69 Nova dash paint

[m22mike]

I am doing some work on a 69 Nova,and have noticed that the upper black dash paint forward of the dash pad has a suede like texture to it. Unlike the lower dash that is smooth semi black.
Any ideas on how to reproduce this finish ? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

[micky69396]

Mike, Unless you can find a suede additive your going to have to be creative on how you do it. Im on my last little bit of mine here and I have been looking for a while now with mixed results on some other products. Most have too much texture to them now. You can use multi coats of sprying it dry to acheive the look. If you can get some lacquer it works better than the enamels.

[firstgenaddict]

Ralph Lauren has a suede texture paint at Home Depot... I do not know if it is an additive or if it is a base to which color is added... just a thought...

[ORIGLS6]

Not sure how well the 'Ralph Lauren' stuff would hold up to UV exposure through the windshield.
Sherwin-Williams used to offer a flattening agent you could add to enamel. It gave a truly flat and textured appearance to the final job, but I don't know if it would work with lacquer. I agree, you need to spray it 'dry' to get the texture you're after.

[GeorgeLyons]

Lacquer reduced with a fast thinner and applied at normal air pressure, medium coverage (not wet) coats gives a near perfect to original top of dash finish. After last coat if it is still too smooth/shiny, a quick even dry coat at slightly higher pressure will give you more flat/dry look. By now you have color coverage so it is easy to play around and get it dead on. I just did my '71 Blazer 2 weeks ago like this and results are dead-on. PPG Lacquer, I can get it if you need a source.

[L30M20]

Mike, its the same on camaros, let the "dry" overspray from priming lay down on it,either top coat with Lacquer, or with Rust-Oleum Texture spray, or use RM black with suede additive.

[Nova Jed]

I just had a pint of lacquer made up with the texture put into it. I will let you know how it turns out.

[Schonyenko2]

Shoot a small test area first. Laquer will lift old paint in a heartbeat. Best bet is to shoot over a well prepped surface that won't react to laquer topcoats.

[Bob Hollinshead]

I never seen any dash tops with texture like you're describing. Are you sure this thing wasn't repainted some time back? It should be low gloss like eggshell but smooth with no more texture than the lower part of the dash. A singlestage urethane is your best best for durability.

[m22mike]

Have to dissagree here. The dash tops were differant from the factory. There was infact a suede addative that went into the lacquer paint. It was not rough to the touch, but had a texture to it much like suede.

here is the other thread on the subject. The issue's here is not what the finish was, but who can still mix it in lacquer.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/14569/an/0/page/0#Post14569

Thanks Mike

[Nova Jed]

Yes, it is true that GM used a "suede" additive to there paint for the dash top to prevent a glaring affect from oncoming traffic at night or the sun. I have talked to a reputable paint shop on the topic as some of the guys were around was the additive was still available. Most guys didnt use it because who cared then? The closest I have gotten was to have a texture additive mixed into the lacquer and use it as a base coat, then have the flat or semi-flat lacquer applied over top of it to create that "texured" or suede look.

[TechNova]

PPG numbers for texture lacquer. Still stocked(mixed) by my local jobber.
DIA9317
black formula is:
DMA358 black 283.8
DX265 flattening 405.4
DMA364 texture 486.5
DMA375 blue 506.8
all numbers are PPG parts (not grams) and are cummulative.
DMA364 texture also works in PPG's Specialty Coatings elastomeric paint, but I do not have a formula.

[Nova Jed]

Thanks for posting the info! The guys at this PPG shop seem to know that the original additive for the "suede" look was discontinued a long time ago. I used a texture additive to give it that texture like feel and then added the semiflat over top of that. It turned out pretty well. I think the DMA364 is the texture additive that they used on the blazer tops of the early 70's. Thats what I used if its the same. Once you get two coats of the flat over top of it, it feels and looks like the original. But how close is close enough when the original formula's can't make up the paint without the original pigments? I am using the Dark Blue for the interior on my 70 Nova.