Paint Question

[ChopperJustin]

So this is on topic, but kind of off-topic at the same time, but hopefully we have some paint guys here that can chime in.

One of the helo's I maintain was painted with Dupont Imron about 3 1/2 years ago(white base coat/clear topcoat). We have an area on the tailboom where the clearcoat is basically spider-webbing from heat. I can use a high speed buffer to cut down on the lines, but it's obvious it's gotten bad enough to where it's cracked through to the base coat. To the average joe the area looks like someone took a brillo bad and went to town. I'm setting up for a re-paint, but I do not want to go back to Dupont again if this is the quality of their clearcoat.

Anyone here have issues with this type of paint? Could the clearcoat have been mixed improperly? Anyone experience this type of spiderwebbing near high-heat areas on their roadsters/coupes etc...?

Thanks guys

[Gordon Levy]

Spiderwebbing usually isn't something you see with Imron unless someone put way to much paint on the car. What is more likely is shrinkage from sanding. If previous materials like body filler or primer were finish sanded with to coarse of paper or the primers weren't allowed to dry completely before the top coasts were applied. Over time the top coat shrinks up and it like like you can see all the sanding scratched. It can be sanded out with 800 grit wet/dry sand paper and resprayed.

[ChopperJustin]

The boom is aluminum alloy. etche, alodine, yellow prime were all done in Europe, months before the white/clear were applied. This is definitey heat related as the rest of the helocopter is as beautiful as the day it came out of the booth. I could take 800 or 1000 grit to the clear, but it would be useless. The cracking has exposed the base coat to exhaust soot. The white is stained yellow. Repainting the boom is the only "real" fix.

Gordon, what comapny do use use to supply your paint? ppg? Dupont? SW?

[Gordon Levy]

I use PPG. Imron is really old technology when it comes to paint. It sounds like hard core heat cracks. No paint wilol stand up unless you do some insulating.

[riptide motorsport]

Gorden is spot on............Steven

[ChopperJustin]

Gorden is spot on............Steven

Thanks a bunch guys. This helps.