1969 Camaro (COPO) steel wheel paint

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I painted my car with base/clear, but got a pint of single stage mixed up just for the wheels and overspray areas so I would have to mess with the clearcoat in those areas. I was afraid that I would get clearcoat on the non-painted areas and it would look hokey. So, I sprung for a pint of single stage.

[Bob]

I just painted my steel wheels and underside overspray with single stage. I have debated back and forth about what to use on the car body and had decided on single stage. After reading Marlin's post, it looks like the debate continues.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I no paint expert, but have received advice that single stage is just fine for the life that these cars will receive. It's easier than 2 stage!

[firstgenaddict]

The problem with single stage (especially metallics) they are incredibly difficult to touch up and blend... you can panel repair them if you keep extra paint but spotting in catlyzed enamel is next to impossible!

[Bob]

I've read a fair amount but have little practical experience when it comes to painting. From what I've read, you are right on about the metallics; for non-metallics there seems to be pros and cons about single stage vs. BC/CC and comes down to what the painter likes best based on his personal preference.

[69Tom]

Well, I had initially planned on using a single stage on the entire car. However, after much questioning, due to the fact it's LeMans Blue which is a metallic, I was told I'd be much better off using a base/clear. Would the single stage metallic look lousy on the wheels? Although the wheels aren't as important as the body, I certainly don't want them looking strange.

[69Tom]

In case you're interested, this is what JohnZ wrote over on team Camaro in response to my question regarding the original wheel painting process...

The steel wheels were received raw in rail cars, and sent through a hot cleaning and iron phosphating system, then dip-primed or flow-coated with black primer and baked. Then they they were mounted on spinning hubs on racks (5 wheels to a rack) on a conveyor and the outer face of the wheel was sprayed with body color gloss wheel enamel, and they were baked again. From there they were conveyed to the tire mounting and balancing system. Only the outer face of the wheel had body color on it.