For you paint experts out there ...

My new project just arrived on a trailer and I had the guy who hauled it (who has a body shop) paint the firewall at his shop. He used Centauri Acrylic Enamel Black semi-gloss, mixed 3 parts color to one part flattener. It looks a bit glossier than what I thought the factory paint looked like (all I've ever used is Eastwood Underhood Black out of a rattle-can) but I like it better. I need to have a powdercoat guy match up the inner fenders as best he can to the firewall and he can only do semi-gloss black in either 20% or 60%. Can anyone tell me if the Centauri mix is close to either? His color charts have little 1-inch squares which are next to useless for comparison.

Thanks!!

My PPG dealer told me that to get an 80% gloss use 15% flattener with lacquer paint as a starting point. Therefore I would guess that the 60% would be closer. A 20% gloss would be pretty flat.

Ed,

80% is extremely glossy - not even considered a semi-gloss, right? I believe a radiator would be like 80%, with nearly everything else in the engine compartment about 20%. Right guys?

From reference material I've read, most underhood semi-gloss black on Chevelles was 60% gloss. That's glossier than many people think, but if you've ever seen an unmolested original, you would tend to agree. I've also heard that engine heat and time tends to flatten the underhood finishes somewhat. Unless it's a concours restoration, I think it looks better a little glossier than stock. Put it this way, the finish will never get glossier over time, only flatter.

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von '69 300 Dlx SS TC #15 ACES #1575

re the semi gloss paint we just finished a beautiful 57 chevy and we used centari and reduced by 40% to give a nice semi gloss finish you can go to 50% with the flattner but i would not use any more that 50% on the flattner keep in mind that centari is a very good acrylic enamel aqnd much more durable that he spray can paint imron is even better but expensive so between 40 to 50 % flattner is a good ratio looks great

Stan,

I wasn't suggesting that the engine compartment be painted 80%. I was only using that as a comparison to show that the 60% would be the closer match than the 20%, if the Centauri was mixed at 75%(3 to 1).

The spec sheets from PPG for their Flattening agent show to mix 32 oz of Delstar Acrylic Enamel with 8 oz flattening to get a semi gloss finish(60 degree). To get an eggshell finish(20-30 degree gloss) use 13 oz per 32 oz of Delstar and to get a flat(0-5 degree gloss) mix 25 oz flattening with 32 oz Delstar.

From these guidelines it would appear that a 50/50 mix would be rather flat. It is always best to mix and spray a test panel before committing to the entire project however. Ed



[This message has been edited by ED1966SS (edited 10-06-2000).]

OK, thanks Ed (and all). I'm having some parts powdercoated in 60% and 80% to use for comparison with the firewall.

Von -

Excellent point about the paint dulling or flattening as it ages. I think many people try to match the sheen of an original engine compartment, not realizing that the level of gloss does not look the way it did when the car was new.

Also, I'm sure there were all sorts of variations in the gloss due to drying temperature, paint batches, etc. If you look thru a GM dealer's stock and take a look at brackets, etc., you'll even notice gloss variations in identical parts.

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Rainer Seitz
Vancouver, WA
Team Chevelle Gold #50
ACES #3784

'68 SS396
'70 LS3 400 Malibu
'70 Malibu convertible 350/300hp
rseitz@chevelles.com

Rainer, Sometime in the past on TC I read someone's post that said the gloss varied with different underhood parts, depending on whether they were painted by a supplier, on the assembly line, or off the assembly line. Makes sense.

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von '69 300 Dlx SS TC #15 ACES #1575