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MG MG Y Type - Paint Quantity

G'Day,
The restoration of Y2924 has restarted after a large pause, I am hoping to have her painted by the end of our summer.
I will be painting her myself in acrylic
at home & I wonder if anyone who has done it before could tell me the amount of paint (final colour coats), I will need!
Thanks in advance, Mike.
Mike Stearn

Hi Mike

5 Litres or 1 Imperial Gallon (1.2 US Gallons) should give you plenty. Always have more than you will need because you will never again get exactly the right mix and you dont want a) run out half way through, or b) not have some for touch up.

A lot of buffing out required with acrylic though - hope you are feeling strong.

Paul
Paul Barrow

I still paint mine in cellulose applied with an an old Apollo spray outfit I bought nearly 30 years ago.I know it's no where near as good as modern paint systems but you can do it yourself fairly easily and if it's damaged or scratched you can rub it down and start again. Cellulose paint is also a lot less toxic than 2 pack paints/isocyanate based systems which are strictly for professionals to apply. Any damage and its back to the expensive paint shop only. The finish you get from cellulose can be polished up using T cut but there is no doubt that modern paints are better. Cellulose solvent/'thinners' by the way is highly flammable so needs careful storage and handling.
D MULLEN

Regardless of the relative merits of cellulose and 2K paints, my local supplier will no longer supply cellulose paints due to European Commission rules that apply to all member states. I believe that there are a few exceptions, but these are not generally appliccable to amateurs. I suppose you might be able to get some if you were on really good terms with the supplier.

Although by no means an expert, I have used 2-pack paint successfully to repair my wife's classic Mini (this is a regular requirement for Minis as rust was designed into them!) without any problems. If (when) it goes wrong, I found it easy to cut the paint back with either abrasive paper or compound and try again. It also responds well to compounding to bring up the final shine.

One problem is the curing of 2-pack paint, which is temperature related. If you are working in an unheated, or poorly heated garage or barn, as I am, it does take a long time to 'dry', increasing the risk of dust or flies in the finish.

I am currently waiting for some warmer weather to carry out some more extensive respraying on my 1934 Lanchester, using 2-pack paint. I might change my view on this material when I have finished!

Mike
M Long

I take your point on 2 pack paints Mike but I think 2 pack paints are isocyanate based and you do have to be VERY careful with them as you can develop 'occupational asthma' which is a serious lung condition which is usually irreversible. It is a health and safety issue in motor vehicle repair shops [apologies if you have experience of spraying and are aware of this]and HSE have spent a lot of time trying to improve conditions in body shops in recent years - if you go to the HSE website at

http://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/bodyshops.htm

you can get some information.


D MULLEN

Guys - My note has nothing to do with the subject but is about an excellent paint man whom I have found locally. He did a cracking job on repairing my n/s rear wing and running board which I cleverly creased a few months ago whilst trying to access my garage.
He also repainted the boot and bonnet and touched up the odd nicks etc around the car.

He is based in a unit near Southam, Warwickshire UK. So if anyone local to the area wants a quality job done and would like to see the result on my YT then please do contact me.

jerrybirkbeck@btinternet.com/ mobile 07855566325

All the best

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Thanks everyone. Looks like 5 litres it is!
The paint supplier can also put some in an aerosol can so that could be handy for later touch ups.
Mike.
Mike Stearn

You can now get two part in water base and solve all the hazards. Thats all thats going to be available here soon if not already.
Frank
F.G. Russell

I appreciate Dave Mullen's concern, but I am aware of the problems with 2-pack paints. I have been instructed by a professional.

Unfortunately, our unelected masters across the Channel have decreed that we can no longer use solvent based paints, just as they have banned proper light bulbs. This does cause difficulties for those of us who like to restore cars. It is a pity that those who make the rules do not have real lives outside their comfortable existances at our expense.

I remember a statement made by a lecturer when I was an Engineering student, many years ago now and before the advent of elf & safety. He said that we should always remember that rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.

In my professional experience in the construction industry, elf & safety and in particular the HSE tends to err very much on the side of caution. Although we should not ignore the hazards of 2-pack paints, I believe that if they are treated with caution, the risk to health from occasional use is very small.

Mike Long
M Long

That was just one of the better reasons I left the UK and have less desire to come back every day ... being told what I can and more often could NOT do by some guy in Europe.

However, one cannot blame the HSE for the way it has to operate. In these days of "stupid rules KO" one has to start at the bottom of the chain and write legislation to cater for "them wot dont no any bedda mate". The HSE has therefore to operate in the most conservative manner.

If we continue to make the same mistake of electing the same stupid people to run our governments for us (and thereby license them to write stupid laws) we cannot complain when they do. It is more bad on us for expecting a different outcome and this itself is the definition of stupidity - making the same mistake and expecting a different outcome.

What we have to do is reinstall into society the notion that you, and you alone are responsible for the outcome of your actions. Once society accepts this now alien notion and impliments it will any form of sanity return!

Ruefully yours,

Paul
Paul Barrow

This thread was discussed between 13/01/2011 and 16/01/2011

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