Anyone know why the paint....

[darkwiz]

on older JL's crack? I noticed some of the paint jobs on my 95 JL's are cracked. Let's just say they are starting to show thier age. I store them well. Can't seem to understand this.

[zeb41]

Maybe it has something to do with the concept of "fat over lean" This is an oil painting term that refers to the drying times of various paints. Fat paint is paint as it comes straight from the tube. Adding oil to it makes it "fatter", thereby increasing its drying time. To reduce the risk of having a painting crack, fat paint is applied over lean paint - paint that has been thinned. Lean paint dries before the fat paint does. If you paint lean over fat, the top layer of paint dries before the underlying layer does. Consequently, as the underlying layer of paint dries, it actually pulls the top layer of paint apart.

I've bought JLs that were cracked when I got them. The green Super 70s Torino is one them. I've seen a few of these, and the white painted roof was cracked on all of them. I saw the same thing on the Show Rods Wildcat tonneau cover.

[darkwiz]

Thanks Zeb41, that was a very interresting read. Does JL still use that paint style? If they do I hope they read this and stop.

[zeb41]

Actually, I was refering to fine art painting, but perhaps the same thing applies here. If I'm not mistaken, some paint can crack if it dries too fast. Perhaps something like that happened on those Torino roofs. I don't know for sure, but it's a little disappointing when you find it on one your cars.

[Dead Dude]

Paint on the Tri-Chevy nomads I've seen is cracked. =(

[60sMetal]

Any way to prevent or delay this?

[t-d]

Just looked again at my Tri-Chevy Nomads. All three are in good shape. Hope they stay that way. :-)

[HMMWV]

Originally Posted by 60sMetal

Any way to prevent or delay this?

It is my theory that finger oils protect diecast finishes. I suggest you take all your toys out of their packages to play with them.