Paint Experts

[MidnightRun]

I am making the final decision on the paint color for my Laser. I have decided to paint it white, but the exact color of white is up in the air. Looks and Price are the major factors, as the body shop told me the Lexus Diamond White is fairly expensive because it is a 3 stage paint. I have tried searching for the exact Lexus white I wanted, but it seems they have so many variations that they are hard to tell apart. I keep seeing thr color on newer RX330's.

Here's what I am looking at...

350Z Pikes Peak White

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Lexus Crystal White/Pearl White

What does everyone think? The car will have a drift body kit with a carbon fiber hood, among other things. All help and input is greatly appreciated.

 

[jbillakdsm]

Check out Kevin90GSX car. He's got his painted white with the CF hood and it looks real nice. I'm not so sure about going with the pearl white though. It may look nice at first, but the first chip you get means you have to practically repaint the whole car to get it matched again. I'd say go with something like a diamond white or artic white. I know Toyota has some of their new cars in a super white that's probably much cheaper and easier to touch up.

 

[DarkTalon2GNT]

Check out Duponts new colors line HOT HUES, they have a nice BRIGHT white named Snow Storm, the chip I saw didnt visibly show any pearl or metalics, just a nice pure white.... not sure on cost though...

 

[HighPsi92GST]

thats not a bad looking color at all

 

[MidnightRun]

Anybody know of any good sites to look at paints?

Also, I browsed around dupont.com, but I could not find much about automotive paint. Any other color suggestions would be more than welcomed as well! Any particular shades of white that anyone likes?

 

[miteclgst]

Searching for examples of paint on the internet is a bad idea, different monitors, different setting, different paint. Go to a auto paint store they will have color "chips" these are just small, maybe 2"x3", cards that are painted. Take them outside in the sun and see how you like them. Just go to the store with the paint code or the year/make/color of the car it came on.

My car is a tri-coat pearl job, I used a pearl powder suspended in clear to achive the final color. Documenting specific steps such as air pressure, volumetric settings on the gun, pearl to clear ratio, will get you a very acceptable match next time around. What is true is that you CANNOT blend these paints. If you get a chip the quarter you have to spray the entire quarter. You can only break the paint on solid lines. Most normal base coat/clear coat paints can be blended, this is a process by which you base over the repair area and overlap the old paint by a little bit, you then clear it and on the last coat of clear you reduce it heavily and overlap a bit more, this makes a hot mix that will "melt" the new and old paint together. This process is used a lot in the collision industry. It's cost effective but is not possible in tri-coat or candy applications. That is something to take into consideration if you start molding parts. That is why I never molded my kit.

 

[MidnightRun]

Searching for examples of paint on the internet is a bad idea, different monitors, different setting, different paint. Go to a auto paint store they will have color "chips" these are just small, maybe 2"x3", cards that are painted. Take them outside in the sun and see how you like them. Just go to the store with the paint code or the year/make/color of the car it came on.

My car is a tri-coat pearl job, I used a pearl powder suspended in clear to achive the final color. Documenting specific steps such as air pressure, volumetric settings on the gun, pearl to clear ratio, will get you a very acceptable match next time around. What is true is that you CANNOT blend these paints. If you get a chip the quarter you have to spray the entire quarter. You can only break the paint on solid lines. Most normal base coat/clear coat paints can be blended, this is a process by which you base over the repair area and overlap the old paint by a little bit, you then clear it and on the last coat of clear you reduce it heavily and overlap a bit more, this makes a hot mix that will "melt" the new and old paint together. This process is used a lot in the collision industry. It's cost effective but is not possible in tri-coat or candy applications. That is something to take into consideration if you start molding parts. That is why I never molded my kit.

Lots of good info in such a short post. Thanks! I am definitely going to mold the sides, but you are making me rethink the rear!

If you had to pick a shade of white, what would you go for? A pearl?

 

[miteclgst]

pearls definately come alive in the sunlight. Just think of the difference mine made on my car... the base is the stock grey (A87 majenta grey pearl) with 2 coats of purple pearl on top. Just to reiterate what I said; if you mold the sides and you scrape them or the quarter or the fender you will have a lot to paint. Since there are no "hard lines" to mask from you will be stuck spraying the jams, quarter, fender, and side. The more pearl, the more effect you will have. My moms 90 lexus has a white pearl in it but it dosn't really show that much, you have to catch it just right to see it. Just think of ghost flames, they are done with pearls. The less pearl the more "ghostly" the flame, the more pearl the easier to see the flames.

 

[MidnightRun]

Are you familiar with the 350Z white at all? What kind of paint? etc?

Also, What kind of effect would I get with a normal white base and a pearl mixed in the clear? How hard is that? Expensive?

I was quoted about $1500-$2000 from the body shop that will do my car for what I wanted with a "normal" white. He said doing a pearl would be more expensive, as he was referring to the newer Lexus Diamond Pearl White as a 3 stage paint.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[miteclgst]

well a pearl mixed in clear is a 3 stage paint also. First you spray base, then the pearl clear mix, then clear. Which brand you will be using will be totally up to the shop. Every brand can mix just about any color imaginable. There are exceptions such as "hot hues" or "Shimrin". But each paint manufacturer spends a great deal of time creating mixing guides to match the colors that the manufacturers are creating each day. As a side note, when you buy paint you are primarily paying mostly for this service. Paint itself is not expensive, a gallon of clear might cost $30 to make but you pay $100 because the company needs to defer the cost of the formula creation. 3 stage paints will be more costly because they need to be sprayed just right. If you have an accident your best bet is to take it back to the same shop and have the same painter spray it. This will make the chance of a match much greater.

 

[DarkTalon2GNT]

My cousin has a stock white 3G, that he had redone with a white pearl, he had just a plain white, then had a gold AND blue pearl put into the clear coat, it's subtle, but looks very very nice ALSO, I would not mold the rear or front bumpers, since those are the most common to crack along the molds, sideskirts are usually fine molded, since most of the time when you scrape it's the front or back, not on the middle...

 

[miteclgst]

My cousin has a stock white 3G, that he had redone with a white pearl, he had just a plain white, then had a gold AND blue pearl put into the clear coat, it's subtle, but looks very very nice ALSO, I would not mold the rear or front bumpers, since those are the most common to crack along the molds, sideskirts are usually fine molded, since most of the time when you scrape it's the front or back, not on the middle...

I agree about the molding idea, it's just not practical for a non-show car (trailer queen). I agree that the front takes the brunt of the scraping. Though in my experiance with my car I had to repair my sides twice as many times as any other part. What kills sides is speed bumps, if the front clears you think you will be ok but your really not. As soon as the front wheel gets over them and the suspension loads and the sides contact the bump. Maybe that is just an NEPA thing because it seems as though they make speed bumps here that only 4x4 can get over. I am a firm believer in not molding anything that will see any street use. Also fiberglass and metal are very different materials and if you don't get someone to mold them correctly you will be fixing your car every season. Maybe I just have a personal distaste for fiberglass because I have seen the aftermath. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!