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Automobile Restorations
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Although this one isn’t over-restored
like so many, and it does get driven, Jim
McNiel’s historic Hirohata Merc custom
is probably finished better now than it
was the first time. It’s even won a
couple Concours trophies already. But
the body still hasn’t ever been off the
frame.
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The paint job outlined in the last chapter is by far the most common, whether in professional
bodyshops or in home garages. It’s the type I have done on the majority of my own cars.
Now we’re going to take it further, by removing all glass, doors, trunk, interior, probably driveline,
maybe even the body from the frame.
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I did one paint job in which the car was completely stripped of interior, glass, driveline, and front-
end sheetmetal, but the body was left on the frame and the doors and trunk were never removed.
The reason these were left on (they were fully gutted of glass, handles, latches, etc.) was because
they fit fine, had never been hit or removed since the car was built in 1953, and this vehicle was
completely media-blasted, which removed all existing paint, primers, dirt, and so on, inside and out
of all components. Removing the front sheetmetal and original driveline not only allowed easier
installation of new front suspension and engine and transmission mounts, but also made it easy to
modify, detail, and paint the firewall before anything else.
Naturally there was a lot of trial-fitting of components along the way, but generally the process went
like this: the firewall and body (including jambs, inside trunk, etc.), were painted first, along with the
hood, front fenders, splash aprons, and so on separately. The dash and window frames were
painted a different color to match the upholstery. All the painted components were color sanded
and rubbed out. Then the frame was sanded and painted gloss black with spray cans, the
underside of the floorboards were similarly sprayed with black undercoating, and certain under-car
and under-hood parts, such as the gas tank, were sprayed body color. Meanwhile the engine and
driveline parts were assembled, painted, and detailed separately, and then installed. Next came all
new glass, including rubber gaskets, channels, and felt strips, at a glass shop. Then the front
sheetmetal was very carefully reinstalled and aligned, and all chrome trim, grille, bumpers, and so
on were added. Finally, new gauges were installed in the dash, along with accessories such as air
conditioning and stereo system. The car was fully rewired, and, last, the interior was reupholstered.
I mention all this to present the steps of “building” a car in one real-case scenario. It can vary to
some degree in other situations, as we shall see.
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People often talk about “frame-off” restorations. That’s an incorrect term. I have one car, a ’32 Ford
roadster, that will get a body-off-frame paint job when it’s ready. I’ve already had the body off the
frame a few times. It’s no big deal with a car like an early roadster, and it’s the type of car that
deserves this kind of restoration and paint. But I am not at all a fan of taking big ’50s-and–later car
bodies off their frames just to paint them. It’s usually a waste of time and a huge amount of effort.
More importantly, that’s not what this book is about. It’s about painting your car at home in your
garage, so that you can do the quality of job you want, and save a whole lot of dollars doing it
yourself. I doubt that your garage is equipped for removing full-size auto bodies from their frames.
Which is not to say that you can’t do show-quality paint jobs, if you want to, right in your garage.
Our example for this chapter is a perfect case in point. One of the most famous custom cars ever
built, it won plenty of shows back in the ‘50s, and has won plenty more since being restored, and
its body has never left its frame.
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Despite the seemingly simple list of basic
building/painting steps we presented in Chapter 1,
we have already seen numerous cases where that
sequence shouldn’t, or couldn’t, be followed. The
restoration of the famous Hirohata ’51 Mercury,
built in the Barris Kustom shops in ’52–’53, actually
follows that recipe closer than it might appear.
Longtime owner/keeper/restorer of the car, Jim
McNiel, began by rebuilding the engine and
mechanicals (painting and chroming parts as he did
so).
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After removing all external trim, we showed the car being stripped to bare metal in Jim’s garage in
Chapter 2. After he did minor bodywork, Jim etched, sealed, and applied several coats of high-fill
primer to the body, block sanding several times between coats. That was the state of the car in this
photo, in Jim’s garage, when time began running out for the car to be finished in time for a large
museum exhibit.
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That’s when Hershel “ Junior” Conway, who
began his illustrious painting career at George
Barris’ shop as a teen, volunteered to paint the
car, in original lacquers, in his shop in the
short time available. With Junior steering and
Jim helping, this is how the car looked as it left
Jim’s driveway.
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You can see that the rear window and side
glass have been removed, with their custom
moldings, but the headliner is still in place, so
these areas had to be fully masked. Junior is
carefully hand-sanding the side-window lip,
especially in the tight corner where it meets the
top.
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Several things here: Removing
the doors allows access to the
otherwise impossible-to-reach
area around the hinges and
inside the front fender. It also
allows easy and thorough
sanding of the jamb areas of the
doors (which Jim is doing), as
well as in the body. And you can
see Junior spends as much time
and attention sanding down
under the rocker moldings as he
does on more visible body areas.
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All this preparation makes the actual spraying
of paint onto the body relatively easy. The
reason Junior is wearing a simple mask is
because PPG provided old-style (non-toxic)
lacquer for this restoration. How he lays it
down so smooth and glossy, I have no idea
(other than decades of practice).
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A spray booth is not critical for lacquer,
especially without clear, such as this. While he
did the body and doors in the booth, he did the
other parts in the shop, either propped on
stands or hanging from racks.
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Previous | Next
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This has been a sample page from
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How to Paint Your Car on a Budget
by Pat Ganahl
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If your car needs new paint, or even just a touch-up, the cost
involved in getting a professional job can be more than you
bargained for. Fortunately, there are less expensive
alternatives-—you can even paint your own car at home!
In How to Paint Your Car On A Budget, author Pat Ganahl unveils
dozens of secrets that will help anyone paint their own car. From
simple scuff-and-squirt jobs to full-on, door-jambs-and-everything
paint jobs, Ganahl covers everything you need to know to get a
great-looking coat of paint on your car and save lots of money in
the process. This book covers painting equipment, the ins and
outs of prep, masking, painting and sanding products and
techniques, and real-world advice on how to budget wisely when
painting your own car. It’s the most practical automotive painting
book ever written!
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Click below to view sample
pages from each chapter!
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Introduction - Budget Painting
Chap. 1 - Automotive Painting
Chap. 2 - Paint Stripping
Chap. 3 - Bodywork
Chap. 4 - Painting at Home
Chap. 5 - Paint Products
Chap. 6 - Paint Preparation
Chap. 7 - One-Day Paint Job
Chap. 8 - Sand and Paint
Chap. 9 - Full Paint Jobs
Chap. 10 - Restorations
Chap. 11 - Sand & Buff
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8-1/2 x 11"
Softbound
128 pages
Approximately 400 color photos
Item: SA117
Price: $22.95
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Click here to buy now!
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This is a great book that any enthusiast will love,
whether it's your first paint job or your 50th.
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Custom Painting
Author Pat Ganahl uses 416 color photos to show you how to
do a variety of custom painting applications and techniques.
From stripes to scallops to flames, candies to pearls to ’flakes,
fades to fogs to blends, this book has it all. With numerous
examples demonstrating how various custom paint jobs are
designed and applied, this book provides a vast wealth of
insight and is intended to help you to make a more-informed
choice among the many options for personalizing your vehicle
with custom paint. Custom Painting not only tells, but also
shows you how to apply these various looks with helpful how-to
tips so that you can understand them and decide what to paint
on your next special project.
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Price:
$22.95 |
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The Paint and Body Handbook
In this book over 450 illustrations and easy to read text are
used to explain how to repair dents and rust, replace body
panels, repair aluminum and fiberglass, perform sectioning, use
lead and plastic filler, weld patches and panels, shape sheet
metal, perform spot repairs and color matching, prepare the
surface for final paint, choose paint supplies and equipment
and apply top coats, graphics and pin stripes. A full color-
troubleshooting guide helps you avoid or correct final paint
problems like blistering, blushing, bleeding, checking, and
orange peel. Whether you're repairing a small ding restoring an
entire car, you’ll find this book to be the most complete hands
on auto body resource available.
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Price:
$18.95 |
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Pro Paint & Body
This book is a complete resource guide that covers the entire
spectrum of automotive paint and body equipment, and body
repair techniques. You’ll find information on assessing a project
car for damage and estimated repairs, disassembly and paint
stripping, repairing dents including the latest hammer and dolly
tools and techniques, leading, welding, adhesives and plastic
fillers, latest spray guns and spray techniques, current paint
technology, body prep for final paint, color sanding, polishing,
custom colors and custom paint techniques, and much, much
more.
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Price:
$18.95
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The Automotive Paint Handbook
More than just a book on how to paint your car, the Automotive
Paint Handbook is a comprehensive resource that covers the
entire field of automotive paint technology, from types of paint
and how to perform a paint job, to advanced OEM factory paint
techniques, paint care and inspection. For years, paint
professionals from companies such as DuPont have used this
book for training. Now fully revised and updated, this best
selling book has the latest information available from the paint
industry. All information is presented in layman’s terms and fully
illustrated with hundreds of photos and line drawings. There’s
even a full color paint troubleshooting chart and a
comprehensive paint industry glossary.
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Price:
$18.95 |
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Auto Upholstery & Interiors
Auto Upholstery and Interiors is a user friendly guide that gives
you the knowledge to make your interior looking like new and
by doing the installation work yourself, you save money and
have the satisfaction of learning a new skill. Detailed sections
include painting interior parts, headliner replacement, carpet
kits, door panels, dashboard restoration, seat kit installation,
kick panels, trunk detailing, steering wheel repairs and swaps,
custom seat installation, using dyes, simple upholstery repairs,
and cleaning and detailing tips
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Price:
$18.95
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Fiberglass and Other Composite Materials
For many years race cars of all types have been constructed with
lightweight materials in addition to aluminum and steel. These
include fiberglass, kevlar and carbon fiber. This space age
technology is also being applied to many street cars, street rods,
boats, and light aircraft. Carbon fiber is now used in everything
from tennis rackets and golf clubs to bicycles, telescopes, camera
tripods, and hundreds of other products. This book offers the
latest technology and equipment to help you construct and repair
your own lightweight body panels and components.
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Price:
$18.95
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Payment, Shipping & Sales
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