Is my paint original?

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Erik

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I bought this 1974 C20 Cheyenne Super recently, and just about everything on it is original - except I'm not sure about the paint. It's decent in most places except the hood, where the clear coat is peeling pretty badly. I am under the impression that they didn't use two-stage finishes with clear coat in 1974, which makes me think my truck was repainted at some point. I can tell it's at least the original color scheme, from the service parts label under the hood. So can anyone tell me if the paint is original?

Also, what would you suggest I do about the hood? I can't afford to get the whole truck painted now, and I can probably bring back some life to most of the paint with some compounding and polishing. I can pay a shop to repaint the hood, knowing the match won't be perfect, or I could try to do it myself, but I would have to use rattle cans because I don't have paint equipment. Is it possible to get a decent appearance with rattle cans?

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WFO

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I don't think they used base/clear paint back then. The color looks right though.
 

CSFJ

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I think on the hood, I'd get all the loose clear off, lightly wet sand the edge, scuff the uncleared part, and shoot some new clear over it. It wont be perfect, but it should look decent and buy you some time until you're ready for new paint.
 

Erik

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Thanks, that's a good idea. So do you think the paint is not original? If it's original, I'd go to greater lengths to preserve it and keep some patina. If it's already been repainted once, might as well repaint it again (when I can afford it).

Any chance someone shot clear over the original single-stage, or is it more likely an after-market paint job?
 

CSFJ

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They definitely didn't use 2 stage back then, but the angle and lighting of the pic make it hard to tell if the blue is the original paint or not.
 

Erik

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What kind of clear do you recommend out of a can? I've read that the 2K two-component stuff is good.

Should I look for a satin finish since the rest of thre paint is kind of dulled, so it matches better?
 

bucket

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There might not have been any squares with base clear until '89 or so. I think my '88 Burb was enamel originally. IIRC, my old '90 Burb was base/clear.
 

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What kind of clear do you recommend out of a can? I've read that the 2K two-component stuff is good.

Should I look for a satin finish since the rest of thre paint is kind of dulled, so it matches better?

I'd use a good gloss, then polish the rest of the truck to get it good and shiny again.
 

Snidely

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I have a 1983 C10 that is blue and white. The blue has a clear coat over the paint and the white section does not. Not sure if it's original or not. The blue section is in great shape and the white has surface rust.
 

Craig 85

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If you pull up the weather stripping around the windows or at the wing windows you may be able to tell if there was a re-paint.
 

Keith Seymore

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I have a 1983 C10 that is blue and white. The blue has a clear coat over the paint and the white section does not. Not sure if it's original or not. The blue section is in great shape and the white has surface rust.

Original paint for a 1983 model year truck is High Solid Enamel. No clear at that time.

K
 

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