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With the final primer sanding finished, the GTO is pushed into the washed-out spray booth. Residue from the last job has been squeegeed out and a thin layer of clean water is on the floor. This keeps dust down while spraying.
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The rear area around the gas tank is covered to keep overspray off the undercarriage of the vehicle. The wheels are completely wrapped and taped, and the wheel wells are masked off where they bolt to the body sheetmetal. Careful masking helps avoid clean up work afterwards.
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Looking down the side of the primered body shows how straight the work came out. This side had lots of small dings and a few dents from falling debris during the '94 Northridge earthquake in Southern California.
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All the surfaces to be painted are completely wiped down with a wax and grease remover. Hand oils and lubricants from power sanders, etc. must be removed from the surface to avoid bubbling or fish eye.
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At this time the entire surface was inspected and any area where the final sanding broke through to bare metal is sealed with new primer. The primered areas are then carefully sanded and rewashed.
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The booth temperature determines which materials will be used. On hot days a different reducer might be used than on cool days. The materials are carefully mixed per the instructions.
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A preliminary color coat is applied to the whole car and allowed to set. Any surface problems that would be activated by the paint will appear now and can be dealt with before the next heavier coats are sprayed. This coat is color-sanded with 1500-grit paper before the next coat is applied.
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The preliminary base coat is just about completed. Notice the sheen on the surface even without the clear being sprayed. Also notice the floor is wet to reduce dust.
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The first color coat revealed an imperfection not previously noticed. It was fixed on the spot and after the whole car was color-sanded again, the painting began in earnest.
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The second color coat was applied and allowed to sit for about 15 minutes before spraying the next layer of paint. This allows the chemicals to react, solvents to evaporate and the surface to flow out. A fluid motion of the wrist and arm are required while spraying, as well as the ability to keep the spray gun at a level and even distance from the metal.
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Attention to detail is important. Here paint is applied at the very lower edges of the body, aiming the gun up to the body. Without this, the lower edges would only receive a glancing blow from the gun and would not be covered. Most painters start at a specific point on the car and when they return to that point count it as one complete coat of paint.
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Outside the spray booth, the rear tail valance received some bodywork and filler before primering. All the trim parts will be painted together once the booth is free of the GTO.
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After the painting is completed and the car allowed to cure overnight, it was time to color-sand and polish. A long board, short board and flexible "cheese block" are used with 1500-grit wet/dry sandpaper. Sharp body edges will be avoided in order to not sand through to primer. A completely dull finish is the goal here.
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Gus prefers three compounds for the various steps in the rub-out process, as each compound performs a different function. The first cut is done with a rubbing compound, which eliminates sanding scratches. A buffing polish is used to eliminate swirls from the rubbing compound. The last cut is done with a polish and a foam pad, which removes all polishing marks and swirls. The final step is hand polishing with a super-fine glaze. This fills minute polishing scratches and adds additional luster to the surface.
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The actual rubbing out of the surface takes experience and care. The polishing pad must be kept flat on the surface and plenty of compound used to lubricate the surface. Severe damage can be done at this critical step, including burning the finish and cutting through to primer on sharp edges. Looking down the polished side reveals growing luster?this was only the first cut. Notice how flat the pad is held to the surface.
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