If you plan on using a solid color with no metallics or pearls, you could paint it yourself using the knowledge gained from reading this book. However, if this really is going to be your very first attempt at painting a car, we strongly suggest that you not only study this book but also seek help elsewhere. Different opinions are always good. You could even sign up for paint and body classes if they are available in your area. There’s no substitute for experience, so if you do nothing else, get ahold of a spray gun and practice.
If you are uncomfortable tackling the paint, then you will obviously have to either take it to a paint shop or hire a painter. If you take it to a paint shop, unless you know the owner/painter very well, expect to be shown the door. Why? Because the painter is unlikely to want to put his name on the paint when he has no idea how you have prepped the car. For all he knows, you primered the car with spray bombs over whatever was there before. He’ll paint it and before you can say reaction there could be, well, a reaction that is possibly going to have repercussions for the painter. People will think it’s his fault that the paint reacted when, in fact, your prep will have been the cause.
You can find good painters in the unlikeliest of places. Albert De Alba Jr. of Cal Blast is one heck of a painter. Note: He did not paint this 1960 T-Bird in his blasting shop; he painted it elsewhere.
One possibility that we’ve heard of is to contact your local one-day paint specialist and see if its painter would be interested in painting your car. All they do is paint all day long, so they have to be experienced painters; maybe there is an opportunity for you to do the prep and have them handle the paint application. That is, if it’s not too complicated.
Unless you have a good painter in your back pocket that trusts your work and is prepared to paint over your base, there is no simple solution to finding a painter.
What Equipment Will I Need?
The tools and equipment needed are outlined in more detail in chapter 3. Needless to say, it’s everything from hammers and dollies all the way through to a suitable welder. The list is much longer than you think possible, but if you’re a crafty, hands-on person then you might already own most, if not all, of the tools required to complete a showable restoration or custom. We have listed here some equipment that only professionals are likely to have.
Body Dolly
You will need some items such as a body dolly if you remove the body from the chassis. You can make a body dolly or you can buy one. You might even be able to rent one but think of the time this project will take, a year at least, and realize you don’t want to be renting a dolly for a year.
If you’re planning a full body-off restoration, you will need to figure a body dolly into your plan. You can build your own or purchase one from a company such as Best Buy Automotive Equipment.
If you’re going all the way and taking the body off the frame, you must fabricate a simple tube structure to prevent the body from twisting. It’s cheap insurance.
Rotisserie
The same goes for a rotisserie. It is best to budget for one if you are going the full monty. If you are taking the body off the frame then you will need to construct a steel tube structure to help hold the body in shape and prevent it from flopping over. Of course, this structure should be fabricated before you remove the body from the chassis and while you still have the doors in place. You might also want to consider other structures to hold fenders and the hood, as they might make it easier for you to work from.
Because of its size, the support structure for Bob’s wagon was substantial. It included a central cross frame to hold the body in shape as well as other supports, such as these on the doors.
If the budget allows and you intend a full restoration, you may opt for a rotisserie such as this one from Auto Lift; however, they cost around $1,000. You can find used rotisseries, but be sure to get one that can support the weight of your body.
You may also need dollies to support fenders, the hood, and other take-off parts including the decklid and doors. Remember to put the dollies on wheels.
Ideally, all of these work mates need to be on wheels. Also keep in mind where you are going to store them both when they are in use and not in use, as they do take up a lot of space.
Rendering
A rendering is an image or model of what you want the finished product to look like. It is something else to consider before you dive into a project, not so much a restoration but certainly a custom paint job. Having a rendering done gives you a road map, even if it’s only a guide, that will help keep you focused.
As you can see, there’s a lot to plan when it comes to tackling a professional level paint job for your muscle car. One of our first steps when starting a new project is to make a checklist of all the things we have outlined above. Then, determine a ballpark figure of what the project will require in regard to both time and cost. Unless you have done this before, you will be surprised at the amount of time and money necessary to achieve above average results. You will no longer question the paint shop when they quote you time and materials.
A rendering can run somewhere between $300 and $1,000 but having a vision of what you want your project to ultimately look like is money well spent. It gives you a road map, a destination, and inspiration when energy is lagging. It can also generate some publicity, if that’s your goal, and it’s a very cool thing to have framed for the man cave. Steve Stanford created this rendering of Ed Chalupa’s 1967 Ford Fairlane. Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design built the car and Mick’s Paint painted it.
We were able to follow the build and painting of Bob Florine’s 520-ci Boss Nine–powered 1957 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon. Steve Stanford rendered it and Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design built it. It looks like a simple two-tone paint job, but you will see that it is complicated when you want to get it right.
As you saw in chapter 1, Make a Plan, you will need some specialized equipment that is not generally found in the toolboxes of most home mechanics. At this point, you might need to pause and once again ponder if this task is for you. It’s not that sanding blocks, hammers, and dollies are expensive, but grinders and spray guns can