How To: Prep and Paint Your Mustang

Anniversary What?

Long before we started this project, I knew that my old '66 hardtop had a special order paint color on it. Through the detective work of Jim Smart and Jim Haskell's Mustang Production Guide, Volume 1, we learned of the 1 Millionth Anniversary Mustangs that were built to commemorate the anniversary of this sales number. See pages 64-65 of the Mustang Recognition Guide for a photo we think is a PR shot of these models. Legend has it that these cars, all well-equipped hardtops, were built in the San Jose plant in March 1966. While the legend states that only 50 cars were built, we believe that the number was actually in the several hundreds. The documented car in the Mustang Production Guide, with a consecutive unit number of 177412 and build date of 29C (March 29) is identical to my original hardtop with a consecutive unit number of 177724. My car was also built on 29C in San Jose and came with a blank paint code (thank goodness the original door tag was still on the car when I bought it).

Fast forward to 1999. I purchase this hardtop that is on the brink of extinction as a project car for Mustang Monthly. I immediately begin the process of converting this white hardtop with blue interior to match my long-gone Anniversary hardtop. Most of it is simple: find a 289, convert the interior, and so on. But when the subject of paint came up, we thought we would be stuck. As luck would have it, our good friend Tony Popish at the Special Order Paint Registry faxed us a few Anniversary Gold Ditzler lacquer numbers he had researched throughout the years. We had the PPG Color Library cross these and sure enough, two of the numbers (23072 and 23073) came back as "'66 Mustang Anniversary Gold." The representative put us on hold while she checked to see if PPG had a color chip in its vault. No sooner had we figured out that PPG must have a huge vault in which to hold these color chips when she came back on the line and said "Yep, got it right here. Tell me what type of paint you're going to use and I will scan the chip and fax you a mix formula." After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I said we would be using PPG's line of Deltron base/clear paints. Later that day, I had a mix formula for "'66 Mustang Anniversary Gold" sitting on our fax machine.

So now you know how we obtained this interesting color. If you're looking for some rare or hard-to-find color too, give the PPG Color Library or the Mustang Special Order Paint Registry a jingle; you'll be amazed at what you can unearth. Isn't technology great?

13-b This will shrink the metal slightly. Keep heating and cooling the metal until the oil-canning problem is gone.

Custom Paint Information
PPG Color Library
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (weekdays)
(440) 572-6100

PPG Technical Service
(Call this number for information;
do not call C.A.R.S. directly)
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (weekdays)
(440) 572-6111

Tony Popish
Mustang Special Order Paint Registry
Dept. MM
7425 S. Clarkson Cir.
Littleton, CO 80211
http://members.aol.com/dsomustang

14 As we stated earlier, our roof panel looked as though Steve Saleen had performed a victory dance on it and therefore required some extensive repairs. With the major dents, dings, and pinholes tapped out or welded closed, we used a small amount of body filler to fill in any minor low spots that remained. While the amount looks excessive in this application shot, approximately 80 percent will be sanded off.	15 Once the plastic body filler has had sufficient time to set, yours truly is handed the sanding board and 80-grit paper to start knocking down the filler. Note, you should be wearing a mask and protective eye covering during all sanding and paint applications. Stupid me didn't wear one for the first couple of days, so all I could smell was filler and primer for the next week.	16 No, I'm not this good--but the crew at Classic Creations did the final sanding work. Again, this may look like a lot of filler, but it's thin enough to see through to the metal in most places.
17 The rest of the body, being about 90 percent new, simply required some machine sanding with 180-grit paper to remove the old DP-90 primer (applied several months ago for protection). Shipping damage occurred to our right door (shown here repaired), and the top of the right rear full quarter got kissed by the garage door rail while pushing the car into the garage one night (better now than after it was painted).	18 For those of you following along who wish to repaint your car and are working with old panels and old paint, you also have the option of stripping your old paint (never paint over an old paint job if you can) using paint stripper instead of sandpaper. The aircraft paint stripper being used here allows old paint to simply scrape right off.	19 Another potential problem lies in the Mustang's cowl vent design. Layers of old paint and rust on the vent grille will prove that there isn't a worse job out there. Have patience and take your time for quality results.
20 Anger suggested using PPG's DX 1792 Wash Primer and K38 High Build Primer/Surfacer as the base for our paint application. The DX 1792 offers excellent adhesion for the remaining products and the K38 quickly fills minor imperfections and dries quickly. Wet-sanding is accomplished with 400-grit paper.	21 The K38 makes quite a mess as it is being sanded, so be prepared. You should take the time to completely disassemble your project for painting, but if you're simply repainting your project, make sure glass and rubber items are properly masked off.	22 Shown here next to our previously used DX 1792 Wash Primer is PPG's DP40LF epoxy primer, which is used as a primer/sealer. The DP line of PPG primers is available in five colors and the DPLF is available in six: DP40 is gray/green, DP48 is white, DP50 is gray, DP74 is red, and DP90 is black. You can obtain identical colors in DPLF as well as DP60LF, which is blue. These colors help brighten or subdue the color of the topcoat, so choose accordingly or get samples and spray test cards to determine the proper shade you desire.
23 The DP40 is applied in one or two wet coats with a 10-15 minute drying interval between the coats. Spray gun pressures will vary on equipment but 40-50 psi with a 1.4-1.6mm tip will usually work. When you order your paint, ask for product bulletins (or copies of them) to help you determine mixing ratios, pot life once mixed, and other important information on the product. The black enamel guide paint is a simple spray can application to help in wet-sanding.	24 Once the DP40 has dried, we can begin wet-sanding the primer/sealer in anticipation of our upcoming topcoat. Using 400-grit paper and a rubber sanding block, the complete body is sanded. Watch out for sharp corners so that you don't break through the primer coat. Wash the panel down and look for any traces of the black guide paint. If you see any, the panel will need additional sanding or filler.	25 Sometimes you can't help but break through the primer/sealer coat. As seen here in the trunk (sanded by yours truly--thus the breakthrough), we had several small areas that were showing the metal's E-coat or bare metal. Spot priming can repair these areas, but if you're in a hurry, this is akin to taking one step forward and two steps back, so try not to do it!
26 Yes, that is a coffee can. What's important though is that a paint strainer is being utilized. Mixing the topcoat correctly is important because there are different reducers for different temperatures during application. We used PPG DT885 for the hot weather here in Florida at the time of painting.	27 We began our final prep for the Anniversary Gold topcoat by cleaning the complete body inside and out (and all of our loose panels) with PPG's DX330 ACRYLI-CLEAN Wax and Grease Remover. This step was taken before each layer of product (DX1792, K38, and DP40) was sprayed, but it is critical for the topcoat adhesion to be cleaned this last time very carefully.	28 The underside of the decklid (removed), the underside of the hood (removed), and the trunk are all taken care of first because these areas will need to be completely dry to allow the decklid and the hood to rest in place during the exterior topcoat application. The rear of the body is masked off to prevent any overspray that will affect the exterior topcoat's appearance.