I picked my car up from the paint shop on Friday, everything looked pretty good, given that it was overcast.

By the time I got home it was sunny and my inferno red pearl coat was really shinning. Walking around the car I noticed on the rear lower quarter it appeared to be spots (2-4 inches in diameter) of dark then light colors. This pattern traveled up over the wheel, down to the front of the door.

Right, so the car's staying on the trailer and going back Monday, but I'm wondering why these spots? I don't want any B.S about its the pearl and the way the sun hits it. I want to be armed with some information. Is this a bad application of the pearl?

So can any of you experts chime in here?

See the link in my signature for some pictures.

Just a suggestion, but pics would probably help..

clear coat went on too soon and too wet could be it grab all the pearl and moved it.

Could be some oil or something in the line, clear/pearl may have not been mixed thoroughly and/or had clumps. Could be lots of stuff. Sounds fun to fix.

Good Luck!!

I picked my car up from the paint shop on Friday, everything looked pretty good, given that it was overcast.

By the time I got home it was sunny and my inferno red pearl coat was really shinning. Walking around the car I noticed on the rear lower quarter it appeared to be spots (2-4 inches in diameter) of dark then light colors. This pattern traveled up over the wheel, down to the front of the door.

Right, so the car's staying on the trailer and going back Monday, but I'm wondering why these spots? I don't want any B.S about its the pearl and the way the sun hits it. I want to be armed with some information. Is this a bad application of the pearl?

So can any of you experts chime in here?

sounds like the pearl, settled in the cup..
pearl needs to be mixed very well... and stay mixed.. if the painter stopped it can sep. from the clear in the cup (fall out of subspention) and it go on heavy in spots and almost nothing in others..
if the painter had to refill his gun/cup and didn't remix the pearled clear, the pearl might have settled a bit..


the "to wet " coat "moving the pearl" could happen.. but it most times is a unform line at a body line/bottom of panels/etc
you said "spots" my bet is on not fully mixed/settled paint..

Okay, good information. I'm going to try and get some pics up later today, it's really evident when the sun is low on the horizon. I started this restoration in October, looks like it's going to take a full year.

Depending on the paint itself, a good safeguard is an agitator cup. That way the paint is always being mixed in the cup. You have to use it on certain flake paints or will do nothing but blotch.

Did you see the car before it was sprayed? Were there any little spots of a different color primer there?? Sounds to me like the base was mottled. Is it a tri-coat paint? Was the car sealed??

Could be bleed thru could be settling. Those colors are real hard to get just right take it back now (tommorow).

Could it have been just blushing and will clear up?
Not that I know anything :o

Floating microscopic flake after being sprayed will kind of layout if you will, too many in one area or or too heavy a coating and the flake and colors can roll and turn on the surface of the car until the paint skins over by then they may settle in a flat pattern and will look blotched in bright sun.

The prevention is to do a fog coating of base before the clear goes on even then if you get the clear on too heavy it will melt into the base and do the same thing.

Very common problem not that hard for them to fix it but they will have to fog the base color and re clear it.

Thanks to all who have chimed in here. I've put up a page with some pictures, see my signature.

The paints an OEM tri coat. The car was painted first the shell, then 2 days later the hood, fenders etc. When assembled the owner noticed a slight difference in the color, so he said he had to blend the paints. When I pickted it up he said he put the last two coats of clear on thick, using almost a gallon.

I'm going this afternoon to talk to him, and see what he says. There are a few problems with the stripping, like when they pulled the tape, a bit of the paint lifted so the lines aren't straight, and the rockers are rough, I think they didn't get enough clear.

This is my first resto for a car that is a year older than me. I'm happy to have done it, but the stress....

first problem.. is the word "BLEND"
pearl does not blend well..
the base has to all be the same color..
and with all the parts hung on the car..(yes you can paint it "inpieces" ,but you have to be very good)
reason being.. the paint needs to "flow the same way on all the panels..
if a fender is on a stand ,and not at the same angle as the door.. the paint will flow out differently..
same with the hood and tops of fenders.. they need the paint sprayed and flowed out the same..
number of coats changes the color,so does how "heavy/wet" they are...
tri color paint is a b!tch to match,, why he'd paint the shell one day and the nose another.. is only asking for problems...
if the rockers are rough.
the blotchy ness of the lower part of the car might be the dry paint(meaning the coat there,in that spot was sprayed with a dry coat) and the other spots are/where sprayed as wet as the rest of the car..
the dry /rough spots can be from anything, from turning your wrist when spraying(a no no ) to spraying that spot with the gun father away from the panel than ,it should be..(the paint started dring befor it hit the panel...)
good luck...
that cars paint is never gonna match, no matter what he does..
pearls and candies you don't paint in pieces like that..

Those colors are hard to spray! The lines on it looks like he had the gun adjusted wrong its heavy in some spots and lighter in others he should have done a mist coat or went side to side and then up and down. Pretty color but I try to stay away from them because if you ever have to repaint a spot, its hard to match it again.

those are zebra stripes...
sorry,man
just saw the pic's..
no easy way of fix'n that..
live with it,, or back down to the base color(and if thats a metalic. down to the primer)
sorry..
good luck

nice color tho.
what is it..
you said oem..
what make/model/year/

those are zebra stripes...
sorry,man
just saw the pic's..
no easy way of fix'n that..
live with it,, or back down to the base color(and if thats a metalic. down to the primer)
sorry..
/

Not true they can spray base over the clear and then re clear it.

2cool, what do you mean spray a coat of base on it then clear, you had mentioned this before, to fog it. Wouldn't this diminish the effect of the pearl by covering it up.

I went by yesterday and the owner of the shop said bring it back, they will repaint it, he doesn't want a car with his shops name on it driving around like that. He just said its the pearl, much harder than a metalic to lay it right.

Someone mentioned that Blending was not such a good idea, I can see your point, but wonder why is it the rear is so horibble, I would think that area would never have gotten paint on it from the blend. The other odd thing is the doors are spotty, but the front quarters look fine.

The color, ready for this, is Chrysler Red Inferno Pearl Coat. Remember the car is older than me, I don't have memories of the way it was, I just know what I want, a good handling, powerful, rear wheel drive car with lots of room. Since GM (N.A) doesn't want to build such a vehicle, I got to do it myself. The Chevelle has style, I felt it just needed a modern look. This red was the nices one I saw, though WV had a nice color on its 06 Jetta, but I couldn't get the code.

Sure it may be a PITA to match if something happens. Maybe the other guy should start praying now.

If that inferno red is OEM code PRJ then its NOT a tri stage color. You do NOT need to have a tri stage color to have pearl in your color.
A tri stage color is when you first apply a base color then come back and apply a transparent color back over that, then clear.

If you do have a chrysler red which is a tri stage(which they make) I highly suggest you use the basecoat only formula. Basically what that means is instaed of appling a base and then midcoat color you just apply this one color. The difference in the real tri stage and the basecoat only is very very hard to tell apart. Ive painted many chrysler cars using the tri stage and base only formula.

Not only is the basecoat only formula easier to repair you dont have to worry about getting the midcoat 100% right on each panel as there is NO midcoat.

The spotty areas are because the painter doest have good technique. His overlap and gun setup are not right.

If it is a tri stage the only way to fix this is repaint the entire car, period. They would need to reapply the base color over the entire car to get a nice even color throughout. If you dont and just apply the midcoat, you will have spotty areas of different color.
So you need to repaint with base color and achieve full coverage over the ENTIRE car. Then come back with the midcoat and hope they can apply that right the first time because you cant fix that.
But I still say if you do have a tri stage red get the base only formula instead of fighting with tri stage crap.

Heres the inferno red PRJ that I just painted over July 4th. PRJ is not a tri stage color. Blended the cab corner and rear door and repainted the entire boxside.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p67bac460bcc6bffe090868358c36af8d/e87af643.jpg

Thoses pearls used to really make me sweat when I worked at a collision center! This one sounds like a mess and probably will need to repaint the entire car to get it perfect.

Not true they can spray base over the clear and then re clear it.

yes they can

so now you have (this is IF it was down to base metal for the first job)

1coat sealer
2coats(maybe more) sandable primer
2-3 coats of base
1 -2 coats of clear with pearl in it
1-2 coats of clear..

now you are gonna put another set of that, listed above over this..

thats one mighty thick layer of paint...

and, say by by to nice crisp body lines..

yes you CAN do it..
but not on my car.

You wont need a new sealer coat and I will bet you they wont take it down that far it will open a new can of worms.
They will wet sand it and start over.

Besides if you were to put on a design you would have that many coats.

I'm going to have to ask him why he went with a tri coat instead of the base/clear. Given that it is easier to match and shoot, I'd have gone for this option. I just said, paint it that color, figuring if it's an OEM color, it can't be that difficult.

I think the plan is to sand it and start over. The car is meant to be a driver, though we are already around 10 coats of paint because of the blend, I never though about the body lines. I ask him if he has any worries about the paint being so thick. Is cracking an issue?

My biggest concern right now is that he does take his time. Naturally he's going to be rushed to fix this problem but I'd hate to have sanding marks show through because of rushing.

Well it's going back tomorrow, hopefully in a month I'll have positive results.

Besides if you were to put on a design you would have that many coats.
DESIGN?????????/

murals/etc graphics??
o k ya you would..
but have you ever see that paint after a few years out in the weather..
and those are not the WHOLE car..
thick paint chips easier...
again.. they can put that many coats on it.(even if you count out the sealer) thats alot of paint..

and when it fails in a few years, after paying $$ to have it painted...
now you have to go down to metal..
who's wallet,, pays for that..
the shop... good luck...
sorry, I'd have them do it right...
not a half a$$ed fix.. that MAY come back to haunt you.. later..