Ontario Museum buys fake German vehicles

[Douglas Greville]

Bruce, regarding the paint. For anyone that wants to have a lasting restoration then gloss paint is necessary to form an impermeable barrier. But it just requires a coat of flat or matt over that to get the correct look.

The reason WW2 vehicles were so prone to rust is that the flat paint was porous as was the red zinc undercoat. So moisture wicked through the paint layers. This explains why you can pick up a part that appears ok but when the paint is cleaned back there is surface rust on the metal.

The other issue with matt, especially on vehicles (usually armour) where diesel and oil are spilled or where oil is necessary to keep hatch hinges etc working is that the oil soaks into the paint. They get grubby really quickly
and it is a losing battle to try and get the oil out of the paint. Hence why a lot of people prefer to do their restoration with either semi-gloss or gloss paint in order to be able to keep the vehicle looking nice.

Regards
Doug