DIY Network

'66 El Camino: Paint and Emblems From "Resto Rides" episode DRRD-104

At the paint shop, professional auto-painter Dustin gives our '66 El Camino a fierce new look. Meanwhile, Andrew Totolos and Christie D'Amore get to work on freshening up the original emblems using model paints.

The steps in this phase of the restoration, as seen in episode 104 of Resto Rides, are summarized below.

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Materials and tools:

In addition to standard auto-mechanic's tools (wrenches, ratchets, extenders, screwdrivers, nut-drivers, torque wrench, etc.), the essential tools required for this phase of the project are listed below.

angle brackets
Allen head screws
drill with drill bits
sheet metal screws
model paints
paintbrushes

	The El Camino, now with grey sealer applied, awaits a rich, red candy-coat of paint.

At the Paint Shop

While Andrew and Christie work on the dash, pro auto-painter Dustin applies his first coat of sealer to the car. He applies a gray sealer, which will help the paint color match better and lay smoother (figures A and B).

• Most of the layers in a custom paint job get multiple coats, but only one coat of sealer is applied to it dries quickly.

• In between every coat, Dustin uses a tack cloth to remove any dust that may have settled on the car.

• Next, he sprays on the base coat. The El Camino gets four coats of silver base, which is just enough to cover evenly without streaking or leaving light spots.

• The base coat has to dry for about an hour before the design can be taped off. Dustin uses painter's tape to mask off racing stripes that will run the entire length of the car.
  

  After the paint job

• After Dustin masks off everything but the racing stripes, he applies three more coats of silver paint. This silver is a few shades darker than the base color, which will create the ghosting effect.

• Once these coats have dried, Dustin carefully removes the painter's tape.

Painting the Emblems

Back at the workshop, Andrew and Christie use model paints to refresh the look of the original El Camino emblems. The painted areas of the emblems are recessed, so to get the best paint coverage it's best to allow a big drop of paint to fall off the brush and into the recessed area rather than brushing the colors into place.

Christie and Andrew dress up the worn emblems using model paint.

RESOURCES :

Special resources for DIY's Resto Rides 100 series: 1966 El Camino

Original Parts Group, Inc.
www.opgi.com

Husky Tools
www.huskytools.com

Rick's Hot Rod Shop
www.rickshotrodshop.com

Vintage Air, Inc.
www.vintageair.com

Fuel Injection Specialties
www.fuelinjection.com

Lokar
www.lokar.com

K & N Engineering
www.knfilters.com

Nordskog Performance Products
www.nordskogperformance.net