Hi, I'm pretty sure all of our old Forward Look cars were originally enamel painted in solid colors, never run into an exception yet. The laquer paint numbers were around for the body shops that did spot repairs and didn't paint a whole panel. On the repaints, you really need to decide what you like, each system has a different look. Laquer: Getting phased out now. Usually simpler to apply, very forgiving and easy to fix. Very shiny. Fades and cracks faster than others. Original solid color enamels: Not used often anymore. Has that certain "Look" to it with a wet orange peel texture. Fairly durable but tough to apply and repair. Catalyst hardened solid color enamels: Has that old wet orange peel look if desired, with great durability. Pretty hot chemical content to apply. Easy to wet sand and buff to a higher gloss if desired. Base/Clear catalyst enamels: Hot chemicals, too. Great stuff, it just has a different look on a Finned Mopar. Base/Clear is actually thinner as a factory finish than our original enamels ever were. I think it just depends on the look that you like vs. the original appearance of the car. I did my black '57 with catalyst solid color enamel 3 years ago. I didn't repaint the factory finish roof, and I'd bet 99% of the people can't tell the difference between the two. Either way, the catalyst paints and application methods are 10 times better than anything the cars were originally painted with. With the right prep work, it should be good for years to come. Jim Keep the shiny side up on those fins |