Thermosetting coating compositions

A curable polyester having a number average molecular weight of about 800 to about 6,000 and a weight average molecular weight of about 3,000 to about 40,000, comprising

• (a) about 20 to about 60 mol % of diol residues, based on the total moles of components (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f);
• (b) 3.5 to about 20 mol % of polyol residues, based on the total moles of components (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f);
• wherein said polyol residues are selected from the group consisting of trimethylolpropane, trimethylolethane, glycerol, 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol, 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydroxyhexane, and bis(2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-3-propanol ether;
• (c) about 5 to about 40 mol % of hydroxy functionalized isophthalic acid residues, based on the total moles of (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f);
• said hydroxy functionalized residues having the formula ##STR7## wherein X is selected from --O--, --S--, --SO.sub.2 -- or --O--(CH.sub.2 --).sub.n wherein n is 1 to about 6;
• R is a phenyl radical containing 1-3 hydroxy groups with the proviso that when X is --O-- or --S--, that R may also be hydrogen;
• (d) about 10 to about 40 mol % of diacid residues, derived from an aromatic diacid or a cycloaliphatic diacid or a mixture thereof, based on the total moles of (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f);
• (e) about 0 to about 40 mol % of diacid residues derived from an aliphatic diacid based on the total moles of components (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f);
• (f) 0 to about 10 mol % of residues derived from trimellitic acid or trimellitic anhydride, based on the total moles of components (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f).