More paint for the El Camino

While Chris and I worked on getting the ’66 Chevy pickup out so Murphy Rod & Custom could pick it up and then turned our attention to finishing up a customers truck so it could go home, Chase spent his day in the paint booth.

The first photo shows the fenders and doors of the El Camino in the booth, masked off and ready to paint. The mirror in the upper right corner of the picture was given it’s base coat first, for another customer, then removed from the booth to dry in another room. Because it is on the side of the booth where the paint is collected, drawing any overspray away from the El Camino, we didn’t have to worry about overspray getting on the El Camino’s fenders or doors. But that is also why it was removed from the booth prior to painting the El Camino because it most certainly would have overspray from the El Camino had the mirror remained in the booth. After the El Camino panels are painted with their base coat, the mirror will be returned to the booth so it can be clear coated along with the El Camino.

The next two pictures, numbers two and three, show the El Camino panels after the application of the sealer. Sealer is applied to seal all the primers and filler used on the panel and to give the paint something that it can get it’s teeth into for good adhesion. Sealer comes in seven shades of gray, from very light to very dark, and the proper shade of sealer is specified for each color.

Pictures four and five show the fenders and doors after the base coat has been applied. The base coat, the first stage of the two-stage paint system, provides the color for the finish but none of the gloss. The base coat dries to a near flat finish as you can see.

After the base coat dries the clear coat, the second stage, is applied. The clear coat provides a super-tough layer of protection for the base coat below and it also gives the finish its sizzle. Compare how the doors and fender look in pictures six and seven, after the clear coat has been applied, to the same doors and fenders in pictures four and five when they only have the base coat. The clear coat brings out the beauty of the paint and gives the paint the deep, rich gloss that makes automotive finishes so attractive.

After these panels are thoroughly dry they will be subjected to a wet sand and polish to turn the gloss up a few more notches … up to the High Performance Finish level.

Touch and go

Big red is finally ready to go home. But first we had to put the finishing touches on the truck.

The first two photos show me attaching the 4×4 stickers on the rear fenders. While I was doing that, Chris was installing the tailgate. You can see in the first photo the tailgate is missing, then in the second it is there. Chris is quick, but he isn’t that quick. If you look at the first picture you can see I have my head cocked at a strange angle. That is because I was multitasking and was talking on the phone while installing the graphic. When I stepped away for a moment to deal with the phone call, Chris was able to get the tailgate installed.

Pictures three and four are of Chris installing the tailgate. The fourth photo has him removing some old glue with a power eraser so the new tailgate cover can be attached. That tool is good for only one thing, removing glue and tape from a car, but that one job … it does it exceptionally well.

After the tailgate went on, the bumper was attached. You can see Chris and I lying on the wet concrete bolting the bumper on in picture five. And yes, I always plan ahead so things are done in the proper order to make working at JMC AutoworX a real pleasure.

After the back of the truck was buttoned up, we turned the truck around and started working on the front. In picture six the hood goes on, then Chris attaches some plastic covers in the engine compartment in picture seven.

The next four pictures, numbers 8-11, show how we attach the emblems. First, as you can see in picture eight, we lay down a strip of tape to ensure the emblems go on straight. Unlike the tape, which is easy to remove and reposition if it isn’t straight, once the emblem sticks, it is stuck … straight or not.

Using the tape as I guide I stick the emblem to the truck, as you can see in picture nine. This truck has two emblems, one over the other, so in picture ten I am attaching the second of the two emblems over the first.

In picture eleven you can see that while I worked on the doors, Chris used the same technique to attach the tailgate emblem.

The truck was then sent to Trim Line Design for an application of tape stripes. You can see big red after the stripes are applied in the last two photos, numbers twelve and thirteen. Pictures twelve and thirteen also show big red finished and ready to go home.

So roll on big red … roll on.

So long, old friend

After failing to complete this truck, and no time in sight available to work on it, I finally asked Kelly Murphy of Murphy Rod & Custom to bail me out. The truck is painted but not fully assembled. It still needs some finishing work on the mechanical side, things like hooking up the brakes and steering column, along with a few other items.

Today Kelly came and picked the truck up to take back to his shop to finish the assembly work so the owner, who has been very patient with me, can have his truck back.

This truck, along with another car that came into the shop later, taught me a very valuable business lesson. That lesson is that you can do everything and you need to partner with other businesses … say like Murphy Rod & Custom … to do the things you can’t do yourself.

New arrival

This very nice 1967 Chevelle arrived at the shop today. This is a true SS 4-speed car that was involved in a minor fender-bender some months ago. The car is not only going to have the collision damage repaired, but it is also going to receive our High Performance Finish to take the paint up a couple of notches.

The car was delivered on a trailer though the car runs and is still driveable. You can see in the third and fourth photos that the damage could have been much worse, though any damage on these old cars is heart breaking.

We will get the old girl patched up and the new paint job will be better than the one it had when it was new.