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PAINT YOUR OWN CAR
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“The idea was to get as close to show quality as possible, while
doing it on a real-guy budget—a goal many of you share with us.”
By Liz Miles
Photography by the author & Randy Lorentzen
U
nless you were lucky or smart enough to pick up a project with a clean coat of paint already on it, you will at
some point find yourself at this juncture. Your smarter
side says to find someone reputable to take over the project for
this phase. Your more adventurous and sometimes selfdestructive side tells you it can’t be that hard, and that you can
do it yourself. We found a happy middle ground for our ’66
Mustang, known as Project Street Fighter. Cris Gonzalez,
owner of JCG Restorations and Customs in Oxnard, California,
opened his shop’s doors to us to help teach us how to make it
happen. He also lent us his best body man, Leo Alcarzar, for
the duration of the project to guide us through the steps. We
also got Primo Valdovinos, Cris’ lead fabricator to do the rust
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repair, patch panels, and some welding to clean up the
Mustang. Between Leo, Primo, and I, there are over 350 hours
of prepping, sanding, filling, welding, taping, painting, and polishing that went into this project. If we were to hand the keys
over to JCG and ask them to do all of the work from start to
finish, it would be around $8,000. Nevertheless, the more work
you can do yourself, the more money you will save, and that’s
what we were after. Above all else, the idea was to learn the
necessary skills, and document them for you. Know that we
aren’t passing Project Street Fighter off as a low-buck car, but
it’s not by any means a show-only car either. The idea was to
get as close to show quality as possible, while doing it on a realguy budget—a goal many of you share with us.
In the planning stage, you have to consider how much time
and money to allow yourself. If you want to do everything to its
highest possible quality, you’ll find yourself on a slippery slope
to joblessness and debt. If you are cutting corners and skipping
steps, you’ll end up with a lesser outcome. The goal is to pick
your battles—and your materials—wisely.
So far, with exception of the transmission installation, the
project has been done outdoors in the apartment complex
parking lot where I live. The bare metal and highly porous
qualities of body filler make it unwise to perform bodywork
outside, especially with the damp morning air. The idea was to
do the most of the grunt work myself, while leaving the crucial
workings to the experts. With the car at JCG Restorations and
Customs, we were in good hands. Before the disassembly
began, we decided on a paint system. You may recall in last
year’s paint and body issue, we wrote about Summit’s new line
of paints, and we’ve been eager to try them out since then. The
great thing about the Summit system is that it’s very inexpensive, and there is a large selection of colors to choose from.
Summit has made a one-stop shop for everything you need to
do the job of painting your car, from start to finish. Because of
the color selection, we upgraded from the black and orange
combination of our rendering, to a charcoal and bright-orange
metallic to make things a little more interesting.
Our final product was more impressive than we thought it
would be. We spent minimal funds on the supplies, and traded
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PAINT YOUR OWN CAR
money for time getting our hands dirty to help reduce the
overall money spent. We were going in with a budget theme,
and came out with a show quality paintjob.
“Summit has made a one-stop shop
for everything you need to do the
job of painting your car, from start
to finish.”
Disassembly
The first step is to disassemble the vehicle. Along the way
you’ll run into many seized screws and broken-off or rounded
bolt heads, which can be taken care of with an Easy-Out set
from Craftsman and a couple cans of Royal Purple Maxfilm
penetrating lubricant. Though it’s fun to fulfill your destructive
side and yank out every part in sight with the speed and vigor
of a mad man, there are a couple things you should slow down
for to make reassembling easier. First off, take a lot of photos
of the car while it’s still together. Things like the interior door
assembly are pretty complicated, and can be difficult to put
back together without references. The second thing that will
save you much time and frustration is putting all of the hardware in plastic bags and labeling them. There are hundreds of
bolts that look very similar, but will fight you going back on if
they aren’t exactly right.
Every surface needs to be scuffed if you want the paint to stick,
but sometimes sandpaper isn’t flexible enough to get into the
cracks and crevices. Scotch-Brite pads from 3M are abrasive
sponges that knock down the shine of paint and other surfaces.
They work great for getting into tight spots like between the
grates on the cowl panel.
After media blasting, I took a dual action (DA) sander with 180-grit
paper to the panels inside and out. The media blasting, though
harsh to the paint, doesn’t give the metal the bite it needs to
accept the primer’s coat, and surface rust can appear in just hours.
at this stage. We found extensive damage to panels that
appeared to be fine because of the amount of filler that they
had been plastered with. We wanted a fresh start, and opted to
have the panels media blasted. Someone looking to save a little
bit of time would work with the filler that’s already on the panels and go from there.
One of paint’s enemies is
surface contamination. If
there is debris or grease on
the surface before filler,
primer, or paint is applied,
the paint’s finish will be
compromised. We used
Summit’s Surface Wash,
and their Wax and Grease
Remover products to clean
the surface before every primer or paint application.
BodyWork
Once the car is stripped, it’s time to get it smooth. The broad,
flat panels on Mustangs are easily turned wavy from years of
door dings, accidents, and age in general. Without replacing
everything, we can bring the highs and lows to a middle
ground and restore the factory flatness. There are more specialized tools that are used to shape the metal than we can list, but
we’ll go over a couple of the major ones we used on this proj-
Rust
Repair
Media blasting
Getting everything out of the car is the fun part! Because bodywork
is such a messy job, take everything out of the car you don’t want
to get covered with paint overspray and filler dust. We removed the
entire interior and all of the glass to make the job easier.
Panel Prep
Anyone with experience will tell you good paint preparation is
the key. The actual painting part of the process is a very small
percent of the work. If the bodywork under the paint isn’t
right, the paint won’t look good, and it won’t last. This phase
simply can’t be rushed, because in the long run, doing it over
again will take much longer than taking your time to begin
with. While it’s not always necessary to get the panels down to
the metal, it’s often a good idea. Years of age and bad bodywork can become a problem in the future if it’s not dealt with
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If you can reuse the original sheetmetal without spending a ridiculous amount of time and money to save
them, you should. It’s no secret that reproductions
often don’t fit the same way the factory panels do. We
took every panel that unbolted from the car and sent
them to Pacific Coast Powder Coating in Palmdale,
California, to have the paint stripped from the front and
back of each piece. Along with surface rust, the media
blasting took off the many repairs made over the
years. We also got to see exactly how much damage
there was. The media blasting gave us a fresh start
with bare metal so that there would be no mysteries,
and we could do the repairs right. If the car wasn’t
already fitted with new front and rear suspension as
well as drivetrain, we would’ve had the entire shell
stripped as well. Pacific Coast charged $550 to blast
the panels, and if we had taken the entire shell with
the panels, we’d be looking at around $1,000. If you’ve
got the car stripped, we would recommend doing the
whole thing.
No old car project is complete
without some
rust repair. We
were pretty
lucky that there
was no structural damage,
just some small
window frame
and driprail rot.
The correct
way to repair a
rusty area is to
completely
remove it. Just
like cancer (as
it’s also called)
it spreads, and
if it’s not completely
removed it will
show up again.
Here’s what we found after the back
glass came out. We cut the infected
metal out and welded a new piece in its
place. For all of the small patch panels,
we used a magnet to hold it in place for
tacking.
Another place we found damage was
the driprail. One option is to completely
remove it for a smoother look. Because
the rest of it was in such good shape,
we decided to cut the rusty area out
and patch it up.
ect. The idea behind repair instead of replacing is to try and
keep the car as original as possible. There is a point where the
cost of repair exceeds that of replacing the panel. If you’re
lucky, you can get hold of NOS (new old stock) panels that fits
like the originals, because they are. Shopping at swap meets for
original panels in good (or at least better) condition is a great
option too. In our case, the panels we had were all salvageable
and just took some working.
First, we get the damaged metal as close to where we want
it using tools like hammers, dollies, slide hammers, and
Stud
Welder
& Slide
Hammer
Dents are usually
concave, meaning
they need to be
brought up to flatten the panel.
Often they can be
fixed with a hammer and dolly, but
sometimes only the
top surface of the
metal is exposed.
In the example,
there were dents
along the top corner of the roof that
were just over the
roof brace structure. There was no
room to use the
hammer and dolly
so we turned to the
stud welder and
slide hammer to
pull the dents out.
First, we removed the paint from
the repair area. The dents are
easier to spot while the paint is
still on, so it can be helpful to
draw some arrows or circles on
the surrounding area to point to
the areas in question.
With the paint removed, a stud
welder loaded with a 2mm stud
sends current down to the metal,
welding it on. The stud welder
releases the stud after it’s welded, then we attach the slide
hammer.
The slide hammer base
tightens over the stud.
The hammer has a
weight that slides up
and stops on the handle’s lower face. This
impact pulls the dent
up. When we were
happy with the result,
we clipped the stud off
with a pair of side-cutting pliers and ground
the remaining stud
down. A kit that
includes the stud welder, studs, and a slide
hammer by Motor Guard (PN MCJ1000) goes for
$209.95 at Summit Racing.
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“Summit has expanded their acrylic
urethane line of paints to 40 colors,
with plans to add more in the future.”
sometimes welders. Once it’s close, the finish work is done
using plastic body filler, commonly (and usually incorrectly)
referred to by the trade name of Bondo. We used Evercoat’s
Rage plastic filler for the work on this car. The more time you
have available, the closer you can get the surface how you like
using the metalworking tools, then the less filler you need. JCG
Restoration’s regular customers usually allow them more time,
but because we had a deadline and a budget, we limited the
amount of time we spent metalworking.
Mustangs, like most frame-less cars, have a problem with body
flex. Flex is often manifested at the C-pillar, where twisting stress
is transmitted. This makes it a common area on the Mustang for
cracks. To fix the damage, I MIG-welded the crack to keep it from
showing up in the paint later. The real solution to the problem is to
weld in a rollcage, add subframe connectors, or some sort of
undercarriage bracing. That will come down the line.
Hammer & Dolly
If you can easily access both sides of the panel, a
hammer and dolly can be used to bring up lows and
push down highs. Using these tools is more of an art
than a science, and those who have the feel for it
make effortless work out of it. Inexperienced body
men can pretty easily make things worse. There are
two basic ways to use these tools. The first is to hit the
hammer on the metal with the dolly directly behind it.
This is called hammering “on dolly.” This effectively
stretches the sheetmetal because the force of the
hammer onto the
metal with the dolly
backing makes the
metal slightly thinner. When the
metal stretches, it
has no place to go
but up. The second
way to use these
tools is to hammer
“off dolly.” You
hold the dolly
under a low spot,
and hammer just to
the side of it on the
surrounding high
spots. The rebound
action of the dolly
after the hammer
strikes brings up
the low spot while
the hammer brings
down the high spot. Having the right shaped dolly
can strongly improve your results because the closer
the dolly matches the panel’s contours, the less work
it will take to get a good product. A starter set by
Performance Tool can be found at SummitRacing.com
for under $20. Ron Covell is an extremely experienced
body man, and has made a living creating tools, videos, and books to share his talent. If you’re interested
in becoming more fluent in the art of metal shaping,
he’s the guy to watch.
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Smoothing
If you’re doing a complete repaint like we are, now is
the time to make any body changes you desire. We
wanted to clean up the look of this car because decorative trim isn’t consistent with our Street Fighter
theme. Street Fighter to us says nothing too fancy,
nothing unnecessary, and a little something racy.
This leaves no room for the fancy bright work meant
to attract a different crowd.
First thing to go
were the emblems.
Getting rid of these,
and the holes they
left behind, was
simple. Grind the
paint away from the
edges of the holes,
weld them up, and
smooth them down.
You’ll remember I
did much the same
thing inside the
engine bay a few issues back.
The trim along the rocker
panels use riveted brackets to mount them. A drill
with an eighth-inch drill
bit makes quick work of
removing them. We then
welded up the holes and
ground them smooth.
The seam
between the
quarter panel
and the back
glass panel was
my next stop to
fill. Getting this
seam clean is
difficult because
it was filled with
seam sealer. We
used a wire
brush to remove
the rubbery goo, then used the MIG welder to fill it in. Like
any welding you do on the body, it’s easy to warp the
panel if you put too much heat into it, so weld a little at
a time to keep the heat under control. Grinding can also
generate enough heat to warp the panel, so use caution.
Mustang doors are constructed with far-too-thin
sheetmetal, and without a
central body line, they aren’t
very resistant to damage. An
enthusiastic door slam, or
more often leaning on the
handle hard after half-latching, can send the door handle and the door skin beyond its original
shape. The way we fixed this was to do the opposite. With the door
latched and locked, we yanked on the handle until the metal flexed
back into its original location, a lucky fix.
Plastic body filler is
a staple in the body
shop, just like milk
and bread in the
kitchen. It’s a great
tool that is used in
every high-end
body shop. It’s gotten a bad reputation because it can
be used for evil–it’s
often easier to cake
it on, instead of
working out the metal damage first. There are cases where filler
can be inches thick, though the panel looks totally undamaged.
You shouldn’t be afraid of the stuff though, it’s normal to coat the
entire car, called a skim coat, and block sand it down to create
a perfectly flat surface for the primer coat.
Plastic filler is a twopart epoxy that uses a
hardener to activate.
The filler comes in a
metal tin–like paint,
and the hardener
comes in a tube like
toothpaste. The ratio of
filler to hardener isn’t
an exact measurement,
but we squeeze a bead
of hardener halfway
across a glob of filler. A piece of metal or plastic is a good palate
for mixing because it doesn’t have loose particles like cardboard
or wood. It’s important to try and eliminate air bubbles so they
don’t show up in the work. We do this by folding the filler over
itself to mix. The filler will harden in a couple of minutes, so only
make enough to do the immediate job, and work fast!
The original
flat hood was
in great
shape, but
with the big
bad Windsor
and tallerthan-stock
intake setup,
there was no
chance of air
cleaner clearance without
the help of a
scoop. We
went down to
NPD, whose
West Coast
warehouse was just down the street, and tried on a couple different hoods. This Shelby-style fiberglass hood gave us just enough
clearance for a small, oval-shaped air cleaner. With the Trans-Am
theme, we were hoping to use a flat hood, but this is the next best
thing. The hood fit really well, considering it’s not an original piece
and just needed block sanding.
The Primer Coat
Primer clears the canvas after all the bodywork is done. It acts
as a sealant between the repairs, and the paint that will soon
coat the car. We used Summit’s Acrylic Urethane 2K primer
which mixes 4:1 with one of their universal activators. To comply with California’s laws, we used their zero-VOC activator.
The first application of primer is also the final check for high
and low spots. Before primer hits the car, the entire surface
needs to be sanded to a 160-grit finish. To rough-out the filler,
we used 80-grit paper before the 160-grit final sanding. We
used Summit’s Wax and Grease remover and Surface Wash
before paint touched the car. If there is grease on the surface,
it will keep the paint from adhering and possibly cause distortions in the paint. Because we don’t all have access to
We used Summit’s StartingLine HVLP gravity-feed paint spray
gun kit (PN DVR-802343), which includes a 1.3mm fluid tip and a
600cc aluminum cup. The 1.3mm setup is ideal for the atomization
of basecoats, clearcoats, and other light-viscosity coatings.
The other gun in the kit features a 1.8mm fluid tip and a 600cc
aluminum cup. The 1.8mm setup is suitable for spot repairs using
a variety of primer coatings. The StartingLine HVLP gravity feed
paint spray gun kits include a gun-cleaning brush set, a gun
maintenance wrench, an air regulator with a gauge, and a
blow-molded carrying case, all for $129.95.
Here the car has been sanded, and is ready to be primed. We
removed all the panels so we could paint the side pocket areas,
called the jambs. Before the whole body of the car is painted,
we needed to coat the inside door and trunk pockets because
when the doors, trunk, and hood are installed, these areas will be
covered up. The more panels you remove for painting, the more
thorough you can be. This is also when we would paint the inside
edges of the doors and underside of the trunk to match the car.
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top-of-the-line paint booths, chances are there will be dirt in
the air that will settle on the car. To help keep this under control, we wipe the car down with a tack rag before every application material. This is a cheese cloth fabric laced with an adhesive material that picks up dirt particles on the car’s surface.
Before the car is ready
for base color, the build
primer needs to be leveled with 220-, then
400-grit papers. If it’s all
sanded flat with no high
spots breaking through
to the body filler, etching
primer, or bare metal,
and the guidecoat is
showing no low spots (including door and trunk jambs),
you’re ready for color coat.
The Summit Acrylic Urethane primer is intended to cover the
tie-dye look of sanded bodywork and to build up the low spots
for sanding. It’s not formulated to cover bare metal, so that’s why
we used SEM Self Etch Primer. Another option is to use Summit’s
epoxy primer, which is intended to be sprayed over bare metal.
“Laying the groundwork for a flat surface is not easy, but if you take that
time, it will reward you with a mirrorlike finish at the cut and buff stage.”
Color Coat
Though the rendering for project Street Fighter flaunts a
simple black and orange color combination, the palate of
Summit’s paint line gave us inspiration to mix it up a bit. We
chose their Bright Orange Metallic to replace the standard
orange color, and a Medium Charcoal Metallic in place of the
black. The brilliance of these colors proved to give huge impact
that the original non-metallic color couldn’t touch. Summit
has expanded their acrylic urethane line of paints to 40 colors,
with plans to add more in the future. These are single-stage
paints, meaning the clear is part of the basecoat, making the
base color coat responsible for color and shine. For the athome do-it-yourself guy, this is a great time-saver, and simplifies the process so your garage isn’t tied up for weeks on end.
Nevertheless, if you so choose (either before or during painting), you can lay clear over this paint, the same as you would a
basecoat in a two-stage system.
Block Sanding
Here we’re priming the car for the first time. We’re covering all
the different materials and colors exposed in the bodywork
process. With a smooth, single material surface, the paint has
a much better chance at coming out more consistent.
After the first couple of high-build primer coats are dry, we
sprayed a mist of black paint, called a guidecoat. You can use just
about any paint of contrasting color. The idea is to have a thin
dusting of paint that you can watch disappear as you block sand
the car. When all the guidecoat has been sanded off, the panel
should be flat and ready for paint. If there are areas of the guidecoat that are still showing, it’s because they are too low, and need
more filler before it’s OK to lay down the base color.
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Block sanding will make or break your paintjob. If the
panel isn’t sanded correctly it will be visibly wavy and
uneven. After we smoothed out the metal, we applied
a skim coat of filler for the final tune. It’s next to
impossible to make the
panel perfect without
the use of this stuff.
There are many times
through the body and
paint preparation process that we use block
sanding, even in the
final sanding of the
clearcoat. The Dura Block set from Summit Racing
has seven different shaped blocks to cover all of the
contours on your car. When used correctly, they
ensure a smooth, flat surface through the bodywork
and paint prep stages. To go with these blocks,
Summit Racing also carries sandpaper in rolls with
a sticky back to adhere to the blocks. Another thing
that comes in quite handy is a dual-action (DA) sander. Summit offers a sander Value Pack that includes
the pneumatic DA sander and four 3M sanding paper
rolls that include 80-, 180-, 320-, and 400-grit (PN
CMB-17-0032) for $189.95.
When the filler hardened, we used 180-grit
sandpaper on a large
block and sanded in a
diagonal cross pattern
to give the block the
flattest base. After
sanding at a 30- to
45-degree motion from
left to right, we
switched and went from
right to left. This produces a cross-hatch pattern that covers
the entire car. If there is a spot that isn’t getting sanded,
it’s probably low, and needs more filler.
It was easiest to sand for the
second color after the masking
tape was down. This way, we
don’t risk scratching the first
color. We used 400-grit paper
to scuff the orange overspray.
After the priming was done, we masked the door at the weatherstripping line to paint the inside of the panel. Mustangs have a
small vinyl door trim panel that leaves most of the door’s metal
exposed. To get a nice finished look, we painted the inside of
the panel with Dupli-Color’s Trim Black paint.
Finally, after
a thorough
cleaning with
a tack rag, the
second color
was applied.
The top surfaces of the car
are the most
delicate to
paint. It’s difficult to reach
over the panel
and still spray
metallic consistently, so it
helps to
rehearse your
moves beforehand, paying
special attention to your
distance, overlap, and gun
angle. A nonmetallic, solid
color (like the black we originally planned) is more manageable
for a beginner, so we had the JCG staff handle this part.
The vertical panels that were sprayed orange came out
flawless and free of debris, so we didn’t need to add clear. The
metallic gray, however, needed the clearcoat, because it’s on
the top, and some dirt found its way into the paint. While it
was still masked, we added clearcoat so we would be able to
sand it later. It should be noted that with metallic colors, you
can’t sand the basecoat. (If we had stayed with the original
gloss black of our rendering, this would not have been a problem, but hindsight is always 20/20.) Sanding on a single-stage
metallic will make the metallic blotchy, and there is no way to
repair this. If you end up with a heavy amount of dirt or orange
peel, you can bury it in clear, then do your sanding on the
clear. This makes the paint much more forgiving.
Cut and Buff
Our two-tone scheme will be accented by a green pinstripe at
the border, which gives us a little wiggle room at the parting line.
To mask off for the second color on top of the Mustang, we laid
down some ⅛-inch tape on the crest of the body line so that the
pinstripe would be halfway over each color. Dividing the color
here gives you a little margin for error.
If you’ve done all the right preparation before laying down
your base color coat and clearcoat, the cut and buff procedure
can be one of the most satisfying experiences of doing your
own body and paint. Laying the groundwork for a flat surface
is not easy, but if you take that time, it will reward you with a
mirror-like finish at the cut and buff stage. If you are in a rush
to the finish line and take shortcuts, the cut and buff stage will
be more of a nightmare than anything else.
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3M Perfect-It II rubbing
compound removes the
scratches left by wet
sanding, and gives the
paint the luster we were
after. If you let the pad
go dry when buffing,
you can damage the
surface of the paint,
so keep a healthy
application of this
compound on the paint
where you’re working.
Trim
Painting
For both sanding and buffing steps, it’s a good idea to cover the
raised edges like the cowl vents and driprails so that they aren’t
accidentally sanded through. When the paper hits an edge like
this, it’s pretty easy for it to wear through the color to the primer,
then you’re in trouble!
Mustangs have a whole
lot of bright trim on
them, but the shiny
look wasn’t going to
match the sleek and
tough look we’re going
for with Project Street
Fighter. The trim that
we didn’t remove we
painted satin black to
help it blend in with the
car. Before we could
paint, we had to clean
and sand the trim. As
you can see, the trim had overspray from the last three paintjobs. We used
a razor to scrape it off. Once the parts were clean, we hit them with 160-grit
sandpaper to give the surface bite for the paint to adhere to. We used
Dupli-Color’s Trim Black for all the exterior trim and also for the inside of the
doors, fenders, and taillight buckets shown here.
After the clearcoat hardened over our gray coat, we wet sanded
it with 1,000-grit wet/dry paper. This step is called cutting. The
objective is to level out any debris that accumulated in the paint
while it dried, and to smooth out any orange peel left from the
clearcoat.
Once wet sanding is complete, we can proceed with the buffing
step. We used this Makita sander (PN MAK-9227CX3 from Summit
Racing, $199.95) with a wool pad to knock down the ridges the
1,000-grit paper left. Keeping the buffer moving will help to avoid
creating swirl marks in the paint.
It is important in the metalworking and build primer stages
that large, uninterrupted sections of bodywork are leveled
properly with sanding blocks and long boards where appropriate. If these areas have been worked evenly, and special attention to the guidecoat has been given, then it will all show up in
the cut and buff stages.
During the cut and buff, the idea is to gradually bring the
rough texture of the finish gradually flatter. One thing you are
definitely not doing during cutting is surface leveling—that
should’ve been accomplished long before this step. Skipping, or
rushing grit stages will result in grooves or scratches that cannot be eliminated in subsequent stages. At odds with this is the
finite amount of material built-up during the basecoat (for single stage) or clearcoat (dual-stage) application. If care isn’t
taken, it’s easy to burn through these layers, especially at corners, points, or convex areas. The idea is to smooth the material with your media just enough to remove the fine scratches
from the previous media grit.
As with block sanding large, flat areas at the primer stage,
the cutting stage is done similarly, with flexible rubber blocks,
or cawls. This is accomplished with water (wet sanding) during
the cutting stage. This provides waste material a way out, preventing the media from loading up, and burning the finish.
Finishing Touches
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This was the fun part. After hours of banging on panels, sanding filler, priming, sanding, priming again, painting, cutting,
and buffing, we finally got to assemble the car. So much of
what we’ve been doing has been in the body shop and covered
with dust that the finished product was hard to imagine. Now
that it was time to get it back together, we were finally getting
the gratification.
Before the front and rear glass went back in to make the car
look complete, the headliner needed to be installed first, since
the headliner tucks under the glass. We had a brand-new headliner in the box of parts we got from the previous owner, but a
new one goes for about $20 through NPD. Getting the headlin-
“The idea was to do the most of
the grunt work myself, while
leaving the crucial workings to
the experts. With the car at JCG
Restoratio ns and Customs,
we were in good hands.”
er in isn’t too difficult, but we had
some help with that. We’ll explain
further in a later story when we
dive into our interior overhaul.
Bodywork isn’t easy, and there
are many difficult steps to take.
Problems come up and surprises
are to be expected. It’s one of the
only modifications to a car you can
do that doesn’t come with a part
number or guarantee. A combination of time, effort, hard work, and
quality materials are responsible
for the final product. And as we’ve
shown, it doesn’t cost an arm and
a leg to get great results from
Summit’s paint system.
After the paint was polished it was
ready for the pinstripe. Henry Segura,
automotive graphic instructor at
Oxnard College, volunteered to help
us out with our project. He’s got over
60 years of experience and together
we choose this custom apple green he
mixed himself. The pinstripe down
each side and a couple small bits like
our gas cap would run about $150.
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PAINT YOUR OWN CAR
Summit Paint
We also had Henry stripe over the red that was originally on our
new gas cap. We tossed the cheap pot metal cap chosen by the
factory for this black anodized piece from NPD for $91.50. It
matches the look of the black powdercoated taillight bezels
we did months ago.
Though we were
thorough to bag
and label every
bolt that came off
the Mustang, it
was nice to have
this master body
hardware set from
NPD. Many of the
original bolts had
several paintjobs
worth of overspray,
and would make
the job look cheap
if we were to reuse
them. This kit put
us back $199, but
it was well worth it.
With the help of premium-quality manufacturers, Summit
Racing has branded their own line of paint products.
Their substantial name in the aftermarket has given them
the ability to supply their customers with a simple-to-use
acrylic urethane paint system you can apply in your own
garage. They’ve made the process painfully simple, for
those of us whose profession isn’t refinishing.
Besides the Summit paint products, the only other
things you’ll need to get the job done is a 60-gallon
(or higher) air compressor, spay gun, and masking and
sanding materials, many of which are available though
Summit Racing.
All of Summit’s paint products mix in the same ratio
of 4:1, so there is no confusion. Summit’s acrylic urethane
topcoat is a single-stage paint, meaning the clearcoat is
optional. The exceptions are with specific colors where
the metallic content is too coarse to leave without a
clearcoat. Summit has found that one gallon of this topcoat will paint the average-sized car, but suggests getting an extra gallon if you’re painting interior panels too.
If you’ve got your heart set on the ultra deep look of
a clearcoated car, you have two choices in product.
Summit has a medium- and high-solids clear. The highsolids version is simply the top-shelf version with the
deepest, longest-lasting gloss.
The sanding and polishing process is very similar to
other paints, but can be done after only a couple days.
The system is made to be sprayed without a climatecontrolled paint booth by using temperature-specific
activators. This makes it possible to have a show-quality
paintjob, without a professional paint booth or high-dollar supplies.
The Products
Prep Solvents
Wax & Grease remover—strong blend of solvents to remove
bugs, road grime, oil, and other residue from the body during
and after body preparation
Surface Wash—mild wash for the last wipe-down before
primer or paint is applied to remove dust and debris.
Fish-Eye Eliminator—to allow the paint to flow over imperfections and avoid the fish-eye effect
Primers
Epoxy Primer—especially formulated for superior adhesion
to bare metal. It’s mixed 4:1 with epoxy catalyst.
Urethane 2K Primer—high-build primer to conceal low
spots in a fast-drying formula. Will stick to sealers, primers,
OE finishes, and body filler. Mixed 4:1 with urethane activator.
Paint
Auto City Glass, just down the street in Oxnard, came to install our
front and back glass. Unlike Chevy ponycars, the glass has to be
out in order for the headliner to be installed, so this is the time to
replace the glass. Our glass guy had a trick that proved to be very
helpful when setting the glass. Mustangs use a channeled weatherstrip to seal: Our glass guy put a rope around the whole thing in
the deep part of the weatherstrip. When the glass was sitting on
the car, he pulled the rope out from the inside, pulling the weatherstrip over the threshold, sucking the glass into place. Without
this method, we would have been spending a long time prying the
weatherstrip over the lip.
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popularhotrodding.com
Single-Stage Urethane Topcoat—premium formula makes
this paint highly resistant to damage from UV exposure,
chemicals, weather, and chips. Will hold its color and gloss
longer than acrylic and synthetic enamels. Does not require
a clearcoat for glossy finish and is available in 20 colors;
optional clear for enhanced gloss.
Universal Activators—mix in a 4:1 ratio with Summit’s
urethane products. Three different activators are offered
to compensate for the painting conditions; Fast activator
for below 70° F, medium for between 70° F and 80° F,
and a slow for 80° and above.
Urethane Reducers—to allow flow and leveling of
paint. Comes in fast, medium, slow, and special ZeroVOC to comply with strict environmental regulations.
With topcoat, mixes up to 10 percent, for high-solids
clears, mix 4:1:1.
Clear
Medium-Solids Urethane Clear—user-friendly
operation, standard (but not economy) version
High-Solids Urethane Clear—higher build,
deeper gloss version of the medium solid
Pricing
Wax & Grease Remover (quart).....................................................$9.95
Surface Wash (quart)......................................................................$9.95
Fish-Eye Eliminator (pint)...............................................................$9.95
Epoxy Primer (gallon)...................................................................$49.95
Epoxy Catalyst (quart)...................................................................$16.95
2K Primer Surfacer (gallon)..........................................................$39.95
Single-Stage Urethane Topcoat (gallon)..................................... $79.95
Urethane Specialty Metallic Topcoat (gallon)..............................$89.95
Universal Urethane Activator (quart)............................................$19.95
Universal Urethane Reducer (quart)..............................................$9.95
Medium-Solids Urethane Clearcoat (gallon)...............................$49.95
High-solids Urethane Clearcoat (gallon).....................................$59.95
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PAINT YOUR OWN CAR
Where the
Money Went
We were able to use all of the
tools available to us at JCG
Restoration, but here are the
supplies we used and some
equipment we highly recommend. Everything here is available at SummitRacing.com; we
found they have a huge selection of paint products, supplies,
and tools to handle any bodywork and painting project.
“If you are cutting
corners and skipping
steps, you’ll end up
with a lesser outcome.
The goal is to pick your
battles—and your
materials—wisely.”
Abrasives
Description:...................................................Source:................................... PN:................................. Cost:
7-block Set....................................................Dura Block.............................. ARD-TAI-AF44L...........$59.95
Sandpaper roll 80-grit...................................Carborundum......................... CDM-70528.................$15.95
Sandpaper roll 160-grit.................................Carborundum......................... CDM-70526.................$15.95
Sandpaper roll 220-grit................................Carborundum......................... CDM-70525.................$15.95
Sandpaper roll 400-grit................................Carborundum......................... CDM-70523.................$15.95
Sandpaper sheets (50) 600-grit...................Mirka...................................... 21-104-600...................$31.95
Sandpaper sheets (50) 1000-grit..................Carborundum......................... 63872..........................$17.95
Scotch-Brite...................................................3M.......................................... 7447............................$20.95
Supplies
Surface Wash................................................Summit Racing....................... SUM-UP403..................$9.95
Wax and grease remover..............................Summit Racing....................... SUM-UP404..................$9.95
Air line filters.................................................DeVilbiss................................ DVR-130028.................$8.95
Strainers and stir sticks (6 of each) .............Dupli-Color............................. SHW-BSP400 (2)...........$5.90
Mixing cups...................................................Midstate Tool & Supply.......... US36174(6).................... $7.50
Filler...............................................................Rage....................................... FGE-112...................... $44.95
Spreaders......................................................Performance Tool.................. WMR-W1001...................$1.50
Rubbing compound.......................................3M Perfect-It II....................... TRM-5973....................$19.95
Paint Products
Bright Orange Metallic (1 gallon)..................Summit Racing....................... SUM-UP314.................$89.95
Medium Charcoal Gray Metallic (1 gallon)....Summit Racing....................... SUM-UP318................. $79.95
2K Primer (2 gallons)....................................Summit Racing....................... SUM-UP220................$79.90
High-solids clear (1 gallon)............................Summit Racing....................... SUM-UP200................$59.95
Reducer (1 gallon)..........................................Summit Racing....................... SUM-UP405................$39.80
Activator (1 gallon).........................................Summit Racing....................... SUM-UP101.................$79.80
Hard Parts
Hood..............................................................NPD........................................ 16612-1E....................$499.95
Bolt kit (’66 only)...........................................NPD........................................ 00001-2K........................$199
Gas cap..........................................................NPD........................................ 9030-20A1..................$90.50
Door hinges (upper)......................................NPD........................................ 22800-1A,22801-1A....$39.90
Door hinges (lower).......................................NPD........................................ 22810-1A,22811-1A......$45.90
Total:......................................................................................................................................... $1,607.85
SourceS:
Henry Segura
Pin Striping
805-207-8609
www.henrysegura.com
The Cost So Far
Description:
Cost:
The car............................................................................................................................................ $3,800
Battery replace and relocation (11/08)............................................................................................... $299
Radiator and fans (12/08).............................................................................................................$1,398.12
Spindles, front brakes, wheels tires (1/09)................................................................................ $3,067.04
Trunk rehab and toolbox (2/09)...................................................................................................... $40.48
Rack-and-pinion steering, column, and wheel (4/09).....................................................................$3,012
9-inch rear and brakes (5/09).....................................................................................................$4,631.02
Rear suspension (6/09)....................................................................................................................$2,918
Front suspension (7/09).................................................................................................................. $3,034
Engine bay cleanup with engine sale (8/09)............................................................................... -$394.75
Smeding 427 Windsor (9/09).......................................................................................................... $9,995
Keisler five-speed swap (10/09)..................................................................................................$4,181.55
Paint and body supplies (3/10)....................................................................................................$1,607.85
Total:...................................................................................................................................... $37,589.31
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popularhotrodding.com
JCG Restoration
and Customs
805-988-5080
www.jcgrestorationandcustoms.com
Jessie’s Upholstery
805-647-4580
National Parts Depot
800-235-3445
www.npdlink.com
Pacific Coast Powder
Coating
661-272-1003
www.pacificcoastpowdercoating.net
Summit Racing
800-230-3030
www.summitracing.com