Custom Paint Job - … Go Mad With A Nomad

The renderings are very helpful when doing a job like this. It’s easy to get lost in the confusion of the lines. Here Jack and the boys figure out what size the center panels should be.

A centerline was pulled down the entire roof—and it was decided that 8 3/4 inches on each side would look just right to make a total panel width of 17 1/2 inches, just a little larger than the side panels.

Once the guides are marked, Jack pulls the lines and then separates the panels out, individually using his measurements down the entire roof as a guide.

All the tan masking is traced in blue before the tan tape is removed. The front panels were measured from the center stripes Jack laid and then freehanded. The roof is now ready for the final masking.

The final mask around is done in green tape and Jack lays out the ribbon masking that is on the outer panels in a fade. They will remain silver. This is done all freehand and is an art. Practice makes perfect.

When the ribboning is done the roof gets masked off in its entirety except for the center, which will be laced. The lace is laid down on the top, pulled semi-tight, and then taped in place. Jack works from the center out to keep from botching what he has already done. Here he lays down the first coats of candy in the center. It’s a fade of lace, so he starts with a detail gun with a wide pattern and gets the fade he wants by building up material. He then comes at it with a tighter pattern on the gun to get the edges darkened down.

The lace is pulled when dry now and you can start to see the final product of the fade. The sides are unmasked and are ready for their treatment.

Once the center has dried, it can be then masked as well as the front panels. They will be getting an entirely new treatment.

The unmasked roof is then sprayed with 10 coats of candy building up the pigment and fading it to the edges. The candy builds pigment with each pass of the gun.