Auto body repair & detailing: Clear Coat over single stage?, clear-coat, clear over single stage

Question
Hi Gary, I have an older ('84) Mercedes which had, at one time, been repainted in single stage burgundy. There are a few runs and the paint is now extremely chalky. I'm considering trying to sand the single stage down and clear over that. Is that likely to be a reasonable solution or will I be setting myself up for more work? We use Valspar products at work but I can get PPG as well. I'm also curious about the likelihood of doing this myself. I have limited paint experience but I've been around body shops most of my life.

Answer
Hi Jacob,

It will depends on whether it's a solid color or metallic/pearl finish. Solid colors can be sanded and cleared usually with no problems provided you don't sand through the paint anywhere. If the color is metallic or pearl you won't be able to sand the finish without damaging the metallics or pearls and making them look streaky. Pretty much any clear-coat finish will work over the existing color but of coarse I recommend PPG products. Prep the surface with 1000 grit wet so the clear will have something to stick to. The real trick with spraying clear-coat that most guys over look is lighting. If you don't have adequate lighting it will be hard to see the clear going on as you spray it thus leading to runs and dry spray. Prep work, gun setup, mixing, and finish work is always much harder than pulling the trigger of a spray-gun. If you feel comfortable enough to do those well spraying shouldn't be a problem for you. If you're still hesitant I would ask around some of the shops you are familiar with and see if you can find someone to coach you a bit. Good Luck with it and feel free to ask any other questions you may have.