Hood paint

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

A member did do a wrap. I did a pencil rub of my original hood on paper and he had the transfer cut. Do not remember who it was, getting old sucks. 

 

[Stanglover]

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I went with hot rod black. I like the sheen over the flat black.

 The original PPG 9381 is listed as Low-Gloss not flat. 

Hot-Rod Black was my choice too for the same reason. I get no complaints.

 

[jpaz]

Those are some good looking hoods!

 

[Stanglover]

Those are some good looking hoods!

Thanks, but if only the paint was correct on mine, but that's my bad!

 

[73bluemach1]

Both of them definitely look good. I will probably go with the hot rod black.

Thanks for the pics and info.

Joe

 

[Stanglover]

Both of them definitely look good. I will probably go with the hot rod black.

Thanks for the pics and info.

Joe

 As mentioned before, the Hot-Rod Black is proving to be quite durable. While mine does not have the Hot-Rod clear coat over it and if I were doing mine again, I think I'd put a light coat on the hood at least. You would not want to build up the edges too much. I am of course assuming the matching clear coat is still available. Also, the Hot-Rod black was used for the lower portion, tail light panel where needed and the spoiler. One kit was just enough for that. HOT TIP. Paint the hood either hanging upside down or on a sharp angle. This will stop any dust settling into the wet paint. Tricky to do, but will give a perfect finish.

For info, Eastwood 2K ceramic under hood paint is also proving to be excellent although it does have texture. It is not cheap! I used 2 cans on the aprons, rad support and firewall. For the chassis parts I used Eastwood Chassis black. Trim parts were done with SEM Trim Black and NPD's Slop Grey for the detail items where required.

Under the fenders, we have a product here in Canada from Dominion Sure Seal and is a paintable rocker guard (not that rubberized tar crap). That plus a shot of Chassis black looks really good. Don't forget along the top of the fenders to add a strip of 3M sealer strip. If you don't, water will get under the fender top edges and could rust over time. They were factory sealed before.

The stripe kit I used was from Graphics Express in Florida. There are others out there, some good some crap. Yours being a 73 is also available from G/E.

This is just what I chose to do on mine, I'm sure there are many other opinions out there.

Geoff

PS, Please make sure the shape and positioning are correct. No matter how good the paint is, if the shape is wrong it will stand out like a sore thumb.

 

[73bluemach1]

Stanglover,

Thanks for all of the great info, it really helps a bunch.

Joe

 

[Stanglover]

Stanglover,

Thanks for all of the great info, it really helps a bunch.

Joe

 Joe, while I'm far from being a pro at anything, I do strive for the best result possible and more than happy to pass on anything I have learned, good and bad. Just take the good!!

As I always say, there are many other very experienced members on our forum who may advise differently. Take all the info and decide for yourself what you want to do or how much to spend.

One thing I did not mention and that was when I painted the bay, the motor was out. Not hard to pull one of these motors and makes life a whole lot easier. For the motor, I chose to use Dupicolor Ford Dark Corporate Blue #1604 if I remember correctly. I just like that better than Plasticote. You can buy the correct engine paint if you chose, but then if you need to touch up anything, you have to mix paint and gun spray, rattle cans just make it easier to do.

Geoff.

 

[73bluemach1]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.

Joe

 

[Stanglover]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.

Joe

 Yeah, just thought of one more thing. You're going to have to change your user name!! Maybe 73greengoldmach1?

Just havin some fun,

Geoff.

 

[73bluemach1]

Blahahaha, you're right, I never even thought about that.

Thanks for the reminder,

Joe

 

[Austin Vert]

Hi Joe,

Being a professional auto spray painter, i can offer a wealth of advice on this topic. As i recall, i am sure i have posted in the past a good amount of tips and feedback on this topic, and the guys who have just posted back to you have covered a lot of good points and help.

Just two things spring to mind from me worth mentioning. First, satin or low gloss black would be the best way to go. Gloss black was never the original finish, but a lot of guys choose it because they personally like the look of it. That's a personal choice thing of course. Gloss finish also is easier to spray and finish work with from a spray painters point of view, and is far easier to maintain than a typical satin black finished panel. With gloss, you end up with no edge lines if you lay down a base coat/ clear coat application, which can be colored sanded and cut and polished later.  However, satin black finishes are hard to maintain and keep looking good over time.They have a low tolerance to being touched or handled without being damaged. Waxing can bring on a shiney look, which is very hard to get rid of, and should be avoided. However, i have discovered an Australian made wax product that can be used all day without producing and gloss issues for any mat or satin finishes. It's called Bowden's Lazy Wax. It's the only product i know of that does not gloss up flat or satin blacks. It really is fantastic.



Second, i would recommend using Acrylic Lacquer satin black paint over 2K or two pack satin black if you are going the satin black way. 2K black is a more harder, durable paint finish over Lacquer, but the problem is that when you are spraying the 2k on you will 99% sure end up getting nibs or dirt particles in the finish as you apply the paint. When you do, the only way to remedy this is to let the paint dry, then block sand the nibs out, and then refinish the panel again.The problem is here, that when you respray the panel again, you will more than likely get fresh dirt in the job no matter. For the guys that can honestly say they have ended up with a completely nib free 2K satin finish off the gun, then all i can say is they have been very lucky to achieve that. However, when you shoot in Lacquer, you can sand and remove nibs or dirt on the fly, or as you are applying the paint. A coat of Lacquer can be dry or wet colored sanded around five to ten minutes after applying it. This means that you end up with a total dirt free satin finish without risking a crazy overloaded paint buildup.This is what i did on my '73 Nasa hood, and i ended up with a top looking, completely dirt free finish. I shot the hood about 5 years ago,and it still looks great today.

Hope that helps,

Greg.

 

[midlife]

I heard a painting tip for hoods on another forum that is truly great! Paint the hood vertically or better yet, upside down, to avoid dust nibs settling in on the paint.

 

[73bluemach1]

Austin Vert,

Really good information, I've got alot to think about when I go to paint it in a couple weeks.

Midlife,

I've heard that also.

Thanks for all of the advice.

Joe

 

[Stanglover]

I heard a painting tip for hoods on another forum that is truly great!  Paint the hood vertically or better yet, upside down, to avoid dust nibs settling in on the paint.

 That was mentioned before in this post.

Actually, it was Allan Shepley from Mustang Central who told me about that 'trick'. Also if you pull up the 429 Mustang and Cougar megasite/paint info, he has a description of a system he found to work very well and that was to achieve the semi-gloss effect with a semi-gloss clear coat over whatever base coat black you like. Just another option to confuse the issue. 

Geoff.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

The real result is lost forever and can never be reproduced. I have seen nothing close to original ever. My hood and spoiler is original and nothing out there looks like it. Just one of those things that technology changed and no way to go back. Will never be one like the original. The trunk paint is another that there is nothing like the original. Not even close. 

 

[midlife]

I heard a painting tip for hoods on another forum that is truly great!  Paint the hood vertically or better yet, upside down, to avoid dust nibs settling in on the paint.

 That was mentioned before in this post.

Actually, it was Allan Shepley from Mustang Central who told me about that 'trick'. Also if you pull up the 429 Mustang and Cougar megasite/paint info, he has a description of a system he found to work very well and that was to achieve the semi-gloss effect with a semi-gloss clear coat over whatever base coat black you like. Just another option to confuse the issue. 

Geoff.

I knew I read it somewhere, but I thought it was on another forum.  Thanks, Stanglover, for reminding me that it was YOUR post about that tip!

 

[Austin Vert]

Hi to all,

When panels are presented to a painter on a vertical or flipped over plane, they still have the ability of attracting dirt particles as such, but the prospect of contamination  is somewhat reduced. No matter how the panel is presented, the painting environment plays the biggest part in dirt contam issues.

Also, i was going to mention the semi gloss/ low sheen clear option, and since it's been raised, i'll talk about it now. Some painters like to choose this option to paint over a black base coat. Again, you can choose between a 2 Pack or a Lacquer paint for the clear. In my opinion, i see no real advantage in going this way. This is because, a low sheen clear finish will end up being just as sensitive to damage and wax problems just as straight black finish will be. The same rules will apply to contamination problems with the clear finish as it does with the straight black finish. This means that there is no real gain in using a clear paint to finish the panel. Clears will weather or break down faster than solid colors due to UV exposure.

As well - Hi David. You raise a good point about reproducing or copying the original factory finishes, and i would agree with you here. However, there is one thing to think about, and that is if you still have the original factory finish on any panel you own now, be it full gloss color or a satin/mat, the aging process/wear and tear, over 40 years or so, will change the appearance of any paint as it breaks down over time. Take my '73 Mustang. It still has 3/4 of the car in original factory Gold Glow color. Thanks to my car being babied all its life the paint is still in pristine condition. However, it has suffered from color or pigment fading over time, and has become somewhat lighter in color appearance. Also, our 123 Mustangs were factory shot in Mono enamels. The metallic paint colors back then were a mixture of aluminium flakes and pigments and clear in the one tin. Clear coat/base coat paint systems were not around in the earlier Seventies. Pigments have changed as well, and that makes it very hard to match the original look. With all mono metallic paints of the day, they don't like being cut and polished or waxed at all, as the naked aluminium flakes are always exposed on the surface. You will see this when you go to wax a mono paint, as the ali sheds straight onto your white cotton application rag, producing a dark grey residue on the rag.So cutting and polishing a mono metallic enamel finish over time will change the appearance of that paint as well. I spent around 12 hours or more trying to color match my Gold Glow color, and could never end up getting it to perfectly 3 way angle match my original factory color as it presents today.

Greg.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

From what I have seen of the base coat clear coat it has absolutely no advantage over the old single stage paints. My car is an example. Never washed never waxed for 37 years and it came out in great shape. When I was working at lawn equipment plant the powder coat did not last as long as wet coat paint just more environmentally correct. Or should I say least cost. They very seldom change things to make it better for consumer just better for MFG.

 

[Stanglover]

I heard a painting tip for hoods on another forum that is truly great!  Paint the hood vertically or better yet, upside down, to avoid dust nibs settling in on the paint.

 That was mentioned before in this post.

Actually, it was Allan Shepley from Mustang Central who told me about that 'trick'. Also if you pull up the 429 Mustang and Cougar megasite/paint info, he has a description of a system he found to work very well and that was to achieve the semi-gloss effect with a semi-gloss clear coat over whatever base coat black you like. Just another option to confuse the issue. 

Geoff.

I knew I read it somewhere, but I thought it was on another forum.  Thanks, Stanglover, for reminding me that it was YOUR post about that tip!

 @midlife, While I had written about inverting or hanging the hood at an angle in this post, it was Allan who gave me that tip when I met him a few years back. I'm sure it has been mentioned on many other forums as well, so you could well have seen it elsewhere including the 429 mega site, (My link no longer seems to work, say site is down, not sure why.) I was NOT looking for bragging rights or a correction, but thanks anyway.

Geoff.