so im thinking about doing my daily driven 64 el camino in blitz black. reasons being that its cheap, doesn't show ripples/waves/body imperfections as badly, and in my head looks mean. my question is how this stuff holds up long term. this truck is only parked indoors when im working on it. gets driven in rain, sleet, snow, salt, mud, blistering sun, etc. im located in NC, but my normal rounds take me from PA to FL, so itll see a little of everything. how does this stuff hold up over 3-5 years of these conditions? does it chalk in these conditions? how is it to maintain and keep clean? does bird crap/ bugs come out? any scratiching/rubbing/buffing effects from it being a satin? (I usually use an automated brush style car wash on the dailys) is it really as durable to abuse and neglect as im led to believe? thanks guys. ive been googling/researching my brains out, and have not found the answer to these questions. Michael
Michael, painted a 65 Chevelle (2 yrs) ago. Have just recently sold the car but I liked the John Deere Blitz Black. The previous paint was faded and I did some minor body work so I can only tell you it worked well from that point. I first used high build primer (not JD brand), block and wet sanded. The BB went on well and shot great. No tiger stripes or runs. I used JD BB spray cans to do door jams and spots that are hard to reach first. I had the car (2 yrs.) outside the whole time and hand washed often. Never faded or turned chalky. Satin finish remained just the way I needed it. I have plans to do another trk. soon. TIPS - I can share. (1) read all the write ups. (2) I used JD reducer and hardner. (3) Buy quarts cans, a little more money but I used only what I needed and had none left over. I used (3) quarts since I did door jams with JD BB in spray can. Good luck.
None of the flat, or semi gloss finishes will hold up as well as shiny paint in the long term. It's just the nature of the beast. I even shot my truck in Dupont Hot Rod black ( which is a catalyzed urethane finish, better quality than Deere's enamel), and it looked pretty shabby in 2-3 years. Much harder to clean, and stains easily. So far I've done the truck over twice in 7 years, as it doesn't hold up well in the elements.
Blitz black should be fine since it's made as a top coat and has it's own UV protection. Things like Hot Rod Black don't hold up at all because they aren't meant to be used as a top coat and have no UV protection or sealing properties and will actually cause your car to rust faster because they absorb moisture. Epoxy primer/sealer is a little better but laquer should NEVER be used for the suede look unless you plan on re-painting it in a month or less. If you want flat paint in colors, PPG makes a line of industrial single stage enamels called the "ALK" modified alkyd enamel, it's available in gloss, semi glass and flat and is actually made to be a top coat. I got a gallon of paint, activator, and spray mask filters for $85 a couple of weeks ago. Good stuff.
Sorry,but I disagree with you as to the durability of the semi gloss black,,at least the product I used. I don't know anything about blitz black but I used "Kirker Semi Gloss black" on my deuce pickup and it still looks as good today as it did when it was painted in 2007. Having the username of hotrodprimer didn't just fall out of the sky,I have been the guy that used every primer that came out trying to achieve a simple hot rod look for the last 40 years. The only problem is that it looked good for the short term,washing dulled it,sun dulled it,bird sh*t killed it and after a few months that great looking finish had weathered,dulled and turned chalky..plain and simple it looks like crap! I'm sold on Kirker and it is my go to primer look from now on. HRP http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=262&pictureid=259678
my friend and i painted (i just helped) my 37 back in 05 or 06 with Blitz Black. used JD primer over some zincchrome primer. has held up very well (except for a gaddamn cat gettin into my garage and scratchin it all up). i would use it again.
I used SEM Hot Rod Black on a number of projects, and it has held up really well to gasoline, and the elements.... this is a Urethane single stage and has UV protection... been on my OT muscle car for 3 years, and looks like the day I shot it.... Tom
the Blitz black on my `28 tudor looks as good today as it did the day i shot it in 1996. it has no hardener in it. to be fair , it doesn't get driven much and only has spent a few nights outside. the Blitz on my `36 still looks great after painting it in the fall of 2007 with the JD hardener. it has been driven a lot more and been exposed to the elements...maybe not as much as a daily driver , but it has been in the sun and rain many times. with a light coat of Lemon Pledge on my `36 it cleans up real nice
I just scuffed the old paint and shot it,,on the new metal bed I used what I had,,,napa etching primer as a base. HRP
If HRP says it works, then it works. His truck is the bomb and I asked him years ago what he used to achieve a perfect suede look! Never did get my project done tho....