Clear Coat Over GCI 383 Green

[swinters]

I'm trying to find a compatible gloss clear coat that I can lay over the GCI 383 Green. I've spent days going through threads here trying to find something definitive but am not having any luck. There's a lot of discussion on here but I'm not finding anything that closes the loop. It's probably there somewhere but it's evading me. I sent notes to GCI and RAPCO and no luck there either.

I've painted several vehicles for people using GCI paints and was going to do another last year for a friend so bought the paint and then ended up not doing the job (truck went sideways on a climb and is now a parts truck) so now have a gallon of 383 Green to use. I have an enclosed utility trailer that needs paint and figured it'd look nice with that shade of green, especially when towing it behind my CUCV. I'd like it to be gloss so figured I'd shoot it with the 383 Green and then clear coat it but haven't been able to find a clear coat that I can be sure will be compatible with the GCI Alkyd Enamel. I always use clear coat systems from the same manufacturer so this is something new for me.

Does anyone know which clear coats are compatible?

 

[cucvrus]

Used this on a faded old truck. It worked great. Designed for covering a roof when the flat color don't cut for you.http://www.calbarinc.com/nutshell.html

 

[nyoffroad]

No need to to clear coat it and end up with possible delam/ future touch up problems, just use a hardener for enamel . Use a generic or Dupont, PPG ectara. One pint per gallon of unreduced enamel and just a tad reducer and first coat spray it light (tack coat) 2nd and 3rd coats lay it on.

 

[hndrsonj]

Go into your local NAPA and ask the paint guy for 1/2 pint gloss clear and do a test piece. Pretty sure I've painted Omni MTK (single Stage) over Rapco paint. If that works, the clear should too.

 

[swinters]

Thanks for the replies and sorry about not replying sooner. I had to put the paint job on hold when they decided to take out the tumor on my left side behind my ear (acoustic neuroma) and the recovery has been a struggle. Good to go now so am getting ready to do this job as soon as the trees are done coating everything with pollen. Years ago when I first went to work for the Army I worked in the paint shop and we were camouflaging all of the trucks, tanks and so on with the 4 color camouflage and I painted hundreds of vehicles with that, plus did a bunch of firetrucks when they changed from red to chrome yellow, and some other odds and ends but other than some off-road stuff like dozers, graders and forklifts, and 4 years in the Navy where everyone does plenty of chipping and painting I don't have a lot of painting experience. I can lay it on really nice but when it comes the mixing and other options I'm rusty with what I know and it's pretty outdated. I'm going to do a test with the hardener and shoot a couple of test panels when I do the trailer, then clear coat one of them to see what I get. We'll see how this comes out but I'm not too worried. It's just a friggin' trailer. Looking at my CUCV it's going to need paint soon too, so It'll probably be next and I'll be way ahead on which way I want to do it. Anyway, thanks again for the great advice. I'll post photos when I do the job.

 

[glcaines]

When I was in the Army 1970-71, guys that were repainting vehicles with the green semi-gloss always tried to sneak in some diesel fuel into the paint before spraying. It was totally against the regs because it made the paint shine really good. However, I am NOT recommending anyone add diesel fuel to Gillespie 383 as I have no clue what the results would be.

 

[Bob H]

Heck just thin the 383 with 1/3rd Zylene. Gets pretty shiny that way. Other than that it is just an enamel, use the hardener then clear it.