Hi all,

The short version: should I mix ghost pearl into clear, or use a dedicated midcoat? This is over a white base. See pic below - that's what I'm going for.

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More info: I've been reading this board and others for a LONG time in preparation for painting my project car, a 1993 Toyota MR2. Those who remember Mr Two will know it's a very small car. Also, almost every panel comes off; everything but the roof (which is just a small five-inch strip, since I have t-tops) and the rear quarter panels.

I plan to do a panel-by-panel job, since I have a small compressor (33 gallon). The car has no rust and needs very little body work, just some door dings and waviness here and there, so I plan to primer with polyester and block sand with guide coat until level.

I'm painting it its original white, but want to add a purple ghost pearl to it. I know this can be added to the clear, or to a dedicated midcoat. My question is, which would be better for me, a newbie? A ghosting effect over a white base doesn't seem like it would require much pearl, as I don't want to go too heavy and blush out the white base. I want a subtle irridescent effect. My instinct is that there is less room for error if I just mix the pearl into clear until I get the desired effect, and then finish with clear only, to protect the pearl and allow for wetsanding and buffing. Am I on the right track here, or should I use a dedicated midcoat? I don't mind spending the extra money, I just worry that the extra stage is another opportunity for me to get something wrong in terms of flash times, compatability, etc.

If the latter, if anyone has any recommendations for a compatible base-mid-clear combination, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for any info and help!

No question about it. Mid coat. Basecoat chemistry clear. You want the mica to freeze in the paint, at various angles for the best pearl look. In a topcoat type clear, it takes longer to harden, so the flakes have a chance to settle down, and not be as reflective. You want a final clear to protect the mica flakes, against the environment, and if you sand and buff.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Listen to him. I don't care if it's pearl or up to bass boat flake you need to "lock down" special effects. They can't be allowed to "drift" in those clears as mentioned. I read now and then where guys will get away with putting candies in topcoat clears. All I can say is they just got lucky because I've seen the dyes from candies "bleed"up making a mottled mess of the cut/buff. Just so you understand....intercoat is clear base coat. PPG, HOK, Tamco, and just about any reputable paint line will have good intercoats.

Thank you sirs, great advice which I will follow. Midcoat it is.

While I have you...I'm in North Carolina, where it is extremely hot and humid and will be until mid-late September, or even later. I'm thinking I should wait until then to actually paint? I'll be painting in a positive-pressure garage style booth (I don't have an actual garage, unfortunately, just a covered backyard patio where I will construct said booth). So I'll be very much at the whims of temperature and humidity. I am taking my time and constructing a copper pipe water trap/separator, and will get the best filters I can afford.

Well, if you really check your hourly weather on your phone you'll see a bottom point to the daily temps. Just make sure all your additives are "slow." I've shot between 1 and 4 in the morning for that very reason. Temp.s start coming up from there and you get a good cure with the extra heat. Humidity isn't that much of a concern with modern urethanes.
Now, what is of concern is that compressor. Sounds like you understand it is going to make a lot of water depending on how long you shoot. I know you say you are going to do panel by panel but you are going to have to shoot that pearl in a very controlled manner. You should really "explode" the panels out from the car in the orientation they appear. In other words, don't lay down the doors or side panels. The Fieros (I've had 5) are a lot like your car. On several of the kits I moved and jigged the panels or new rear clip out from the frame/cage.

Thanks again Darrel, more great advice. I'm a very early riser anyway thanks to needy dogs, so shooting early morning sounds like a good plan. I do plan on doing the panels in contiguous fashion. When I shoot the primer, I'll get an idea of how much the compressor runs/how well my filtration is working, and that'll help me understand how much I can shoot at once. These are small cars and small panels, as you know, so I'm hoping I'll be able to do a decent amount at a time without over-stressing the compressor.

Currently my biggest obstacle is no 220v outlet downstairs, so I have to figure that one out before anything else happens.

Yeah, rounds of primer will indeed tell you how things will work..... On your 220 outlet, what is your closest stove or dryer outlet? You could go heavy duty 220 extension cord out of one of those. Next, I'd be looking at where your main box is located. In my old neighborhood the kid down the street had some room in their box so we added a breaker and plug in about 4 foot from his box and plugged in and then ran hose out to his garage. Wasn't perfect but got the job done.

I have a dryer outlet right on the other side of the wall from my (tiny) workshop. I can easily cut an access hole through that wall (it's just drywall/plywood and insulation). The compressor plug is 20 amp but it's a different shape than the outlet (and doesn't reach even if I change the plug type) and I'm not finding any compatible extension cord plug shape/sizes that are also 20 amp, but they have to be out there. The main breaker box is also in that workshop but it's already full.

I'd do 2 searches on Amazon.... One for "220 volt extension cord" and the other would be for "220 volt adapter plug." I would think once you narrow down what you need they might even be available locally.

Found some adapter plugs that will do the trick. I also realized I can pretty easily swap out the end of the extension cord that goes into the outlet with one that fits a dryer plug. So this should be resolved in short order. Exciting. Full speed ahead with bodywork and plumbing up the dryer/filter setup. Really appreciate your advice, Darrel!