Yes, it is true: the devil is in the details. But what details are we talking about here? The details of which we speak are the hundreds of hours it can take to have the shiniest, straightest car in town. Yes sir, the very first thing anybody sees on any vehicle is the quality put into a paint job. From the onset of any project, "quality in" gets you "quality out." I used to faint when I heard folks talk about how much money they put into their paint jobs. After all, it's just paint-you spray it on and you're done, right? No, it goes deeper than that. Our friend Harry Ortis, owner of Harrison's Restorations, purchased this big-block '71 El Camino a few years back for $1,200. Over the years he worked on the El Camino off and on between his customer's vehicles. Finally when the El Camino reached its time to roll into the paint booth, we were there to follow along. The El Camino was in an accident years ago and required some new Goodmark sheetmetal, a driver's side rear quarter-panel, and a hood. After that, a call was made to PPG and it supplied the base and clearcoat for this project. On the next few pages, we will dissect the anatomy of a show car quality paint job and what it takes to get it done. After most of the prep work is done, it is time to "jamb" the vehicle. Harrison Ortis said there is only one way to restore a vehicle, and that way is the right way. The right way involves removing the doors, hinges, tailgate, hood, and headlight bezels. These items are all prepped for paint and are shot separately to ensure even coverage of the paint.After most of the prep work is done, it is time to "jamb" the vehicle. Harrison Ortis said The first order of business is to spray the doors and their jambs. Starting with light coats, the PPG paint is built up in layers until the color is solid. Depending on the color, several coats...The first order of business is to spray the doors and their jambs. Starting with light coa ...may be required. It's not necessary to attempt full coverage in one pass. That will result in runs, and mottling. Mottling (in laymen's terms) is blotching. The pearl in a pearlescent paint can blotch if it is sprayed incorrectly....may be required. It's not necessary to attempt full coverage in one pass. That will res Let's not forget the tailgate. The bed will eventually be sprayed with bed liner, while the jambs of the tailgate are painted with as much care as the rest of the vehicle.Let's not forget the tailgate. The bed will eventually be sprayed with bed liner, while th Now that all the jambs have been thoroughly painted, 40 minutes later it's time for the PPG clearcoat. Luckily for us, the weather was a perfect 75-80 degrees, which is ideal for spraying color and clear. After the jambs were colored and cleared, the next day the El Camino was rolled out of the paint booth and received its final guide coat and block sanding.Now that all the jambs have been thoroughly painted, 40 minutes later it's time for the PP A few days after the El Camino received its final blocking, it is reassembled, thoroughly cleaned, and brought back into the paint booth. Most of the dirt that can wind up in a paint job is already...A few days after the El Camino received its final blocking, it is reassembled, thoroughly ...on the car, and if it is not properly cleaned this dirt will cause problems in the booth. Washing a vehicle several times before it enters the booth is the remedy for killing all possible dirt particles......on the car, and if it is not properly cleaned this dirt will cause problems in the boot ...After the car is blown clean and dried, 1-2 hours are spent masking it off. Masking a vehicle for paint is just as important a step as the paint itself. No tape lines are the goals of every experienced painter. And if done properly you will never see them....After the car is blown clean and dried, 1-2 hours are spent masking it off. Masking a v Next comes the hood. Harrison set the hood on 4x4s, giving it some elevation. The reason for elevating the hood is so that the hood edges and lip can be properly sprayed and cleared.Next comes the hood. Harrison set the hood on 4x4s, giving it some elevation. The reason f The final step before painting the vehicle is the removal of all dust and oils. The vehicle is sprayed with Prep-All and all panels are wiped down. The Prep-All should remove all traces of wax, grease from...The final step before painting the vehicle is the removal of all dust and oils. The vehicl ...fingerprints, and glue from masking. After the Prep-All is applied, the vehicle is wiped down with a tack cloth. We used compressed air while tacking the vehicle down. It is now officially ready to be painted....fingerprints, and glue from masking. After the Prep-All is applied, the vehicle is wipe Here comes the fun part. This real hot rod is moments away from its new color. Our color was inspired by an OEM color that was seen on a late model vehicle. We called PPG and gave them the paint code of 3N5 known as "Red Pearl Micah." PPG sent us 2 1/2 gallons of their Red Pearl Micah DBC5563 base coat. PPG's DBC base coat is their premier top of the line paint. It just doesn't get any better than that. Two and a half gallons were required to completely cover this vehicle. It's wise to have just a little extra, for touch up purposes. The DBC paint is mixed at a ratio of 1:1, meaning one part base coat to one part...Here comes the fun part. This real hot rod is moments away from its new color. Our color w ...reducer (number DT885). The great thing about the DBC line of paint is it is always a 1:1 ratio. Depending on the temperature, you would use a different reducer. For example we used DT885, because it was close to 80 degrees in our booth. If it had been 65 degrees we would have used DT860. The number at the end of the code corresponds with the temperature in the booth. On an interesting side note, it is also possible to create your own cocktail mix of reducers based on the temperature in the booth, and if this is your first paint job, we suggest contacting PPG for the particulars of that process....reducer (number DT885). The great thing about the DBC line of paint is it is always a 1 The paint gets thoroughly mixed together in a 5-quart "painters pal" bucket. All ratios are on the side of the bucket making it idiot proof-not that the car is being painted by an idiot. After the paint is mixed it is then poured through three strainers into the gun...The paint gets thoroughly mixed together in a 5-quart "painters pal" bucket. All ratios ar ...In case you are wondering, Harrison uses a Sata spray gun. Sata makes some of the finest spray guns in the automotive industry. We could do a whole story on type of guns, needle size and air pressure, but we'll save you the gory details....In case you are wondering, Harrison uses a Sata spray gun. Sata makes some of the fines 1 | 2 | » | View Full Article By Mike Harrington Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
