Basecoat

When spraying paint, Evans recommends following the air flow by starting at the back of the car and working forward.

Now with our panels true and the surface smooth, it's time for basecoat. The first color of the two-tone project was PPG India Ivory White. The color white can be problematical with coverage when working with white basecoats, so the first thing to do is to scuff the surface with a red Scotch-Brite pad and apply a few coats of white epoxy primer (PPG DP48) reduced down 2-1-1 making it a sufficient sealer. Because the primer is mixed with a catalyst, it won't reactivate when the clear coat is sprayed and bleed through the second color.

Next spray three even coats of the PPG India Ivory White. I used a Sata Jet 2000 Digital HVLP2 with a 1.4 tip. Some painters like the 1.3 tip for their basecoats, but I personally prefer the 1.4. Allow 5-15 minutes of dry time for basecoats (15-20 minutes for clearcoats) before applying your next coat. I usually spray basecoats at 27 psi and clear at 33 psi.

Rich tip: Since this was a two-tone Chevy, there were some layout and masking techniques that I won't really get into, because it doesn't pertain to every vehicle. However, when masking off any area of a car for graphics, I generally try to apply the masking as tight and flat as possible. The reason being that sometimes a crease or a fold can give your spray pattern something to bounce off of and create an imperfection in the finish.

Proud owners Art and Dan Danchuk of Danchuk Manufacturing, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer and supplier of 55-57 Chevy parts in the world, prepare to drive off with their masterpiece in tow.

With the masking peeled and the edges cleaned up, apply three wet coats of clear - allowing 5-15 minutes of dry time between coats. When spraying basecoats or clearcoats and using a cross-draft booth, I recommend starting in the rear of the booth because the air flows from the rear to front. Starting at the front and working toward the back, all of the overspray would land on the freshly coated surface. Moral: Follow the air flow. Start at the back and work your way forward. I also tend to work from top to bottom as well.

Clearcoat

Different brands and types of clear coats have different cure times. Processing time will vary depending on the type of clear being used. Some types of clear will permit color sanding in as short as two hours. To obtain a show-quality finish, use a high quality clear that cures more slowly. Allowing itself to flatten out more and then I'll let it sit over night before color sanding and buffing.

Color sanding

When color sanding, start with a clean bucket, clean water, and a clean block, so there won't be any dirt particles in between the sand paper and the finish to gouge the paint and cost more work, time, and money - all because you were too lazy to get up and get some fresh water.

Rich tip: It's a good idea to add a few drops of dish washing detergent to your water bucket, which allows the sandpaper to cut faster and last longer.

Start with a good block and some 800 grit wet sand paper to smooth out any imperfections and flatten out any orange peel. From here, use the 1000 grit to remove the 800 grit scratches. Then use 1200 grit to remove the 1000 grit scratches. Finally, use 1500 as a final step to remove the 1200 grit scratches.

Stay Away from the Edges. Always remember that the paint is thinnest at the edge. Once you burn through the paint, the only way to fix it is to sand the whole thing down and spray clear again.

Rich tip: Don't touch the edges - protect them with blue 3M vinyl tape. Also be careful about dips and crevices. Keep in mind that your buffer must fit in the same area with its pad.

Buffing and finishing

Grab a buffer, some 3M Heavy Rubbing Compound and a #1 wool pad to start buffing the finish back to a shine. Next, buff with a 3M Finesse-It Finishing Material. Then switch to a foam pad or a waffle pad and buff the finish with a glaze of your choice - either 3M or Meguiars, whichever you prefer. Finally, with a micro fiber cloth, apply some hand glaze and some Meguiars wax and polish for a pristine finish.

Conclusion

This is a summary of the process I use in finishing a car. I'm not saying that this is the text book standard - do it this way or don't do it at all. I'm just saying that this is the process I've developed by taking what I've been taught, what I've learned, and what I've proven to work in the last 20 years of winning awards, shows, plaques and trophies.

All the parts are here and can be used to take any vehicle from metal to finish, but if you would like a more detailed, in-depth instruction of this process, go to HuntingtonBeachBodyworks.com or KustomShop.com to order the '56 Metal to Paint Instructional DVD. There are a whole lot more tips and techniques included that spell out all the steps in this involved and somewhat overwhelming project.

Here's hoping this information will help many of you out there who are doing one-off projects. I'll be back again with a new custom paint project for you in a future issue.

Rich Evans, owner of Huntington Beach Bodyworks in Southern California, is an award winning painter and fabricator. Currently he is offering workshops at his facility so he can share his special techniques to other industry professionals. For more information about Evans, visit www.huntingtonbeachbodyworks.com.