Looking at a car with spiderweb paint. It doesn’t bother me but will it get much worse?

[tonyp25]

I’m going to cruise with it and not worry about much else. It won’t be garaged or covered (except in the winter). Will the paint for the most part stay like this or if I keep it out in the sun and elements is it going to start peeling and cracking quickly? I realize the sun will hurt it no matter what but didn’t know if it impacts a car more that has this type of issue.

 

[AR67GTX]

I guess an old lacquer paint job. It will probably stay like that for a good while but it could progress to flaking or checking off at some point especially if outside a lot. It’s hard to know what it will do. I wonder if it has any clear over it?

 

[Davefinan]

I’m also wondering if it would stabilize it if you cleared over it?
Any experts out there?

 

[roadrunnerh]

I wonder if wet sanding and buffing would help or hurt?

 

[Don Frelier]

Ceramic coating might be the best thing to do.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Baby Blue was painted with base coat and clear lacquer in 1985, and the paint on the roof, trunk, and hood looked exactly like the OP's picture when I got the car back in 2013, plus some flaking of the clear coat. I wet sanded the worst spots, and then finished off with gradually finer rubbing compound. The appearance was stable for the next eight years, car was garaged.

I far preferred that paint to the nearly flawless surface on the current GTX. Never had to worry about a scratch or a stone chip, and it looked fine at 20 feet.

 

[nitro_rat]

I’m also wondering if it would stabilize it if you cleared over it?
Any experts out there?

Clearing over garbage never makes anything better. Anything "patina" that is cleared over will turn to **** quickly if left outdoors. And it turns to a level of **** that cannot be mitigated other than by stripping everything off and starting over. I don't know why people have the idea that clear coat can be used as a "preservative." That's not what it's for at all...

 

[Daves69]

It won’t be garaged or covered (except in the winter). Will the paint for the most part stay like this or if I keep it out in the sun and elements is it going to start peeling and cracking quickly? I realize the sun will hurt it no matter what but didn’t know if it impacts a car more that has this type of issue.

Lol, now where have I seen this?................. Oh yeah!
I have similar on my Barracuda that I've owned since late in '80. It is a lacquer paint that was done 76-77 (IICR) for a PO. 95% of time it's in garage and I really haven't noticed any peeling with it..............yet.

 

[AR67GTX]

I guess one thing I should have mentioned was that it has probably been in that condition for quite a while already. By the early 90s lacquer was already falling out of popularity. So that is probably a good sign that it will keep hanging on. I have a Corvette I painted myself in about 92 with Dupont lacquer and except for a few random stress cracks and a few small shrinkage checked areas it still looks good. I’m not sure why some alligator cracked like that and others hold up reasonably well. Maybe too much thinner or bad surface prep.