I need to carry out a small panel repair but I don't want to repaint the whole panel. I want to retain as much of the original finish as possible.
The original paint is GTO Green Baked Enamel by Berger.
Questions
1 What exactly is Baked Enamel? One Auto paint shop called it heat dried nitro- cellulose enamel. Others haven't got a clue.
2 Is it still available?

3 If so what is the refinishing process?

4 If it's no longer available what can be used in its place keeping in mind I dont want to respray the whole panel? (Colour match is not a problem as I can take a sample to the paint shop)

Any other useful painting info would be helpful keeping in mind I am a complete novice when it comes to paint. In other words assume I know absolutely zero about the subject.

JAM? Others?

Regards
Miniron

Hi Miniron,
From memory baked enamel was a type of finish used on cars many years ago. Not to sure if they still use this method so someone might be able to tell you that.

But basically the paint contained resins in its content. It was applied to all kinds of metals including cars. Then when the paint had dried it was then placed inside and oven and basically baked. So hence the name Baked Enamel. It is suppose to be a durable finish from what I have read in the past. Also from memory there was only ever one coat of paint applied.

As for it being still available have you tried contacting Berger and asking them? Maybe they even have a website or something.

Also in the event that it is not available I dont know what your options would be in this case. So perhaps someone else might be able to help you there.

Ron,
Back when I was into my 1st 850 Mini (1967) the accepted refinish techniques were:
1. Acrylic lacquer over a mist coat of Dulon E (which lets the lacquer key to the enamel, supposedly)
or
2. Air dry enamel.

I decided to respray the whole car in Castrol Green....

I tried the first method and 3 months later it started to lift around the gutter and other finicky spots.

So... I took it to a panel shop, they stripped it back to the enamel again and redid it in air dry enamel. It looked a million dollars..

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

You can't spot repair part of a panel using enamel (either type). You will have to paint the whole panel and even then, it may not match the rest of the car as the rest will have been pre-faded compared to the "new" panel.

You can spray acrylic laquer over an enamel finish but not the other way around, but even then, I would recommend a spot repair.

Have you taken it to a panel shop for a second opinion?
KB

1310/71....mate i think you've got it mixed up.....you cant spray acrylic laquer straight over enamel as it will cause the laquer to fry up. Only when using an isolator as DrMini mentioned (Dulon E) you can get away with it.

If your a novice my suggestions would be, test where your going to be repairing first whether or not your actually dealing with enamel (theres not too many minis or cars around of this vintage that haven't had a panel or two repaired at some stage in their life)

mask off a test area on the panel your repairing and spray some acrylic laquer with a healthy dose of thinners in it , if your cars paint is enamel this paint you've just sprayed with pretty much automatically "fry" up and you'll know your going to have to do a little bit more extra work to finish it off nicely. This will entail more thorough surface preparation, an isolator coat and prime the complete panel.

i'm pretty sure you won't have any chance of buying any nitrocellulose laquer from anywhere nowadays, the closest match to that type of finish will be a nicely prepared and finished acrylic laquer job.

which ever way you go i think you'll acheive a nicer job by spraying the entire panel, given the age of the paint thats on the car and your skills in their infancy the chances of you "wetting" it in to the original finsh and it actually looking like it hasnt been repaired are pretty low.

how bad is the damage?....is it something that will annoy you until you've got the time and resources for a full respray so you can have the car looking the same all over?

Thanks for the info guys, its given me a start but it probably means I'll need to get it done professionally. The car is a MK1 S that's always been garaged and I've owned since new so I know its history re paint etc. The front guards and bonnet have been resprayed with acrylic as other people kept running in to me many years ago, but the rest of the original finish is in excellent condition and I was hoping I could repaint a small area and blend it in. It seems it may be beyond my ability. Oh well it was worth a try.

Thanks again
RonR

miniron, dont be disheartened mate, with some knowledge and some practice i'm sure you'll be able to acheive an satisfactory finish!!!!

the members of this forum are proof that a trade certificate and a fully equipped workshop arent required if your willing to put the hard yards in. Some of the work some guys are doing on their minis here is inspiring and ive been working on cars for years, a lot of the jobs guys are tackling other tradesman wouldnt wanna even try.

do a bit of reading, perhaps even find a panel or two to practice on and have a go, most tools can be rented or even borrowed if your a regular club member and with some determination and patience you'll get there

Sometimes the best person to work on your car is you!!!

What a great reply , we need more positive comments like this on Ausmin,I too am new to spraypainting and these sort of replies inspire you to keep on keeping on, thanks Tony

I've seen it happen a lot on other forums, some people with great knowledge and skills will seem to just belittle people or shoot down their ideas etc before the others have had a chance,

most trades are a combination of the right knowledge, the right tools and a willingness to acheive the correct outcome.

a bad paint job normally is let down by either one or all of these.

combine all three and your mini will look fantastic and you'll be proud of what you've achieved.

the net is a great source of knowledge, quality tools have never been cheaper, all thats stopping anyone from not working on their own car is themselves

have confidence !!!! all that can go wrong is that it will look crap...........then it will motivate you to re-do it better

850pete,
Thanks for the vote of confidence. I've allways done the mechanical work on most cars I've owned but I couldn't find a great deal of info about paint types and what you can and can't do, primers to use etc. That was the basic info I was seeking.
I've done some minor panel work,small dents etc and finished them with acrylic spray packs but this is a bit bigger job and I don't wan't to stuff it up big time.

Thanks again
RonR