TouchUp Direct (the supplier of the base coat) notes on its website that the best way to get the true factory color is to cover the base coat with a clear coat. I did not do this pre-Big Bear partly due to time and partly due to my perhaps erroneous belief that keeping the base coat as the top coat would make touch ups easier. What I didn't process at the time, I didn't process how quick and cheap it would be to paint the rig in clear coat. So I headed over to my favorite auto parts store (Amazon.com) and ordered a six pack of these:
I did a down-and-dirty mask of the vehicle using what was left of the tape and brown paper from the base coat paint job. Honestly, if I got a little clear lacquer on any of the unmasked areas, I wasn't going to care. I had to keep telling myself that this was a $300 paint job tip to tail, base and clear and equipment, and my target was "good enough" rather than "good." Just like on all my woodworking projects (furniture, instruments, and the like), I will always see every blemish no matter how good the item looks to others.
I thought it was going to take me all day, with several hours between coats (which is how it was when I applied nitrocellulose lacquer to an old Silvertone guitar I was restoring). But upon reading the directions, I learned that it was about ten minutes between coats. What that meant, in actuality, was constant painting. It took about one full can to do half the Jeep. I started on the left side of the hood and valance, worked my way down the side, and finished up on tailgate. I then grabbed a second can, shook it for a while, started on the tailgate, and worked my way up to the passenger side hood and valance. By the time I was done doing that, the front left was dry and I could start over again. Basically, it was an hour of constant painting, and my right index finger went numb.
Side note: as I was masking up the rig again, I just didn't feel like doing a great job on it, obviously, but I also had a revelation. If I paint the faded taillight housings, I might be able to get them to look a bit better, if not be any better. Here's what they looked like before:
And now after. A little fresher and cleaner, which is nice.
Done, but not quite buttoned up yet. A few pieces to put back on.
I am quite pleased with the color and the consistency of the clear coat. It did indeed darker just a bit and better match the original color. At times, it looked blotchy just like the base coat did, but the top coat evened out nicely. A good day's work.
