Few things in life are as thrilling as making something old look new again. When we hauled a '65 Mustang fastback out of the Mustangs Plus salvage yard a year ago, it was a crumbling, rusty mass of ancient steel in the process of returning to its original state as iron ore. Ron Bramlett of Mustangs Plus concluded there was hope for the car and had it hauled inside the company's in-house modification and restoration facility to prove that no Mustang is beyond salvage.
The Restomod Shop at Mustangs Plus is a field of dreams for vintage Mustang enthusiasts, performing everything from paint and body to full-scale projects. Terry Simpson and his team of hand-picked professionals can build virtually anything the imagination can conceive. None of it comes cheap for those seeking an extraordinary, eye-catching ride, though.
Project Reclaim is a study in salvageability. Can this car be saved from the crusher, and what will it take? So far, it hasn't been an easy save. Terry and his staff had to replace the front radiator support, right framerail and shock tower, inner fender panels, both quarter-panels, the entire floorpan, wheelhouses, and more. To make the platform stronger, Terry graphed in torque boxes. When the structural work was completed, The Restomod Shop had to massage the body and get it ready for paint.
During our last visit to The Restomod Shop, Project Reclaim sat poised in a high-tech, downdraft paint booth ready for House of Kolor basecoat/clearcoat urethane in a special mix called Restomod Blue Pearl and a complement of white. Terry was proud of what he and his team had accomplished. Call it the euphoric rush that comes from doing what everyone said couldn't be done.
The two greatest enemies of perfect paint are dust and poor preparation. Painters get credit for great paint jobs, but the real credit must go to those in the trenches who take care of the structural repair and body work. Structural repair involves cutting, shaping, and welding. Knowing how to heat, hammer, and shape steel requires practice.
Before the paint booth, auto body technicians have to ensure they have a perfect surface. A dark guidecoat is sprayed over gray primer and block-sanded to find and eliminate imperfections. Low and high spots can easily be seen in a finished paint job.
This leads us to the paint booth where an involved three-step process begins. With all bodywork completed, we're ready for the white House of Kolor KO-SEAL primer/sealer coat. On top of KO-SEAL comes the white basecoat, which will give Restomod Blue its definition. A white basecoat will make Restomod Blue Pearl lighter, while a black basecoat will make it darker.
Once the white basecoat has cured overnight, the body is ready for the Restomod Blue Pearl basecoat. Similar to the white, it has a satin finish ready for good clearcoat adhesion. Clearcoat is what brings the blue pearl to life.
There was a time when laying down a coat of clear over lacquer or enamel was primarily a high-end show-car treatment. Custom-car builders applied clear, then color-sanded it and rubbed it out to a high luster. Automakers adopted basecoat/clearcoat painting 25 years ago as a means to a more environmentally friendly, water-based automotive finish. What's more, it was easier for body shops to repair. Today, basecoat/clearcoat urethane finishes make it easier to paint a car because it can be color-sanded and rubbed out to the same kind of shine those custom car builders used to get long ago.
For Project Reclaim, we're going with House of Kolor's PBC-36-QO1 TruBlue Pearl basecoat, a unique color pigment mix that gives us Restomod Blue Pearl. The Restomod Shop's Frank Byrd will apply five coats of Restomod Blue Pearl to yield the richness Ron has in mind.
Every body professional has his own approach to stripes and body graphics. There are three basic methods. The most common is body color first, then stripes. The second most common approach is to lay down the stripes first, then mask them off and paint around them, creating a seamless transition from paint to stripes beneath the clearcoat. Terry Simpson introduced us to the third method: creating stripes from the alternate color basecoat. In this case, we're going with white stripes, which come from our House of Kolor BC26.QO1 white basecoat. Restomod Blue Pearl is then painted over our white basecoat with the white being masked over to create LeMans stripes from hoodscoop to rear valance panel.
Before primer/sealer, the...
Before primer/sealer, the body and paint booth must be dust-free. This entails blowing off surfaces and making sure no dust is in the cracks and seams. Frank Byrd of The Restomod Shop works surfaces with a tack cloth, which is charged with static electricity to grab dust.
Professionalism in the paint...
Professionalism in the paint booth begins with good chemistry. Frank mixes just the right amount of House of Kolor KS210-QO1 white primer/sealer with a reducer and catalyst to induce proper cure. This means following the manufacturer's directions to the letter.
Frank lays down the chalky...
Frank lays down the chalky white KS210-QO1 mix with a high-volume, low-pressure (HVLP) paint gun. The primer/sealer will provide our House of Kolor Restomod Blue Pearl with a foundation that creates a barrier between paint and any contaminants. It also protects the steel underneath.
Because The Restomod Shop...
Because The Restomod Shop has two paint booths with an adjoining mixing room, bodies are painted in one booth while parts are painted in another. Here, Frank paints Reclaim's hood.
Where It All Began
When Dynacorn came out with its '67 Mustang replacement body for approximately $15,000 suggested retail, Ron Bramlett of Mustangs Plus wondered what it would cost and how much effort it would take to reclaim a junked Mustang and get it back on the road. That's when he remembered the Vintage Burgundy fastback parked in his private salvage yard. Twenty years ago, Mustangs Plus purchased the wrecked, six-cylinder '65 fastback to use as a parts car. After being stripped, the shell was left for dead in the company graveyard.
During the past several months, The Restomod Shop has been recouping Project Reclaim. First, it was hauled out of salvage and positioned on a frame jig for disassembly. The body was then mediablasted to bare steel. The car needed quarter-panels, a tail panel, wheelhouses, a floorpan, a right-front framerail and shock tower, radiator support, and a front crossmember. It also had to be pulled, worked, and straightened to factory specifications. Last month, we showed the ground effects going on. Next month, we'll cover the buildup of Project Reclaim's stroker 331 engine.
Mustangs have a datum mark...
Mustangs have a datum mark (or a dead center) that divides both halves of the body. This gives Terry a center reference point from which to measure stripes. This datum mark can be found at the top of the windshield.
Terry measures for LeMans...
Terry measures for LeMans stripes from dead center outward, with a constant 2 inches from hood to rear valance separating the stripes. The stripe width depends on body location. At the leading edge of the hood, the stripes are 9-1/4 inches wide, expanding to 10 inches at the cowl. They become progressively wider over the roofline-10-1/2 inches at the leading edge and 10-3/8 inches at the backlite. From the decklid down to the valance, the stripes are 10 inches wide.
When Terry reaches the backlite,...
When Terry reaches the backlite, he again measures and finds dead center to lay out LeMans stripes. He uses a non-photo blue pencil that can easily be erased.
For stripe masking, Terry...
For stripe masking, Terry uses 3M's Scotch #06405, 471 1/4-inch tape. This sticky vinyl tape is designed to seal firmly so paint won't weep underneath. Terry uses a specially modified paint stirrer to seal this tape along the surface and in corners.
As Terry applies striping...
As Terry applies striping tape, he checks and rechecks his measurements. When the striping tape is secure, he checks dimensions one last time.
The fresh-air intake is challenging....
The fresh-air intake is challenging. Frank carefully masks the cowl grille to keep the LeMans stripes on target, and it keeps unnecessary overspray out of the cowl.
This green masking tape is...
This green masking tape is designed to keep paint overspray from tracking past the striping tape. Frank lays down masking tape and paper to keep Restomod Blue Pearl off the white LeMans stripes. Despite Terry and Frank's best efforts, some blue overspray got through, but it was cleaned up with compound.
Ron Bramlett threw Terry a...
Ron Bramlett threw Terry a curve ball when he decided to trade the typical LeMans hood stripe for a more dramatic hood treatment. This took an exceptional amount of time because fiberglass isn't perfect. When Terry measured, he learned the hood crown wasn't dead center. Although his stripes were spot on, the hood wasn't.
Frank masks off the hoodscoop...
Frank masks off the hoodscoop per Ron's instructions. A white hood treatment blends into the LeMans body stripes at the cowl.
This is House of Kolor's PBC-36-QO1...
This is House of Kolor's PBC-36-QO1 TruBlue basecoat with additional pigment to achieve Restomod Blue Pearl-a Restomod Shop exclusive.
Frank begins body painting...
Frank begins body painting inside, then from the top down.
With each coat, the finish...
With each coat, the finish becomes darker. It's important to remember how many coats are applied should repair ever become necessary. Not only is paint mix critical, but also the number of coats.
All masking has been removed...
All masking has been removed and our base-coat inspected. Some LeMans stripe cleanup was necessary to remove blue basecoat.
Our House of Kolor basecoat...
Our House of Kolor basecoat has cured and is ready for the clear topcoat. This is the time to inspect for any flaws and get them fixed before topcoat
Here, Frank applies the last...
Here, Frank applies the last coat of clear. When it cures, we expect a certain amount of orange peel, which will vanish with color sanding and rub-out.
Each body professional has...
Each body professional has his or her own formula. Terry prefers PPG primer/sealer for the foundation, but he's crazy about House of Kolor's selection and paint performance. On top, he prefers PPG's Concept DCX-2055 with DT855 reducer and DCX-61 hardener for its great color sanding and rub-out performance. A good rule of thumb is to stick with the same paint manufacturer from steel to topcoat.
Restomod Blue Pearl comes...
Restomod Blue Pearl comes alive when Frank applies our topcoat. He gives Project Reclaim three to four coats of clear and watches the finish ignite. Five coats of clear is Terry's maximum if he intends to do a lot of color sanding and rub-out.