I was high speed buffing my newly aquired 68 SS. I niticed that the Black paint scratches very very easily.Why is this paint so soft?It buffs up really nice but scratches so easy.I dont know what kind of paint it is but I know that its at least 5 years old. I can live with the soft paint and there are a few rust bubbles. Do you have any idea what kind of paint this is? Is it ok to paint over it? does it need to be stripped? The body is really straight and the paint isnt too bad,I hate to repaint the whole car(id rather just have the rust repaired)but if I have to I dont know if I need to strip it or not or what kind of paint Im dealing with.....thanks.....Mark

It sounds like acrylic enamel without a hardener, which means you should not buff it. Enamel without a catalyst never really hardens. If you need to paint over it, I would strip it all off or at the least put a sealer coat over it.

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Dave (NY)
70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv
72 chevelle
55 chevy prostreet
69/71 camaros
61 impala bubbletop
TC member #493

68, refer to the other post about testing paint. Sounds like you have something less than a quality urethane paint job. Or maybe it is urethane and the paint wasn't mixed correctly and it will never harden. Tough to say from here. It ain't going to get any better. But, if your car is straight and you do the rust repair, it will be relatively easy to repaint the rest of it with a SOLID urethane paint. Not BC/CC. Black always looks much deeper and 'blacker' when done in a straight urethane.

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Triple Black 69 SS 396

Jimmy, What kind of outfit would paint a car with no hardner? Maybe it was mixed wrong.Are you recommending sanding, sealing and repaint whith eurathane? Thanks Mark

We don't really know what kind of paint it is for sure, so it's hard to say. All it takes is a little math mistake when mixing. Easy mistake. I've done it myself. Those paint fumes get to ya sometimes http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif
If the paint has adheared this long, it's fine, All you'll probably have to do is sand it smooth with 600. I've even some some clear coat paint be relatively soft. Scratches show up VERY WELL on black.

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Triple Black 69 SS 396

If the paint doesnt have hardener, and you are going to paint over it, you will know right away if you can even paint over it. Paint without a hardener will turn to putty when you sand it, and will not go smooth. If you see that, then its time to strip it all off.

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Dave (NY)
70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv
72 chevelle
55 chevy prostreet
69/71 camaros
61 impala bubbletop
TC member #493

Sounds like it could of been shot in Lacquer, which can be buffed up nice, but can also scratch very easy especially Black.

I overheard a paint store counterman tell a customer that he could save a few bucks by skipping the hardener, albeit with a less-durable outcome. So, don't doubt that someone wouldn't take a shortcut - it happens.

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Rainer Seitz
Vancouver, WA
Team Chevelle Gold #50
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