What type of paint ??

[commemorative74]

I am nearing the completion of my Series 3 E Type roadster and the metal speaker panel / radio console that sits on top of the gear box is looking a little tired.
Can anyone recommend the best type of paint to simulate the original textured effect as I would like to get it as close to the factory finish as possible.

Regards

Alex

[johnney]

If it's a wrinkle finish you can use this paint from Frost Automotive and if the part is aluminium use an etch primer first. To get the finished coat to wrinkle in an even fashion take the freshly painted piece into a very warm room otherwise you will end up with smooth areas (no wrinkle)

http://www.frost.co.uk/vht-black-wrinkl ... 310ml.html

[commemorative74]

Thanks Johnny for the information. I will order a timn and see how I get on.

Alex

[chrisvine]

Alex,

Whatever you do, don't get the wrinkle finish paint from Halfords. The only place for that is in the bin! I got good results using the VHT paint above, although it was quite difficult to get a consistent finish over larger areas as Johnney mentions.

After some trial and mostly error, the best result I managed/preferred was to leave the piece at room temp for five minutes after spraying the final coat and then place in an oven at the recommended curing temp (around 90 degrees) for an hour. This starts the wrinkling process across the whole piece rather than starting at the edges and results in a smaller, tighter wrinkle pattern.

Another alternative would be to find a powder coating firm which offer this finish, although it seems not many carry the powder as standard.

[commemorative74]

Thanks again for the comments, very informative.