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Like many other owners and readers of the forum, we were totally happy with the finish on our C7s until we started to read how bad the orangepeel problem was.
I read all the posts on this forum about orangepeel and it's possible fix.
Posters with electronic measuring equipment are coming up with paint thickness numbers like 45-50 microns, which sounds like a lot, but nobody explained that 25 microns equal .001", except one post that did convert the thickness into inches and explained that a normal sheet of paper is approx. .003".
Yesterday I recorded on the DVR the show that showed the building of the 2014 C7, and made an interesting discovery when playing it back on my large screen plasma TV.
Something caught my eye when they were applying the FIRST coat of paint which was the primer. I ran it back, still framed it, and took a picture of it.
You have to ignore the morrey at the top of the photo caused by the lines in the TV and the shutter on my iPhone. It does not affect what I'm trying to point out.
Here's the picture.
![Metal]()
You will notice that the orange peel has started on the very first coat of paint as seen by the reflection of the overhead light. That means that subsequent layers will magnify the problem, and in most cases wet sanding down the clear coat will reduce the clear coat to just about nil in some places.
I've been painting cars, planes, and boats for over 40 years, and my suggestion is, if the orange peel really bothers you, take the car to a body shop and have them add another substantial layer of clear.
Then stock up on a large supply of fine wet paper, blocks and compounds and have fun. In time you will get the finish you want.
Years ago, when C5's were still the current car, I was at a car show, and mentioned to the owner of a beautiful Dr. Blue C5 how orangepeel free his car was.
Asked him how long it took for him to smooth out the paint, and his reply was that this is exactly how it came from the factory.
Which proves that if all the planets and stars are in alignment on a particular day, at a particular time, at a particular moment, you can get a perfect factory paint job!!
I read all the posts on this forum about orangepeel and it's possible fix.
Posters with electronic measuring equipment are coming up with paint thickness numbers like 45-50 microns, which sounds like a lot, but nobody explained that 25 microns equal .001", except one post that did convert the thickness into inches and explained that a normal sheet of paper is approx. .003".
Yesterday I recorded on the DVR the show that showed the building of the 2014 C7, and made an interesting discovery when playing it back on my large screen plasma TV.
Something caught my eye when they were applying the FIRST coat of paint which was the primer. I ran it back, still framed it, and took a picture of it.
You have to ignore the morrey at the top of the photo caused by the lines in the TV and the shutter on my iPhone. It does not affect what I'm trying to point out.
Here's the picture.
You will notice that the orange peel has started on the very first coat of paint as seen by the reflection of the overhead light. That means that subsequent layers will magnify the problem, and in most cases wet sanding down the clear coat will reduce the clear coat to just about nil in some places.
I've been painting cars, planes, and boats for over 40 years, and my suggestion is, if the orange peel really bothers you, take the car to a body shop and have them add another substantial layer of clear.
Then stock up on a large supply of fine wet paper, blocks and compounds and have fun. In time you will get the finish you want.
Years ago, when C5's were still the current car, I was at a car show, and mentioned to the owner of a beautiful Dr. Blue C5 how orangepeel free his car was.
Asked him how long it took for him to smooth out the paint, and his reply was that this is exactly how it came from the factory.
Which proves that if all the planets and stars are in alignment on a particular day, at a particular time, at a particular moment, you can get a perfect factory paint job!!
