Bill,
At this stage I can see you and my dad at the bar trying to explain the cost savings of enamel,lacquer,single stage urethane,etc....all while drinking the flat,outdated,draft beer because it is only fifty cents. I get it.....but NO.....You have spent all this time working so you can rest and have a beer so spend just a tad bit and get a foamy one. Base coat/clear coat is the ONLY way to paint a nice car if using metallic colors. Single stage urethane or hardened enamel only works for solid(non metallic colors). You can not paint a car that you will be happy with the final result without a final polishing. This is not possible without clear over metallics. So you either have to pick a solid color or plan on clearing. There has been too much preparation to dump draft beer on it and it adds NOTHING to a restored car. The best advice you have gotten is to look at the NASON products. I can buy a gallon of clear urethane and activator here for $140(enough to paint whole car). You can base in color with DuPont,ppg, autocolor,RM,just about anything as long as it is an automotive bc/cc system and cover it with four coats of nason. Four coats is overkill,but it lets you sand and polish until you can count the hairs on your head(literally) and when you are done,you have added UV protection and value to your effort. You are at the point where you will have a clean show car or an old car that has been painted. My friend has a 64 special that his dad bought new....just got hosed(according to his other buddy)because the body shop hit him $9200 to paint it. I recently saw it and had to get a laugh.... I said, ?wow,they sure hosed you good,they turned your $4000 Buick into a $20,000 car.? He got WAY more than he paid for...they literally took it apart and put it back together bc/cc and you can not see where it has had any paint work done. The difference in materials price has nothing to do with the $9200....you have already did the work....buy good paint.
