Abandon the Omni MTK AU and take a wallet hit?

What should I do with this gallon of Omni MTK Acrylic Urethane?

  • Use the Omni with the Higher Solids Ratio of 4:1:1/2

    Votes: 3 75.0%

  • Put the Omni on the shelf and buy this brand -> _________

    Votes: 1 25.0%

  • Dump the Omni in the ocean and roll your car off a cliff, then never post here again.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    4
OptimusGlen

OptimusGlen

New Member
Hi all, first time posting. I'm a backyard project builder and am planning my first good(ish) paint job on my 1971 Porsche 914.

SPI Epoxy and Turbo2k ready to go. I'm not worried about them, been following the recommendations for product and prep.

I had a gallon of Single Stage mixed up from a local shop. I thought they would ask me about brands/etc but no, they just mixed up Omni MTK to my color code, grabbed the hardener and reducer for it, and sent me on my way. This being my first real* paint job I just went with it. Maybe it's the only SS they offer...

Now I'm reading that most consider Omni to be bottom of the barrel, and I'm wondering if I should bite the bullet and shell out for a gallon of something better, or stick to it and use the Omni.

The car is a keeper, but it's a driver. The finish doesn't need to be perfect but I would also prefer that it not fade out in 3-5 years.

The biggest issue I've read about is that it sprays thin if you use the 4:1:1 ratio. However, they also list a higher solids ratio on the data sheet that is 1/2 the reducer, and have heard that sprays better.

The other issue I've read wasn't about Omni specifically, just about budget SS paints in general, that they will all fade pretty bad over time. Again, this is a driver, and a road trip car. Drove from Minnesota to Utah and back one year, then Minnesota to Idaho and back the following year, so it'll see it's share of rock chips and bug guts, but I don't want to have to be thinking about a respray in 3-5 years.


What would you do?

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* This will be my first real paint job. years ago I did tractor paint, thinned, and rolled onto a beater car. And another time I attempted a Single Stage Metallic paint job on another old car with almost zero prep, a terrible home garage without ventillation, SUB-par equipment, and too many beers. It turned out just as bad as you're imagining. Orange peel that I could sand a panel with.
 
I've not sprayed Omni SS, but since you already have it, it may be possible to simply follow the SS wet on wet with the appropriate SPI clear, though I can't say for sure which clear or what procedure would work best. I've done it before but not with Omni. Maybe there's someone here who could advise, or you might need to call the tech line.
 
as i was reading this i was thinking he should just clear it. i scroll down and crash already posted it. nothing wrong with clearing ss. i have never shot omni but i hear the coverage isnt good. my guess for a procedure would be maybe get the orange on there and wait maybe 2-3 hours or so then shoot 3 coats of universal over it. use the slowest activator you can in the clear. again, just a guess. someone else that has used omni ss may have different info
 
That's the rule of thumb, go slower as you layer products on to give the lower layers a chance to "breathe" out their solvents. Putting faster on top of slower can result in a disaster.
 
If you end up clearing it, that's money spent that could go to better SS. I've had to use a lot of Omni products over the years at a couple of Shops. It's not designed to last. It doesn't last. Car that will be used you want something decent.
Unfortunately the SS options these days are fairly limited. Automotive Art Motocryl is a very good polyurethane single stage. It's still priced reasonably as well. If it was my 914 with the intended usage, it's what I would use.

You could sell the Omni on one of the Porsche forums I'm sure. Especially that color.
 
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We shot our mailbox with Omni single stage urethane around 15 years ago, it's still holding up well enough that I haven't noticed it looking faded, and its never been cleaned/polished/waxed. I'll take a closer look at it when I check the mail later today. I shot a few sets of my wheels with it over the years and they still look good even though they've been out in the weather ever since. Been using it on engines over epoxy and it works very well for that.


Clearing it would add some peace of mind, but I wouldn't sweat it either way. If you wax it occasionally (after it fully cures of course) I'd think it'll hold up well. Might want to do a spray out card to see how it covers though, some colors cover very well in 1-2 coats and some are thinner.


These engine and firewall colors covered black epoxy in one coat.

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My experience has been completely different with it than Astro's. At one of the aforementioned Shops I was at we refinished a vintage oil truck for a local fuel/oil/propane company. It was one of the Owners Grandfather's trucks from the 30's. They used it in parades and displayed it in front of their main office.

I painted it in 2012 with Omni SS. Red. By 2015 it was fading. We re-did it with SPI medium red /Euro in 2016. Holding up great after 9 years.

We did multiple things with Omni SS and it was always similar. 3-5 years and it would fade/oxidize. The reds/oranges didn't cover very good either.

I just in good conscience can't recommend using it to anyone. Motocryl is a great option IMO. Polyurethane, priced similar (or a bit cheaper actually) to Omni and every color I've shot in it covered very well. Much higher quality stuff.
 
Thanks all, for your thoughts. Yeah, already have the Omni. I could probably return the hardener but I'd feel like a huge jerk even asking to return custom mixed paint.

One other thing that may sway opinions, after some thought. While tearing the car down I found enough dented metal on the underside, and on the front end, to make it a candidate for eventual new floors and a lot of metal work. Something that I'm not in a position to do right now. So I'm putting it back together with some paint to make it a nice driveable classic. My thought was that I would start looking for a better shell in the southwest and eventually buy something to swap all of my parts onto. Who knows when that might be, 3 years? 5 years? 10 years? Point being, even though the car is a keeper, eventually I'm going to need to move onto a different shell. I don't have a Celette or the experience to really do all the metal work this needs, and it's likely the least desirable iteration of an already fairly undesirable model. (this car came as a 4-cyl, VW motor)

With all that said, I'm leaning towards just spraying it with Omni, using it as a learning experience, and next time I'll be better prepared.



One of my hobbies is 3D CAD modeling and photorealistic rendering using those models. For one of my projects, I CAD modeled a 914 using scan data as a guide mesh, and I designed these fender flares. They're reminiscent of the old 914-6/GT flares, but I designed these to be bolt-on and not require new valences to work. I sent the CAD models of the flares to a friend who creates molds for low-volume carbon fiber supercars (think Shelby Super Cars Tuatara) and I had him CNC foam molds so I can wet layup the flares, essentially skipping the whole buck part of the process. Here's a rendering of my build plan. Lifted suspension using dropped spindles in front and some custom bits I designed in back, paired with coilovers.

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OptimusGlen said:
Thanks all, for your thoughts. Yeah, already have the Omni. I could probably return the hardener but I'd feel like a huge jerk even asking to return custom mixed paint.
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They wouldn't take it back anyways. If you are OK with things after reading our comments then use it. Especially if you don't want to spend more money.
 
Chris_Hamilton said:
^^^^That's nothing short of miraculous IMO. :)
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That's been the typical experience with it for me. I shot the wheels on my '89 Festiva with it 5 years ago, it sits outside and they're still glossy. The wheels on my C10 were painted three years ago and they still look as good as when I shot them.

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These wheels were shot with Omni single stage around 12 years ago.

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Chad.S said:
what front runner system is that.. looks really nice.
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Its made by Holley, part number 20-240BK. Its very well thought out and takes less than two hours to put it together. Cost about $2100, on this car it saved the customer a lot of hours compared to hunting down and restoring original brackets to add AC and power steering.
 
theastronaut said:
Its made by Holley, part number 20-240BK. Its very well thought out and takes less than two hours to put it together. Cost about $2100, on this car it saved the customer a lot of hours compared to hunting down and restoring original brackets to add AC and power steering.
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I'm debating if I want to ad AC to the current project.
 
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