When we began this project, we had intended to follow one car through the paint process and add photographs of other relevant projects to better explain the process. Our intended victim was Matt Blackmer’s red 1965 Pontiac GTO. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, the project stalled for reasons beyond anybody’s control. Luckily, into the void stepped Steve Strope of Pure Vision Design in Simi Valley, California, a long-time associate of Mick’s Paint. Mick has painted several award-winning muscle cars for Strope, who had an exciting project needing completion for display at the annual SEMA Trade Show.
The project was Bob Florine’s 1957 Ford Del Rio Station Wagon. You could argue that the wagon is not technically a muscle car, but all doubt is removed when you open that custom hood to reveal a 520-ci Boss Nine built by John Kaase Racing Engines. Producing 770 hp and 730 ft-lbs of torque, it has muscle all right, and then some.
In addition to its awesome powertrain, Bob’s wagon is loaded with subtle and not-so-subtle modifications. These include the highly modified Art Morrison chassis to reshaped and repositioned wheel arches to doors that were stretched 3.5 inches. Moreover, tailfins were added, along with 1957 T-Bird door handles and eyebrows, peaked fenders, shrunken gas door, frenched headlights, custom inner fenders, a front valance, grille and bumpers, custom trim, and the Thunderbird hood scoop.
The paint is a subtle two-tone blend of Ferrari Avorio and Aston Martin Bridgewater Bronze. It looks simple; how difficult could it be? Right? Wrong. As with all paint jobs that come out of Mick’s Paint, it’s what you don’t see that matters, such as the thousands of hours that went into stripping, carefully sealing, priming, sanding, priming, sanding, and so on before any color was laid down. Great care had to be taken to get the color separation just right. Meanwhile, all that fragile tapered and curved stainless steel trim had to be hand-formed because of the 3.5 inches added to the length of the doors. After the paint was applied, the finished surfaces were patiently hand-rubbed. It began with 1000-grit Wetordry and working through 1500-, 2000-, 2500-, and finally 3000-grit paper to get that perfect, scratch-free surface. Of course, the trick is to never rub through. The perfect paint job takes patience, time, care, and money.
In the case of Bob’s wagon, probably 2,750 hours are in the body and shaping. This is by no means excessive and it doesn’t include the actual metal shaping. This is typical of what it takes to paint a car to Mick and Strope’s show-quality standards. The proof, of course, came at the annual SEMA Show where, once again, the team picked up a Ford Design Award for its superb craftsmanship.
Mick Who?
Born west of London, England, Mick Jenkins completed a four-year panel beating and paintwork “City and Guilds” apprenticeship while serving his time at a Jaguar dealership in his hometown. Through hard work and attention to detail, he quickly attained a management position at the age of 24. Eventually, he managed a staff of 65 at the collision shop of a major Ford dealership group on England’s south coast.
Mick Jenkins has spent more than 30 years in the refinishing business. He now operates Mick’s Paint in Pomona, California, and is one of the country’s leading custom painters. Mick poses here with his 1934 roadster. He’s now working on a similar 1932 highboy. (Photo Courtesy of Alex Maldonado/Blacktopsociety.com)
An avid motorsports fan, car guy, and motorcycle rider, Mick followed his dream to California in 1995 and immediately found a niche in the Southern California car culture. He opened Mick’s Paint in Huntington Beach and soon gained a reputation for excellent bodywork and paint with an impressive portfolio of high-profile projects for Buick and Toyota, as well as aftermarket companies including SO-CAL Speed Shop, Budnik Wheels, Hot Rods by Boyd, Dan Fink Metalworks, and GMT. That period culminated in his collaboration with Foose Design to paint and prepare Chuck Svatos’s 1932 Roadster, which won the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) award at the 2000 Grand National Roadster Show.
In 2001, Pete Chapouris invited Mick to join the award-winning team at the SO-CAL Speed Shop as the Hot Rod and Race Car shop manager to oversee the day-to-day running of the operation. In addition, he painted a number of customers’ cars, including Gene Olsen’s 1950 Merc’ convertible, Jim Green’s Assassin Top Fuel dragster, Billy F Gibbons’s 1958 Thunderbird Mexican Blackbird, Dennis Higginbotham’s Spencer II Roadster, and Bill Lindig’s blown Ardun Deuce Roadster, which was featured in the popular international TV show: Hot Rod Build-off.
In 2010, after re-forming Mick’s Paint, Mick became associated with Steve Strope of Pure Vision Design and painted the 1969 Anvil Mustang that won the Ford Motor Company Design Award at the 2010 SEMA Show. That car heralded the beginning of an enduring relationship with Strope that has resulted in more than a half-dozen extraordinary muscle car builds.
This 1958 Thunderbird, Mexican Blackbird, was built for ZZ Top front man Billy F Gibbons at the SO-CAL Speed Shop and painted by Mick’s Paint. While it’s not a muscle car, it does show the versatility of Mick’s work. (Photo Courtesy of Alex Maldonado/Blacktopsociety.net)
Mick’s first collaboration with Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design resulted in the 1969 Anvil Mustang that won the Ford Motor Company Design Award at the 2010 SEMA Show. The 520-ci Boss 429-powered car was built for Matt Lazich of Anvil Auto to showcase its line of composite parts. (Photo Courtesy of Didier Soyeux)
In 2012, Mick’s painted the 1965 Martini Mustang; Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design built it for Karl Williams. It won the Ford Motor Company Design Award at that year’s SEMA Show. (Photo Courtesy of Didier Soyeux)
Ed Pink Racing Engines built the highly detailed engine of the T5-R Martini Mustang: a 1960s-era 292-ci DOHC Ford Indy V-8.
The Halo 1972 TT Camaro, built by Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design and painted at Mick’s Paint, won the GM Design award at the 2013 SEMA Show.
Powered by a 1,400-hp twin-turbo 427-ci small-block, the 1972 TT Camaro was a badass, long haul ride built for Ron Lallo.
Another Pure Vision and Mick’s Paint collaboration was this 1967 Ford Fairlane built for Ed Chalupa. It won the Ford Motor Company Design award at the 2014 SEMA Show.
A 521-ci all-aluminum SOHC big-block Ford engine built by Ed Pink Racing Engines powers the Black Ops 1967 Ford Fairlane.
Mick had a hand in painting these two wildly flamed Freightliner Optimus