get Yah a Sunlight,handy tool right there.

[geeteeohguy]

Single stage all the way. It will look deep, it will look correct, and it will hold up much better than a Base/Clear job. Both of my GTO's were done in single stage enamel......the '65 in 1985. and the '67 in '93. You've seen my '67. The paint has held up for decades on both cars. I've yet to see ANY Base/Clear paint job last 15 years before the clear coat starts flaking off like sunburn. For a black car with no metallic, single stage is a no-brainer.