I use a shopline JC630 as one of my goto clears. I really like how easy it is to buff.

diy68chev wrote:I see you recommend the Tamco clear. Is it better than the Urekem or ********** clears? How does a person know a good clear or primer?

I can't speak to the other products; have had zero experience with one and very limited experience with the other.

What makes a clear good is somewhat subjective. To me having consistency from gallon to gallon is important. Ease of application. Ease of buffing and gloss hold-out are important. Long term durability is important. Price is important. I really like the HC-2100 clear, for me it hits all these points.

On the primer, it's a much more obvious difference. The Tamco HP-5310 (or 5311) is a true DTM primer that does it all. This stuff has zero shrink and it provides a surface that is 100% ready to paint over with no need for sealer. It sands easily, and it has been consistently perfect through all the kits we've consumed here at Autobody101 headquarters. Look at the reviews on the sales page for this primer. This is around 1/10th of the feedback I've received over the last two years.

At the end of the day you have to make a choice you're comfortable with. So take what I say, do more research...it's tough to really screw up if you do even minor research on your choices.

I used this paint on a quad i painted for a buddy. I needed some cool colors for a girl and they were the best as far as pricing. HOK was too expensive for the project. Overall i liked it. I taped on it and all the lettering is paint. No issues and the coverage was great.

diy68chev,

Some things come down to personal preference. Once you get out of the re-branded lines and into a high quality paint line, the clears, bases, reducers are all excellent choices.
Personal preference comes from using a certain line and liking how it works for you. I admit to preferring ********** primers and clears because I have had good success with them for a number of years now. Truth is I don't venture out and try anything else because their products are working for me.
********** sells a very limited number of base coats (Look at my 2000 Ultra Classic project for a glimpse of their Black Black Base and Euro Clear) so I have been using Pro Spray and Wanda to fill that void.
Recently I have sprayed a couple of gallons of Tamco DTM 2k primer and like it a lot. Does everything they claim that it does and is very reasonably priced. I have not sprayed their clear coats but plan to give them a try sometime in the future.
If you want your project to turn out right with minimum problems with your materials then I suggest you move above the bargain brands and go with products recommended by people who paint regularly.

Thank You for all the replies. Just a couple more questions. I know I have to make a choice.

orangejuiced86,
What brand paint did you use on the quad? Looks like it came out very nice. I like that purple color.

'68 Coronet R/T,
What brands are you saying are bargain brands?

Chris,
When you are using the Tamco clear what base brand do you typically use?

Spies Hecker. I have access to a mixing bank.

diy68chev wrote:Thank You for all the replies. Just a couple more questions. I know I have to make a choice.

orangejuiced86,
What brand paint did you use on the quad? Looks like it came out very nice. I like that purple color.

'68 Coronet R/T,
What brands are you saying are bargain brands?

Chris,
When you are using the Tamco clear what base brand do you typically use?

I think what OJ86 is saying is that the paint he used on the quad as Urekem---I will be spraying one of their candy colors on a small project soon and I will share my thoughts afterward---

Here is a review of Urekem based on my experience---
I just do this stuff as a hobby so someone with more experience may be able to provide better info than me but I will share my thoughts.

Before I ordered anything I sent them some technical questions about their products. This was on a weekend and I didn't expect an answer back until Monday or Tuesday but to my surprise they actually answered my questions on the weekend.

I ordered a Moto kit of candy apple red for a small project I had. It came with a quart of silver base , quart of apple red candy, and a quart of UC-210 glamour clear. (also enough reducer and activator for all the products) Took four days to ship to my location in Ohio.

The stellar silver base didn't cover real well and I had to put quite a bit on to cover some sand through areas.---Probably should have went with a sealer before applying the silver. The metallic control was not as good as some higher end base I had sprayed but I managed to get it to lay out ok.

I was a bit worried about the red candy because I had never sprayed candy before . I was pleasantly surprised with how it went on. I was tempted to stop after one coat because I liked how it looked but I went ahead and put a second coat on. No real complaints about the candy, seemed to go on pretty easy-

The UC-210 clear also went on well and laid pretty nice. Got a small run in one spot but overall it went on well with minimal orange peal.

I would use their products again. ---A little disappointed with the silver but I was using a new gun that I had never sprayed metallic base with before and I should have put a sealer down first.

Hope this info helps someone--