i was maybe half done,....once.

[jeremy tomeselli]

here's the short story, bear with me: i have a 70 el camino, for more reasons than i care to relate, i decided to just use cheap (kirker) candy apple red acrylic enamel. i tested it on the tail gate and in the bed and it seemed too dark over the black primer, so i scuffed the red and shot another coat and was surprisingly happy with the results as they stood, even without any polishing or buffing... so, i sprayed the rest of the car and wet sanded it, got another gallon of paint and was about ready to finish it and promptly got sick.
with that and a few other events and circumstances, 4, almost 5 years later the car is still at the stage described above, a coat of acrylic enamel, then wet sanded, 600 grit if i remember right, maybe 400.
now that i want to finish it i'm not sure how to proceed.
first, i'm leery about paint that i wasn't real confident about to begin with sitting that long. when i checked the paint4cars website i saw they now offer a cc/bc urethane paint but i figure if i'm going that route i will spring for a more expensive system, then i saw some forums threads about acrylic urethane ss paint and got curious/confused. the big questions are: 1. can acrylic enamel sit that long and still be useable? 2. can i shoot either 2k urethane or the ss acrylic urethane over the enamel without sealing it or worst case scenario, sanding it all off down to the primer? i thought i read a post that said urethane bc/cc were basically enamels with additives.
bottom line is, i'm hoping that i can shoot a ss acrylic urethane over acrylic enamel w/o sanding or sealing? and if not, can i shoot bs/cc urethane over the enamel? i'm thinking if you can or can't for one paint the other is the same or similar.
so if anyone can answer those questions or has a "if it were mine, what i'd do is..." type of suggestion, i'd appreciate hearing them greatly.
i'm also considering the maaco/earl shieb deal since all the trim is off and body work done but, i still need to know if i have to seal or sand before turning it over to them to spray and buff.

thanks in advance for any help and/or suggestions rendered.

 

[tomsteve]

glad to hear your health has improved and you car stayed next you you for the duration! personally, i say spray it yourself. you had to have done a lot of prep work, and will probably do more to get it ready for paint again. as far as the maaco/shieb thing, i do believe they can finish it anyway you would want, it depends on what's done, what you want done, and how much yer willing to spend. but i still say spray it yourself. then, when she's all done and gleaming, you can pull her onto the grass, sit back in a chair, and admire the work you did!