Clear Coat type

noroad

noroad

New member
What is the best Clear coat? Looking to get something that can take a beating! what have you guys used/recommend!
 
Rattle type of regular gun?

If it's the regular gun the amount of hardener has a big impact. The harder it is the more it will resist scratching, but the less it will deflect before chipping.

If rattle can the hardener ratio is set. I have used Rustoleum "Crystal Clear" but have has some troubles with it. If the paint is not COMPLETELY set up the thinners in the clear will cause wrinkling in the base color. This sucks as the only fix is to sand it off and start over. It does work well though on things like Bilstein shocks. (Spray them when new to help with oxidation.)

I assume this is prep for the cage?
 
I've been talking to my neighbor who works in an auto paint shop and he tells me there are ceramic clear coat that are very scratch resistant.I'm thinking about having my red Jeep touched up and clear coated
 
jeeeep said:
I've been talking to my neighbor who works in an auto paint shop and he tells me there are ceramic clear coat that are very scratch resistant.I'm thinking about having my red Jeep touched up and clear coated
Click to expand...

Does it come in a can? What is the name. the main problem is going to be the soft top going down and up hitting the cage.
 
If you want a true clear coat out of a rattle can you need to look into "Spray Max 2k Urethane Glamour Coat" it's more pricey but I promise you will get much better results than any other brand. I do a lot of touch ups, fiberglass work and etc on the side and nothing has come close to that. Of course when I spray from a gun, it comes out a little smoother right off the bat but nothing a little Polish wouldn't smooth out. I will try to find a picture of some wheels I did a couple months ago
 
This was black base coat, one coat of metallic rattle can clear, and 2 coats of the Spray Max 2k. I ended up doing about 4-5 coats per wheel so you can imagine how much more depth I got over this picture.
 

Attachments

  • 1442855712172.jpg
    1442855712172.jpg
    74.2 KB · Views: 139
Also the Spray Max 2k has a built in "container" of hardener that you have to hit the bottom of the can with the provided attachment. This is what makes the clear a true clear coat. It add the hardener, you shake, then spray. It does not have a good shelf life. I've seen anywhere from 24-48 hrs after you add the hardener depending on storing conditions. Another tip is that 2k Urethane clear is pretty damn tough. Take your time with it because it's not cheap stuff and will run like spraying from a gun if you rush it.
 
James720 said:
If you want a true clear coat out of a rattle can you need to look into "Spray Max 2k Urethane Glamour Coat" it's more pricey but I promise you will get much better results than any other brand. I do a lot of touch ups, fiberglass work and etc on the side and nothing has come close to that. Of course when I spray from a gun, it comes out a little smoother right off the bat but nothing a little Polish wouldn't smooth out. I will try to find a picture of some wheels I did a couple months ago
Click to expand...

very cool is that something I can get in a can at a auto body shop?
 
Shops local to me (Baton Rouge area until I move) do carry it. If not amazon sells it for about $22 a can. I buy our local stores out a lot and end up ordering some too. Call and ask they should know right off hand what it is
 
I also painted these wheels in 2013 for my old little Colorado. They were silver Tahoe 20s and I sprayed them with 4 coats of black base, then 4 coats per wheel of the Spray Max and polished them as good as I could. They still shine like this today with the new owner of the truck
 

Attachments

  • 1442856378662.jpg
    1442856378662.jpg
    45.3 KB · Views: 136
  • 1442856399403.jpg
    1442856399403.jpg
    41.6 KB · Views: 122
Actually the wheels on my Durango. Factory clearcoat is shot and looks like crap. Thinking of painting wheels black and then clearcoating.
This stuff looks like the ticket. Also going to paint my shocks but that will only take 1 can.
 
Although it's pricey... I normally do one can per wheel to be safe. You can get away with less but you wont get the same amount of protection and as much room for cut/buff. I color matched a set of 22s for a friend of mines Silverado and used one can per wheel and it was cutting it close. But it was a big wheel with a lot of lip to cover.
 
jnabird333 said:
Rattle type of regular gun?

If it's the regular gun the amount of hardener has a big impact. The harder it is the more it will resist scratching, but the less it will deflect before chipping.

If rattle can the hardener ratio is set. I have used Rustoleum "Crystal Clear" but have has some troubles with it. If the paint is not COMPLETELY set up the thinners in the clear will cause wrinkling in the base color. This sucks as the only fix is to sand it off and start over. It does work well though on things like Bilstein shocks. (Spray them when new to help with oxidation.)

I assume this is prep for the cage?
Click to expand...

Speaking of clearing the bilstein shocks, did it help the finish last longer? I don't want mine to look terrible after only having them a few months
 
JakeJK said:
Speaking of clearing the bilstein shocks, did it help the finish last longer? I don't want mine to look terrible after only having them a few months
Click to expand...

It does help some, but honestly the best thing I've found is to regularly wipe them off with silicone based WD-40.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom