original paint thickness
03-04-2022, 02:19 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
original paint thickness
Hi all,
I believe my car to be original paint, based on not being able to find any overspray anywhere, and the general condition of the car - having limited documented history. But my experience is being put into question in my mind with some paint thickness measurements.
Can anyone with confirmed original paint, or through expert experience tell me what I should expect for paint thickness from the factory, and how this is best measured vs. cheap paint meters. How best to confirm if the car has been repainted either partially or completely? Everything I have come to know from years of collecting vintage cars tells me this one is original.
I'm getting the full exterior polished and detailed by a professional today so will post some fresh pictures tomorrow.
I believe my car to be original paint, based on not being able to find any overspray anywhere, and the general condition of the car - having limited documented history. But my experience is being put into question in my mind with some paint thickness measurements.
Can anyone with confirmed original paint, or through expert experience tell me what I should expect for paint thickness from the factory, and how this is best measured vs. cheap paint meters. How best to confirm if the car has been repainted either partially or completely? Everything I have come to know from years of collecting vintage cars tells me this one is original.
I'm getting the full exterior polished and detailed by a professional today so will post some fresh pictures tomorrow.
Last edited by gccch; 03-07-2022 at 08:00 PM.
03-05-2022, 05:00 PM
#2
My GP white 1993 is 3.5-4.5 mils on every panel. I use a cheap PaintGage FNF which may be NLA but looks almost identical to this one:
The difference between a repaint and original paint is quite significant (ie 1.5-3x) so precision down the the mil is not critical in my experience. If you need to measure a non-metal panel then the gauges start to get pricy.
The difference between a repaint and original paint is quite significant (ie 1.5-3x) so precision down the the mil is not critical in my experience. If you need to measure a non-metal panel then the gauges start to get pricy.
03-07-2022, 12:52 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
This is a subject which has no real answer. There are many opinions but who actually has 100% truth> ???
The 964 was a transitional car the last using their 26 stage paint process. They had just started switching over to waterborne paints and by 94 some solid colors went from Single stage to base clear. I have metered countless 964's over the years and although many can claim original paint not all are and others might read high but are factory original. It depends on so many factors and nothing is better than a trained eye.
I will say although I found cars with what I felt to be original paint there were outliers with readings as high as 9 possibly even 10Mils. It is rarely if ever an entire panel but more a small area that was probably an issue at the factory that went back more times than others to have minor imperfections corrected long before the color was applied. Usually I look a car over specifically the door jams and front and rear compartment edges and openings. Most shops will leave tape lines or smoking guns that will show as not original. If no lines than overspray will be noticed and these areas aren't shiny like from the factory. Then if i suspect anything I take out the meter and check.
Numbers are a gage not a be all and end all. I have cars that read 7 mils that are factory and others I took down to bare metal and repainted reading 7-7.5mils. It took a lot of work but an expert would be hard pressed to tell if the paint was original or not.
On average a panel, if never buffed, will read between 5 and 7 mils. Sometimes a panel can read higher or if buffed out expect to see 3.5-4.5 mils. Any lower than 3 and I would be concerned the paint is getting too thin. B/C at 2-2.5 Mils you will be burning through the clear. Single stage will start to show primer at 1.5 or so mils.
Normally when you start seeing above 7.5mils I start to get concerned and these sellers claiming original paint at 10+ mils is usually not the case. Also look how the panels read and fitment, one to the next this will tell you a lot. There are many factors and far more than I can say in just a thread. It took me decades to learn what I know and is not easily explained. When you see a factory original paint job it will enlighten you what a car should look like vs 85% of what is out there and is far from original.
The 964 was a transitional car the last using their 26 stage paint process. They had just started switching over to waterborne paints and by 94 some solid colors went from Single stage to base clear. I have metered countless 964's over the years and although many can claim original paint not all are and others might read high but are factory original. It depends on so many factors and nothing is better than a trained eye.
I will say although I found cars with what I felt to be original paint there were outliers with readings as high as 9 possibly even 10Mils. It is rarely if ever an entire panel but more a small area that was probably an issue at the factory that went back more times than others to have minor imperfections corrected long before the color was applied. Usually I look a car over specifically the door jams and front and rear compartment edges and openings. Most shops will leave tape lines or smoking guns that will show as not original. If no lines than overspray will be noticed and these areas aren't shiny like from the factory. Then if i suspect anything I take out the meter and check.
Numbers are a gage not a be all and end all. I have cars that read 7 mils that are factory and others I took down to bare metal and repainted reading 7-7.5mils. It took a lot of work but an expert would be hard pressed to tell if the paint was original or not.
On average a panel, if never buffed, will read between 5 and 7 mils. Sometimes a panel can read higher or if buffed out expect to see 3.5-4.5 mils. Any lower than 3 and I would be concerned the paint is getting too thin. B/C at 2-2.5 Mils you will be burning through the clear. Single stage will start to show primer at 1.5 or so mils.
Normally when you start seeing above 7.5mils I start to get concerned and these sellers claiming original paint at 10+ mils is usually not the case. Also look how the panels read and fitment, one to the next this will tell you a lot. There are many factors and far more than I can say in just a thread. It took me decades to learn what I know and is not easily explained. When you see a factory original paint job it will enlighten you what a car should look like vs 85% of what is out there and is far from original.
Last edited by cobalt; 03-07-2022 at 12:55 PM.
03-07-2022, 07:59 PM
#4
Racer
Thread Starter
This is a subject which has no real answer. There are many opinions but who actually has 100% truth> ???
The 964 was a transitional car the last using their 26 stage paint process. They had just started switching over to waterborne paints and by 94 some solid colors went from Single stage to base clear. I have metered countless 964's over the years and although many can claim original paint not all are and others might read high but are factory original. It depends on so many factors and nothing is better than a trained eye.
I will say although I found cars with what I felt to be original paint there were outliers with readings as high as 9 possibly even 10Mils. It is rarely if ever an entire panel but more a small area that was probably an issue at the factory that went back more times than others to have minor imperfections corrected long before the color was applied. Usually I look a car over specifically the door jams and front and rear compartment edges and openings. Most shops will leave tape lines or smoking guns that will show as not original. If no lines than overspray will be noticed and these areas aren't shiny like from the factory. Then if i suspect anything I take out the meter and check.
Numbers are a gage not a be all and end all. I have cars that read 7 mils that are factory and others I took down to bare metal and repainted reading 7-7.5mils. It took a lot of work but an expert would be hard pressed to tell if the paint was original or not.
On average a panel, if never buffed, will read between 5 and 7 mils. Sometimes a panel can read higher or if buffed out expect to see 3.5-4.5 mils. Any lower than 3 and I would be concerned the paint is getting too thin. B/C at 2-2.5 Mils you will be burning through the clear. Single stage will start to show primer at 1.5 or so mils.
Normally when you start seeing above 7.5mils I start to get concerned and these sellers claiming original paint at 10+ mils is usually not the case. Also look how the panels read and fitment, one to the next this will tell you a lot. There are many factors and far more than I can say in just a thread. It took me decades to learn what I know and is not easily explained. When you see a factory original paint job it will enlighten you what a car should look like vs 85% of what is out there and is far from original.
The 964 was a transitional car the last using their 26 stage paint process. They had just started switching over to waterborne paints and by 94 some solid colors went from Single stage to base clear. I have metered countless 964's over the years and although many can claim original paint not all are and others might read high but are factory original. It depends on so many factors and nothing is better than a trained eye.
I will say although I found cars with what I felt to be original paint there were outliers with readings as high as 9 possibly even 10Mils. It is rarely if ever an entire panel but more a small area that was probably an issue at the factory that went back more times than others to have minor imperfections corrected long before the color was applied. Usually I look a car over specifically the door jams and front and rear compartment edges and openings. Most shops will leave tape lines or smoking guns that will show as not original. If no lines than overspray will be noticed and these areas aren't shiny like from the factory. Then if i suspect anything I take out the meter and check.
Numbers are a gage not a be all and end all. I have cars that read 7 mils that are factory and others I took down to bare metal and repainted reading 7-7.5mils. It took a lot of work but an expert would be hard pressed to tell if the paint was original or not.
On average a panel, if never buffed, will read between 5 and 7 mils. Sometimes a panel can read higher or if buffed out expect to see 3.5-4.5 mils. Any lower than 3 and I would be concerned the paint is getting too thin. B/C at 2-2.5 Mils you will be burning through the clear. Single stage will start to show primer at 1.5 or so mils.
Normally when you start seeing above 7.5mils I start to get concerned and these sellers claiming original paint at 10+ mils is usually not the case. Also look how the panels read and fitment, one to the next this will tell you a lot. There are many factors and far more than I can say in just a thread. It took me decades to learn what I know and is not easily explained. When you see a factory original paint job it will enlighten you what a car should look like vs 85% of what is out there and is far from original.
I did learn some new things about the paint on my car after a good detail and also when having my hardtop painted to match. Bottom line is I'm happy with what I have and will be happy to show it off and learn more in the process.
