I have sorted out the rust in my spare wheel and battery tray with some black POR-15 paint etc. Now I want to make it look the correct colour again. In my case thats a metalic Emerald green (paint code HGG). I have some polyester paint matched to the car but this should realy have a coat of clear laquer on it to give a hard surface, as you would do for body panel. However at the factory the inside of the body shell has all been painted in the same base colour but they just don't seem to have bothered putting a top clear coat on as well.

If just do the same and just put the base coat on will it just scratch of easy ? Should it be covered in anything else to make it look original ? Or have I mis-understood something ?

 

The thought that the color paint is soft and it needs clear coat to not scratch easily... I've never heard that. Paint takes a long time to totally dry. My impression is that clear coat is more for looks and maybe does some UV protection but the color coat is fine alone.

Cars made up to the 80's (?) didn't get clear on top, they just sprayed color and if you're lucky that was cut and buffed. Some say late 60's muscle cars look wrong with topcoat as they didn't come that way. There's part of me that would prefer a road car with no topcoat as it's easier to touch up later on, but it's not as shiny.

I still cringe at the design of having the battery sit on bare metal, my gut tells me that's wrong (and cheap) and it should be sitting on a plastic tray.

 

Think about how much more paint each body-shell would need to do inside and clear coat it as well. Over 30,000 cars it would run in the $$££millions....

Jaguar blew a cursory body colour around inside, but not much. Relying on the effective E-Coat and Poly primers.

I'd suggest scotch padding the area, then etch prime and base coat it - then box it up as a job done. The only time your paint will be removed is by tape and pull...

I'm still hunting a picture for your footwell leak by the way mate

 

I am 70% certain I have found area where the leaks is coming from having now removed the wiper motor. However it would still be good to confirm where the various bulkhead appatures are on bare body shell photo.

In a nut shell there is a large rubber grommet which looks like it passes the A/C hoses into the passenge comparement. Water from the wiper motor area seems find its way down the bulkhead and thence through the edge of the grommet. Having controted myself into the passenger foot well I have found the drip comming from the bottom edge of the grommet on the inside.

I will post my leak solutions when its concluded.

As for paint, well, like you say, prime it, base coat it and forget. Apparently you can get a clear POR-15 paint which would give a realy tough finish.