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Pictopaintsaga, Flat Pearl Fades, Winfield Style

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Gahrajmahal, Dec 10, 2010.

  1. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    You do all the fabricating and wrenching yourself, wonder if you could pull off doing your own custom paint job? This story hopes to encourage at least one of you to get off the fence and paint your car yourself. Go on, give it a try cuz, you will see, despite many obstacles, you can get a really nice paintjob right there in the driveway. .. well at least I did.

    I have typed the whole story up in word so I can copy / paste and avoid too many breaks, but I just got interrupted! So be patient if there is a break in the story. Also, 20 photo limit per post!

    [​IMG]

    The victim, 1968 Chrysler 300 Convertible.<O:p</O:p
    <O:p
    You may ask, what is the Winfield connection? Well, I will get to that later. Like many of you, I got my car in primer and back on the road several… well many years ago.

    [​IMG]<O:p></O:p>
    Dang, did I buy that paint that long ago?

    <O:pBack in 2001, or maybe earlier, I forget. I had all removable body panels dipped and stripped here by the good folks out at American Metal Cleaning, in Cincinnati Ohio. Doors, hood, fenders, deck lid, inner panels etc. When I got the stuff back, I then proceeded to weld up the door handles, locks, antenna hole, side turn signals and a few small pin holes in the trunk edge. I discovered I had a really clean, two owner car. I then primed all the panels and put it back together.

    [​IMG]
    Like many of you, life got in the way, the car was road worthy and I just drove the thing.

    The oil pump gave up the ghost and my 100,000 + mile engine needed a rebuild. It was then that the original paint was purchased. I convinced the PPG paint vendor at the winter car show that he needed to give me a discount. 5% or something like that. Boy was I surprised when the bill came out to be over $1200 for the supplies. Red is the most expensive color, for future reference. Everything under the hood, engine and all received the Honda base Milano Red no flake, candy mid coat and shiny clear coat. This is standard 3 stage factory paint.<O:p</O:p

    [​IMG]


    <O:p</O:p
    <O:p</O:p</O:p</O:p
     
  2. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    A few years ago I discovered the HAMB, and was starting to get motivated to paint the car. One day I came across “The Photoshop thread to end all Photoshop threads”. I was especially impressed with the re-styling’s by JamesD. He very graciously honored my request for a do over in the Winfield style.

    <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:eek:ffice" /><o:p>[​IMG]</o:p>
     
  3. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    having a few posting snaffu's. Hope to figure it out as I go. Here goes...

    Why the Winfield style you may ask? This car is a one year car based on the 1966 300X that Gene Winfield built for the Chrysler Corporation.

    [​IMG]



    I have always loved the fade paint jobs that Gene has done, and in my opinion they have remained timeless. If you check out Gene’s version you will see the production car is very close to the original production model, with the exception it is a convertible and not a roadster.

    [​IMG]

    There is an exceptionally interesting website about one of the designers, Ben Delphia, and the 300X space age interior, some of which I hope to incorporate once I get there. http://cardesignart.blogspot.com/


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    sorry about the sizing, I borrowed these shots.
     
  4. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    Well, after JamesD’s awesome Photoshop of the car, I have to get off my butt and paint the car.

    [​IMG]


    But now the direction I had originally decided upon has changed. I now have to do a flat pearl finish. From the magazine photos and HAMB postings, I absolutely love the glow a flat pearl finish provides. I have never attempted this before. I have sprayed pearls, but many, many years ago, and never the whole car.

    [​IMG]

    A walk around this year’s Good Guys show in Columbus (2010) proved that flat pearl might even be unique here in the Midwest. I did not see a one. My opinion is the world does not need another big, shiny red convertible, Boooring!

    [​IMG]

    I started on the body work after vacation in July this year. How big is this car you may ask? It is 19 ft. and a few inches. For a better mental picture take two 4 X 8 sheets of plywood, set them end to end and add 3 feet. So all you 30’s hot rod owners, cry me a river about how much you hate wet sanding. Working most weekends and 3 or so evenings a week, I was ready by the end of August. <O:p</O:p
     

  5. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    Before putting the paint to your car, you absolutely have to paint some test panels. What paint should I use? The current media darling seems to be Hot Rod Flatz. What will my current color with dry pearl flakes in the clear look like? How much flattener to use? The HAMB was helpful as was The Painters Forum on TCP Global. http://www.paintersforum.com/

    <O:pRather than just paint some random panels I decided to paint some “garage items”. I was inspired by a crazy 60’s lawnmower on the HAMB. <O:p></O:p>
    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=466562&highlight=lawn+mower

    [​IMG]
    I picked my long, neglected Lincoln buzz box I bought when I was 15 years old at Rinks Bargain City, and an old welding helmet with a fixed lens.

    [​IMG]

    </O:p>
     
  6. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    I disassembled the welder and used each individual panel to try a different effect. It is a good thing too. Look what I found. My power cable insulation had dried and cracked and had exposed the bare wires. I was going to have sparks on the inside and outside! Good thing I keep it unplugged unless I am using it!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    <O:pI started by prepping all my test panel subjects with the same brown epoxy primer that was on the car. I did that to eliminate any variables, plus I had that paint from my initial buy. Just for curiosities sake I did not make the bodywork absolutely smooth on the test panels, How perfect does the car need to be? This should tell me.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    <O:p</O:p
    <O:p</O:p
    <O:pA different paint job means I needed to buy additional paint and supplies. I bought some PPG flattener that would go with the Concept DCU clear I had from my original paint purchase. It is here that I start to learn most of the paint supply shops here in Cincinnati are completely in the dark about the custom paint they sell. I found one shop; KOI Auto parts Mt Carmel Refinishing Center, where the guys actually spray cars themselves. Thanks guys, I appreciate the knowledgeable insight and staying late the night I made my final paint purchase. I also purchased some red pearl powder from TCP Global. For another option I purchased some white and silver pearl powder from the “Paint with Pearl” website. I bought a quart of House of Color “Brandywine Kandy” that I planned to use for my fade color. I bought 2 quarts of Hot Rod Flatz, red and burgundy because by now I did not want to refinance the house to buy paint, and that stuff is cheap. As another avenue brought on by a HAMB posting, I bought a pint of a factory Ford pearl red I later mixed flattener into.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I wanted the car to end up being a deep red. The first thing I discovered on my test panels, is any pearl sprayed over the red base makes it go towards pink or lavender. Not exactly what I was going for.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    I also had some PPG gold metal flake powder that I wanted to try. JamesD’s rendering used the red and gold theme, as I told him those colors I already had.
    I was mixing about 1 teaspoon as pictured, to that small amount of reduced clear. No flattener yet. This made for a very "flake heavy" mix, but it sprayed just fine. I don't worry about all that shaking or aerating others warn you about for flake settling.<O:p</O:p
    </O:p</O:p
     
  7. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    What did I learn from all my test samples? I like the original red base with candy brandy wine faded highlights covered with the red pearl powder mixed in the final clear coat. I also learned spraying a straight line with a more color dense color will be extremely difficult. It could be my cheap harbor freight touch up gun too (how do you do it Gene)?

    [​IMG]

    <O:pIt was during my “test panel spray trial” I hit the first snag. Mixing all the different colors, pearl powders etc. takes time. I mixed my clear early on with the hardener thinking I would spray a shiny coat to see if I loved the shiny look, then put in the flattener. Well, before I got to the flattener part, the clear seized up and ruined my trusty 20 yr. old HVLP gun. Doh!

    <O:pI bought a new spray gun and made a pretty cool stand featured in an earlier post.<O:p</O:p
    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=508969 <O:p</O:p


    [​IMG]

    Next enter the trash can. On it I will do a quickie panel paint job. Each panel will be a different paint combo.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]<O:p</O:p<O:p</O:p<O:p</O:p</O:p</O:p
     
  8. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    I like where this is heading.
     
  9. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    I know from the Good Guys show that the fit and finish of most every car there is exceptional, so if at all possible I want to spray in a real paint booth. I have that experience, as I took auto body repair in high school and learned the custom paint skills during the groovy van craze. I also sprayed a lot of cars, boats and motorcycles right in the driveway (really sorry about that mom & dad).<O:p</O:p

    During my pursuit of a paint booth, I stopped at a half a dozen auto repair shops. I called every lead given to me by the paint supply stores. I placed an ad on Craig’s list. I even placed an ad on the HAMB hoping that someone would give me a break, but no dice. In this litigious society they thought I was crazy for even asking.<O:p</O:p
    Well I don’t live in a rural setting, so my home paint booth would be visible to my neighbors here in suburbia. I have an attached garage and I didn’t want the paint fumes permeating my house for a week. So I decided to put up a temporary structure. <O:p</O:p

    There will be a temporary break to the story, as I stop to head home. I will try and finish up the post with the successful conclusion sometime soon. Thanks for reading along!
     
  10. rottenrods
    Joined: Sep 17, 2010
    Posts: 211

    rottenrods
    Member

    Its nice to watch a thread like this. Lots of pics and plenty of info, more please
     
  11. I learned the red+pearl=pink a few years back restoring a Pinarello frame. DOH!
     
  12. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    OK, back for a while...

    The paint booth, ha, ha

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Notice the lovely trees. Avoid this if you can. It is funny now... but at the time.

    [​IMG]

    The largest I could find was a 12 ft. X 20 ft. awning at Harbor Freight. I would then hang clear plastic around the sides giving maximum light for painting. I assembled the behemoth in the driveway. I backed the convertible underneath. It fits!! And I can still walk around it and bend over without my butt hitting the support bars. Now my wife is the saint!


    PAINT DAY, September 6<SUP>th</SUP>,<O:p</O:p
    <O:p</O:p

    A calm morning, 48 deg. F. (8.8 deg. C JamesD) I bring the car out, jack it up, remove the wheels and start to mask the car in the cool of the morning. The clear plastic is not on yet, as I don’t want to sweat in a clear plastic box.


    [​IMG]


    By the time the car is masked up, about 11:00 AM, 4 hours of work, the wind has kicked up along with the temperature and SUN. I spend about an hour attempting to hang the clear plastic from the awing. I try tape, I try clamps. The bottom edge is held down with bags of garden mulch, but the plastic is still bellowing in as the wind picks up even more. After I get two sides covered I give up on enclosing the whole thing. This will just have to do. At least now I won’t have to mess with an exhaust fan. Most of the leaves blowing off the tree located above the driveway are being diverted by the big canopy.


    TIME TO PAINT!!<O:p</O:p
    <O:p</O:p

    Organize your paint products on a nice table before starting. Resist the urge to work off the floor. Holding a 1 quart spray gun at arm’s length is very strenuous. You don’t want to add hours of deep knee bends to the mix.


    [​IMG]



    [​IMG]
     
  13. Racewriter
    Joined: Nov 14, 2008
    Posts: 780

    Racewriter
    Member

    Enjoying this thread. I'm doing the same general stuff, but I'm still at the "household goods" test painting stage.
     
  14. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    Cool Racewriter! I'm glad i'm not the only one too stubborn to let someone else do the work. (I have been tempted many times over the years though).

    Sorry folks, I did not take any photos of the clear plastic on two sides. I was honked off enough, I just wanted to get started spraying. Also, I didn't take any photos while I was spraying. Once you mix up the paint with the hardner, time is of the essence! As my solidified spray gun proves.

    Before you mix the paint, SUPER IMPORTANT! Plan out your spray sequence and make a dry run around the car. Plug in the gun and blow air just like you are spraying, it will help you to find any problem areas where the hose might snag or poor lighting exists.<O:p</O:p
    On my big old car, I like to start at the hood / fender tops. Passenger side, then hood front, then driver side. This keeps the paint wet on this most visible of areas. It becomes even more important when you get to the pearl finish coat. Since it was getting hot (high of 90deg F / 32deg C) I did not hesitate to go nice and slow, overlapping 50% as I sprayed. The car at least was in the shade.


    I bought PPG OMNI as the basecoat Milano Red. I had run out of the Deltron from my initial purchase way back when. The price difference was 1/3 the Deltron 2000 price. 1 gallon $217.00 –vs- over $600.00. Also, I have read that Hot Rod Flatz is just the OMNI brand with flattener in it. I must admit both sprayed the same and did not cover very well, but spray super easy with no tendency to run or sag. I watered down the driveway and commenced to painting! I sprayed 3 coats of the Omni on the car to cover. I will buy that paint again! Pre-mix all your paint at once so all you have to do is load the gun. I loaded the gun 6 times. Whew!

    [​IMG]

    This is a photo of the Hot Rod Flatz Red test. I sprayed the windshield header and one of the taillight housings. I thought it didn't look much different than the brown primer, wouldn't you say?

    OK, now I have a pretty cool shiny red convertible in the driveway and the body work is not looking too shabby. The dust and leafs in the paint aren’t bad at all. Let’s bail on the flat paint, spray the clear, more sanding and buff it out… More sanding?

    Give me the flattener!!<O:p</O:p
    No guts, no glory.

    Now to spray the candy fades. I have a visual guide from Rod & Custom as I have been saving “fade jobs” for several years. No offense JamesD, but as much as your Photoshop was a genious motivator, my personal preference is for something more subtle.

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Sorry for the tiny pictures, if you google "Front Row Olds" refering to the Rod & Custom article you can see the fades I was going to emulate.

    The key to candy is count your coats! I load up the gun and spray a bit on a practice panel to evaluate how thin it is. The thinness is right when the spray droplets are not very noticeable at the dry edge. As an example, spray a spray can line on a test panel. See all the small spray dots on the edge? Not thin enough. Sometimes you can adjust this by increasing air pressure a bit. A note about House of Color candies, they are super easy to spray and make an expert of novice painters. The PPG candy colors are just toner tinted clears like I used to do back in the day. In my opinion they end up a bit muddy in the darker colors.

    [​IMG]

    The technique I used on the fender / door tops was to walk the whole length of the car while spraying the candy. If you walk a bit like Groucho Marx it is pretty easy to keep it steady. No need to walk too fast. I sprayed 5 coats, one right after the other with a brief 1 or 2 minute break. Then, go over to the other side, 1-2-3-4-5

    "A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five"
    Groucho

     
  15. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    [​IMG]

    When painting the running board, bottom of fender fades you cannot walk the whole length, so position yourself to finish at a natural break line, or overlap in two or three different places. You will never see the color imbalance down there.

    [​IMG]


    So... there it is! How did it turn out? Each of us is probably our own worst critic and I am not too big on going to car shows to show my car. If I go I want to go and look at your car. So, I don't have the valued critiques from those show attendees.

    [​IMG]

    The first day I drove it back to work I had many compliments from the staff where I work. These folks have never mentioned my car previously, even though last year I probably drove it 20 times. When I came back home, a neighbor was moving 3 or 4 houses away. One of the moving dudes left the job and came up to check it out. He didn't quite understand the flat paint, but he just kept circling around it saying man, man I like this.

    [​IMG]

    I especially like it during dusk or dawn when the light is dim. The paint really comes alive then. It also looks good at night in town.

    So, what tips do I have for you up and coming but timid painters? I say go for it, do it yourself. The experience will be a challenge, but really no more than being a hot rodder to begin with. Spray in some sort of a garage if you can. It will make your life a lot easier than what I did. Turn on some good tunes, work at it until it isn't fun anymore, then put it away for another day. There are lots of good tutorials for body work. I suggest You Tube for starters.

    [​IMG]

    It doesn't require a lot of equipment really. I do use an Auto Air full face respirator because of the fumes. I read somewhere that the isocyanates in epoxy enamels enter not only thru your lungs, but also thru the eyes. All I know is if I don't wear a good respirator I feel like crap afterwards and $300 is cheaper than doctor visits.

    I mixed the clear 50-50 with the flattener. I added hardener and medium drying reducer per the instructions, plus a bit more once I started spraying as I prefer it a bit on the thin side. After all, it was 90 deg. in my paint booth! I added 1/2 of the Kustom Shop Red Pearl powder container (about 10 plastic teaspoons) to 1 gallon reduced and ready to spray clear.

    I used regular paint strainers and just gave it a good stir before filtering and pouring it into the gun. (man, that stand I made works awesome!) I could mash the rubber lid onto the gun while it was in the stand. Try that with those expensive wire stands.

    Don't freak out about spraying pearls! I just sprayed it like I would spray any other color. At most, immediately after making your horizontal passes, fog in an X pattern over the panel backing an additional 6 -10 inches away. If you are getting stripes in your pearl, you would be getting stripes in regular factory metal flakes or solid colors too.

    [​IMG]


    To sum it up... After that first trip to work and back (90 miles round trip) the oil pump went out. Back into the garage it went for a month or so before fixing that. (I had to do some of the stuff I didn't do all summer). I drove it a time or two more, then moved it into a storage unit, so that is why I don't have any "finished" photos to show you. You and I will have to wait untill spring, ha, ha.
     
  16. Racewriter
    Joined: Nov 14, 2008
    Posts: 780

    Racewriter
    Member

    Very nice, very subtle. I like it a lot. Mine will be color sanded and buffed so shiny you'l need sunglasses to look at it, but like you, I'm going to take a shot at it myself. I have a HVLP turbine paint sprayer that was my Dad's and has probably shot over 250 full paint jobs over the years. I'm still on the fence about exactly what I will end up with; the overall color will be Candy Apple Red, but I know I'll either do some fades or some flake panels. And I'm now thinking about some chrome Mylar highlights. Thanks for the thread; it's nice to see that I'm not the only one.
     
  17. First, thanks for taking the time to share all this---I know it's a pain, but very entertaining for us who like custom paint.

    BUT....
    I think you quit too soon. JamesD's rendering was right up there near 'over the top'....just not quite. Somewhere between there and where you are woulda been cool ;)....I think you missed an opportunity to add some more color and really make it look like a true custom paint job(even tho it IS) Right now, it looks like somebody started painting and ran out of paint...or time :eek:
    I know, before anybody who knows me reminds me of what I always say....."the wilder it is, the faster you get tired of it" True, you hit the subtle nail square on the head......but what's the point if it doesn't stand out?
    At least think about making it shiny....that would make all that pearl pop better :cool:..plus, it's easier to take care of.
    Just my two schmeckels....everybody does it different(and that's a GOOD thing)
     
  18. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    Hi Earl, you know I ran through those very same scenarios in my head over and over again, and flip / flopped many many times. My subtle decision was dictated by my lack of a suitable paint booth. Have you ever painted a very big car in the outdoors? It is super hard to control the drying time etc. I also had this big wind storm blowing in adding to the challenge. I did want to do more, as per JamesD's rendering but paint costs and wanting to do the paint in one day made my spray job manageable. I have done the month long spray jobs with sanding between coats and flawless finish, but my point was for the average joe without the experience or place to spray, what can he come up with, and could it be cooler than what you would get if you hire it out. I think I accomplished that. I will probably get some striping done if I can find the right guy. I also plan to spend some time customizing the interior. I just love those 300X renderings, and I haven't done any upholstery for 30 years or so also. I am glad you enjoyed my post and it is my pay-back for all the other guys who have entertained me with theirs.
    Later...
     
  19. Racewriter
    Joined: Nov 14, 2008
    Posts: 780

    Racewriter
    Member

    Well, Gahraj, the only thing to say is - make sure you post pics when she's all done. I love those big 60s rides.
     
  20. LeftCoastErik
    Joined: Apr 23, 2010
    Posts: 907

    LeftCoastErik
    Member

    Nice ride and I like your direction. While I am finishing the custom work on my 67 Newport, I am going more traditional with a 66 300 hardtop. Should have some pics of that up soon. Keep up the good work, that rendering is badass!
     
  21. Tinman
    Joined: Mar 6, 2001
    Posts: 963

    Tinman
    Member
    from Orange, CA

    Good on ya for striking out on your own and, not only building a custom Mopar, but doing the fades yourself! Now about those wheels...
     
  22. xmlc216x
    Joined: Oct 5, 2007
    Posts: 488

    xmlc216x
    Member
    from MS

    Awesome! Now put it back together and post the finished pics!
     
  23. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    yea, about those wheels... Mark twain said if the world was going to end he wanted to be in Cincinnati, as everything comes there 10 years later. I think if I didn't already have 8 rims & snow tires for the daily drivers in my cramped garage I would have a second set of chrome reverse with skinny whites for it. The 18's do make it ride and handle lots nicer though.
    Racewriter and other home painters, tack your efforts onto the post, I for one am curious as to what you are coming up with.
     
  24. Gotgas
    Joined: Jul 22, 2004
    Posts: 7,175

    Gotgas
    Member
    from DFW USA

    It's not a Vette... do it justice. ;) Make Winfield proud! :D

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  25. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 493

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    That does seem pretty obvious does'nt it. Thanks for the photoshop.
     

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