Clear Coat Formulation Used on Viper Is What?

[Tom and Vipers]

The clear coat on my 00 appears to be a soft, pliable "plastic" rather than a glass hard crystaline coating.

At first, I thought this "soft" clear coat was inferior to a clear that has Rockwell C hardness.

Instead, it appears that this soft clear is highly resistant to stone chips. On a black car w/conventional clear (such as my 98 Camaro), stone chips leave a galaxy of white specs ranging from infinitely small to big nasty white craters.

My 00 GTS has 12k on it and there are NO whit stone chips visible! In fact, there is one bonefide stone chip which is small but definitely a chip out of the clear that does not have a white fracture surface.

It appears that the soft clear has a different kind of fracture surface that does not have that characteristic white color.

I talked with some paint suppliers and they insist that the soft clear is actually an inferior High Solvent clear and that the superior, hard as glass clear, is better and is a High Solids clear.

I don't buy it.

This Viper clear is superior and it is soft.

I am afraid that it is some kind of unobtainium water base EPA concoction.

I was going to use DuPont Chroma Premier to match the rest of the car, but it is a high solids hard clear and I really don't want a hard, white chipping clear on my front clip.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

 

[HP]

Tom, I haven't researched the paint specifics on the Viper, but
some of the problems I've seen in the past seem to be related to
2 things. I think the early production runs of the TT RX-7
had a 'soft' primer problem, so any impact actually fractured
the primer. Another problem has always been - either lack of
flex additive, or too much catalist added - causing an over
brittle clear coat. Regardless how superior the paint or what
type, sometimes the manufacturer just gets it wrong on early
production runs, and the problems don't surface until a year or so later. I've used Dupont Chroma-clear and had good results,
but the above mentions - do apply. The Chroma-clear is basically the same as the Imron(clear) - both made by Dupont. The difference is Chroma-clear is less expensive and is available in smaller units - so you don't have to buy more than you need
on small jobs.

 

[Jeff Torrey]

The color and clear cote are made by a company called Azco-Nobel. I was able to tour the ASC plant in Michigan last winter where they paint the Viper parts. Info comes directly from ASC.

 

[dansauto]

Yes it is Akzo Nobel. Web site is www.sikkens.net I tend to agree with HP as the primer will effect the apparent "hardness" of the top coat. All urethane clears are about the same and hardness is achieved by a catalist. Baking flows the paint and promotes a more unform surface (reduces orange peel) as well as acclerating the hardening process. Paints that have been baked tend to be a little more brittle than non-baking. But all urethanes retain some elastic properties unlike the enamels which when cure are brittle. Many painters do not even add flex additive to urethane based paints as they are already flexable enough. If your paint is real soft (you can leave a fingernail impression) then it or the primer was not cured properly. It may seem more resliant to chips, and it may be (like the chip/gravel guard coatings aroung the bottom of some new cars) but if the clear is not cured, the UV rays will break it down much sooner than if it were completely cured. Urthane is plastic and its natural enemy is Ultraviolet!

 

[HP]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dansauto:
Yes it is Akzo Nobel. Web site is www.sikkens.net I tend to agree with HP as the primer will effect the apparent "hardness" of the top coat. All urethane clears are about the same and hardness is achieved by a catalist. Baking flows the paint and promotes a more unform surface (reduces orange peel) as well as acclerating the hardening process. Paints that have been baked tend to be a little more brittle than non-baking. But all urethanes retain some elastic properties unlike the enamels which when cure are brittle. Many painters do not even add flex additive to urethane based paints as they are already flexable enough. If your paint is real soft (you can leave a fingernail impression) then it or the primer was not cured properly. It may seem more resliant to chips, and it may be (like the chip/gravel guard coatings aroung the bottom of some new cars) but if the clear is not cured, the UV rays will break it down much sooner than if it were completely cured. Urthane is plastic and its natural enemy is Ultraviolet!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Checked out the site, and apparently it is urethane.
Daniel, when I mentioned flex additive, I was speaking in generic terms, and wasn't necessarily refering to urethane.
I agree with your take on the curing & softness, it reminds
me of an over-reduced paint job, that was prevented from curing
completely. You sound like you know your paints.