Surprise! I didn&8217t paint...
Surprise! I didn’t paint my roadster eggplant purple after all. They say you never know until you buy the paint. Besides, I&8217m hoping to get my finished roadster photographed by a street rod magazine, and they say red is the best color to get published. Ha!
Mitch Lanzini of Lanzini Body...
Mitch Lanzini of Lanzini Body Works in Huntington Beach is a talented professional who also drives a neat purple Zipper-bodied Deuce (R&C, October ´98).
We blocked the door jams until...
We blocked the door jams until they looked as good as the exterior body surfaces. We also rolled the body over and roughed the surface of the floor panel that faces the pavement. This surface will be protected from road grime and grease, and it always looks good to have a matching color on the bottom as well as the top. The red will contrast against the silver chassis components.
We had a low surface behind...
We had a low surface behind the driver-side door and at the bottom of the door that we built up. Fiberglass bodies generally have enough gelcoat to work the seams open to about 1/4 inch. As primer and paint cover these surfaces, the seams will close back down to 1/8-3/16 inch, a good size for door seams.
We filled the body seams on...
We filled the body seams on the rear deck and worked the reveals in the rear. The rumble-seat lid was removed to allow primer and painting of the complete opening around the rumble-seat lid.
The cowl needed work to fill...
The cowl needed work to fill the surface around the slot cut for the curved windshield. This feature will be one of the most unique for my ´33, and this area needed to be blocked-in perfect.
While we were traveling last...
While we were traveling last summer, Lanzini’s guys put in a few hours sanding with the two-handed long-board to keep the surfaces well-developed. This is the best way to keep high and low spots to a minimum. Notice that the doors are off for access to the jams.The first panels to get primed were the fenders, hood, hood sides, rumble lid, and running boards. We worked the surfaces until we were satisfied, and as you can see, shot a light coat of black primer to contrast the gray. It’s not necessary to go crazy with the black, as you&8217ll see when you start hand-sanding primer near the end of the block-sanding stage. Allow as much time as possible for all this material to cure to get the least shrinkage showing through to the clearcoat.
The first panels to get primed...
The first panels to get primed were the fenders, hood, hood sides, rumble lid, and running boards. We worked the surfaces until we were satisfied, and as you can see, shot a light coat of black primer to contrast the gray. It’s not necessary to go crazy with the black, as you&8217ll see when you start hand-sanding primer near the end of the block-sanding stage. Allow as much time as possible for all this material to cure to get the least shrinkage showing through to the clearcoat.
We worked both the inside...
We worked both the inside and outside of the doors, as well as the jams on the door and the body. At this point, all the surfaces are running very true, and we&8217re concentrating on keeping the rolled edges consistent and the opening edges straight. This will help to make for very even door cuts that eliminate the possibility of friction and paint being rubbed off between the door- and body-jams.
The body sat curing in the...
The body sat curing in the SoCal sun for several weeks. You can see the Kingsbury Auto Shop Dollies that made rolling the steel-reinforced Wescott body around the shop a breeze. We also temporarily braced the door opening of the body with some steel to keep the flexing down as much as possible. It&8217s good insurance for fewer cracks around the doorsill.
Starting with the firewall,...
Starting with the firewall, we worked the guidecoat off as we finger-sanded all the little surface changes on the firewall and inner surfaces on the cowl. The clean part gets smooth and soft as...add your favorite metaphor. It’s slow going, but there are no shortcuts to a bitchin&8217 paint job.
The body was turned upside-down,...
The body was turned upside-down, and color paint was sprayed. By painting the bottom of the body and toeboard first, Mitch risked less possible damage to the top surfaces, and he then masked up to the fresh paint to keep overspray down to a minimum.
Seeing color on the inner...
Seeing color on the inner door panels was quite a thrill. There have been magazine cars that took longer to complete than this one, but Ive had my hands involved with as much of the assembly and preparation as possible along the way. Final assembly will be the home stretch on a long but very interesting and educational journey.
We've said it before, but it's worth repeating: A modern paint sandwich is a multi-layer coat of various paint products with a common chemistry--the first rule to a successful long-lasting high-gloss paint job. We were fortunate to work with Mitch Lanzini, a professional painter who performs everyday repair work and paints street rods for a living. Mitch has dealt with the changing laws and ordinances governing modern paint and feels the current array of materials are quite capable of producing first-rate and lasting results.
In the past, we've dedicated most of an article to modern paint materials. Also, ta past issue of Custom Classic Trucks published more information on modern primer/surfacers from PPG, DuPont, and Valspar/House of Kolor. This time we wanted to further the discussion by talking in general terms about the procedure to follow, and show how we painted a 'glass '33 Ford roadster.
It should be no secret to the average rodder that HVLP stands for "High-Volume Low-Pressure." These new spray guns put great amounts of material on a surface and less in the air as overspray. As the cost of materials has continued to rise, it's important to waste as little as possible. HVLP also requires a more watchful eye, as the solid content is generally higher to eliminate carriers that evaporate into the atmosphere.
Any regular reader of R&C can find a wealth of information on paint tips and techniques. We'll add our experience to those of the past and hope you pick up something new. What most people who build street rods know (or quickly learn) is that rarely does anything come ready-to-paint, even when it's the best you can buy. Thorough preparation for primer and topcoat/clearcoat is the foundation for a successful paint job and the key to a successful presentation when it comes to street rods. Show-quality street rods and customs take even greater pains to achieve the necessary paint quality.
We may not cover every little detail in paint mixing or even all the secret details, but here are some of the more important tips we picked up from Lanzini Body Works in Huntington Beach, California.