How long ago were you in the industry...Lacquer is well...crud compared to modern paints. Lots of coats...and it still shrinks and fades worse than any modern urethane paint.
I can't legally mix Lacquer paint at my job in the US, but urethanes are perfectly legal. Water based is coming along and we have a mixing bank for that, no 24 hour dry time or anything and you still use Urethane clear coats over the top of it. The total VOC's are still lower than a through and through urethane paint job and that's what they are looking for. You should at least be able to get an acrylic enamel of some sort that is legal though...you'll need a hardener for any decent ones though. Things have changed a lot in the paint/body field in the past 10 years.
Modern paints spray easier, cover better, are more durable, and all that good stuff...
