Mill readings

DATEC

Member
It's been awhile since I followed the mill readings of paint thickness. Does anybody know or can make a list of mill readings and what would be, say, new factory, repaint, body work and paint. I know a new factory car and a good restoration job would read differant a good restoration job would read thicker then factory, which would make for a better longer lasting project. What would those restoration readings look like compared to a factory reading?

Now with all that, what would a non quality reading be? I know that can be a tricky question but in the real world not Chip Foose or Troy Trepanier quality that is totally differant those boys have mad talent and on a million plus vehicle built from scratch that would be unfair to compare against.

Has anyone followed their job to the end to see where they stood on mill thickness? The next major job I do I will, just to see where it stands.
 
I blue print every job I have ever done if a restoration, (makes car more valuable on sale) so I mil every product but that and 50 cents will get you a half a cup of coffee as way to many factors.
Most new cars are 4.2 to 4.8 with ecoat, base and clear.
My 2016 F250 Blue jeans blue 4.5 mils.
2015 GL550 blue metallic 4.7 mils
2016 pearl red Mustang employee got last week 4.5 mils.
2016 employee f150 limited blue 4.5 mils.
Some I did off memory over years.
57 t-bird 26 to 28 mils
black 55 chev 22-26 mils here and there.
SL 280 red 18-22 mils
Black Gto 18- 24 here and there.
Red 69 12-16 miles, all new panels (cheating) lol
SL silver 450 16-18 mils
 
over the years i have found that the majority of paint problems always leads back to mill thickness. on a factory car when you have 4 mills an emblem or handle will not dig in. when you have 20 mills it is a different story. this is why i always tell folks to sand off as much as possible especially on edges or where handles or door lock go. otherwise you will have hell getting those clips on .
 
over the years i have found that the majority of paint problems always leads back to mill thickness. on a factory car when you have 4 mills an emblem or handle will not dig in. when you have 20 mills it is a different story. this is why i always tell folks to sand off as much as possible especially on edges or where handles or door lock go. otherwise you will have hell getting those clips on .

Oh you are right and its a problem when doing high end work because of the slow down of curing.
Shops that do this everyday a lot of them say, even though car may not leave for 3 to 6 months after painting they will still just snug door handles and other bolt on items that can move the paint and tell customer to bring back car in six months or year depending how the guy uses the car and time of year they get it done allowing for coll temps and at that time they will tighten everything. A number of them said also at that time the will do a quick buff allowing for any die-back that customer won't notice but they do.
 
i think the number one mistake diy guys make is piling on primer and not removing enough . i've said it before solvents aint your friend.
 
well since i cant edit. excessive filler or primer around door locks will doom your job. i want raw steel or glass in these areas before sealer . i also try to sand the clear down around them .
 
I agree with shine on the points he mentioned.
I remember years ago guys would brag they had 20-25 coats of lacquer on their car. "Why" would be my response or "gee that's too bad"! I could go on.

I see problems with excessive buildup on motorcycle fenders particularly custom fenders with flat sides where they bolt to the front end legs. They bolt them up tight and soon the paint squeezes out, then fender becomes loose. Not only does that look bad but could be dangerous if not noticed. Know one guy who almost went down because the fender came off and ended up between the tire and the road!
If buildup is unavoidable like with some custom paint I tack thin washers to the fender where it bolts up and keep shaving the surface with a razor blade as the coats progress. Bolts up solid, no ugly squish out. I've had no problems with that and I recommend they re-check the bolts after some miles to make sure.
 
Not a lacquer fan at all but did do a 1 of 2 muiira with 28 coats of black lacquer years ago with 7 coats a weekend.
Car like that will never be driven or out side as worth millions, so not much risk.
T-bird done somewhere around 99 has 33,000 mile on it since still could come in top five of a local show but no chance at a big show because driven, same with black chevy done same time, its all what your doing and why and of course how you do it.
 
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