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PAINT SPECIALISTS WORDS: NZV8 PHOTOS: NZV8 ARCHIVE / SUPPLIED
LOOKING AT GETTING PAINTWORK DONE? HERE ARE A FEW TIPS AND BUSINESSES TO CHECK OUT
esthetically, the paint finish on your car is its most important feature. Sure, the saying ‘wheels make or break the car’ is definitely true, but a good paint job is what will really set your vehicle apart from the rest. When dealing with paint, the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ is really apt — get your mate to blow it over
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in his carport in exchange for a box of brews, and you’ll probably end up with imperfections in a less-than-ideal finish. While you can still get a decent paint job done for a decent price, what a lot of people don’t realize is that most of the time — and, therefore, money — is spent in preparation, which is undoubtedly the most important step in ensuring a flawless finish.
MATAMATA PANELWORKS LTD D
PREPARATION There are many different ways to prepare a car for painting, but there’s only one way to do the job right, and that’s by being as thorough as possible. That means stripping the car right back to a bare shell that can then be stripped or blasted back to bare metal — be prepared, as this will also expose any and all rust, imperfections, or concealed repairs in the body. Once blasted, the bare steel must be covered as soon as possible, as rust will begin to form immediately — even during a 30-minute trailer ride home. The body should be cleaned with solvent then coated in an epoxy primer to seal the bare-metal surface. As the foundation for the whole paint job, it’s extremely important that the primer is applied well. With the body ready to face the world, now’s the time to get onto any repairs that need doing — expected or unexpected. The smoother the body, the better the finish. Any bare-metal repair areas should be recoated in epoxy primer, and it’s important to note that, if any filler is to be used, primer should always be applied first — the epoxy acts as an isolator, while the filler’s porous nature may take up moisture over time, resulting in a deteriorating finish. The next step involves lightly sanding back the body panels — taking special care not to break through the primer layer — to give a suitable surface for a thick layer of spray-on filler to adhere to. This will make any high and low points on the panel work easier to identify, and the high points can be block sanded down until the panel surfaces are as straight as possible. Epoxy primer is once more applied to cover any bare metal left exposed by the block sanding, and is then covered in coats of high-build primer, which will be further block sanded back to perfection. Since irregularities are invisible to the naked eye, a ‘guide coat’ layer should be applied each time the primer is sprayed — it’s easily sanded off, but its dark colour makes any low spots easily identifiable. This process should be repeated until the panel work is perfect. Once it reaches that point, it’s ready for the topcoat to be applied.
espite being a relatively young paint shop with only eight years in business under its belt, Matamata Paintworks has nevertheless had the hammer down since its inception, resulting in a large fleet of high-end work having gone out the door. Concours restoration, restomod, light restoration through to repainting work — it’s all going on at Matamata Paintworks. The team members have a combined experience of 50 years, and they say they’ve all “been there, done that”. From high-end through to bread-and-butter crash work, trucks, boats, and everything in-between, the team has a plan for anything customers bring through the door. Although a lot of top-end work gets carried out there, ego is put in neutral and the boys (and girl) work together on systems to make sure results are always to a high standard and any chance of failure is removed. Everyone is always on the same page to make sure consistency is the key to producing high-quality work, time after time. Custom colours are a speciality that provide a good chance to work closely with the customer and get them to understand the dynamics of the colour the team is creating. This process can be labourintensive, with an average of six different brews being made to try to get the right look, while ensuring that the colour won’t date quickly — and the results speak for themselves. Matamata Panelworks says it’s never afraid of a challenge or something a bit different; the team will always deliver you something special.
panelworks.co.nz 07 888 7831 23A Waihou Street, Matamata
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PAINTING Before any paint can be applied, a colour needs to be chosen — if you’re not the one painting, this will be the hardest part of the whole process! Once a colour has been selected, doors, boot, and bonnet jambs — as well as areas like the firewall and roof — will be masked off, cleaned with solvent, and given a coat of paint. This is because all the removed panels — doors, bonnet, boot lid, and fenders — need to be fitted to the car for spraying, for an even finish with no build-up on the end of each spray stroke. The basecoat will then be applied to achieve opacity. Anywhere from two to five coats may be applied, depending on the colour chosen. Each coat will be left to ‘flash off’ before another coat is applied. The flash time lets solvents escape from the paint and allows it to dry and adhere properly. Once the final coat has been applied, it’ll be left to dry off in the booth. After the paint manufacturer’s recommended drying period, clear coat can be applied, again with a flash-off period between coats. The clear coat can be left to dry overnight or force dried by being baked in the booth, although this may affect the gloss level. With the fiddly areas done, the panels will be refitted to the car, which will now be ready to enter the spray booth for its new coat of paint. The body will be wiped down with solvent to remove any contamination and carefully masked off.
REAL RIDES LTD K
ayton Coughey is the man behind Real Rides, with a wealth of experience in all things custom. So, what does he feel is important to convey to those considering getting their car refinished? “One of the biggest issues we’ve found is people not knowing what colour they want,” says Kayton. “We can help narrow down your colour choice, but we always try to aim for factory colours rather than a custom mix. Nowadays, there are so many amazing colours available with factory-paint codes, which will make life easier if you need a touch-up in the future. We can also help put the ‘right’ package together — things like your wheel-and-tyre combo, paint, things that will make your car look the way you want it to.” This is evident in John Gamble’s ’66 Chevelle (featured in NZV8 Issue No. 121). Real Rides took care of the appearance of the car for John — as well as a full panel and paint, the suspension was modified to sit lower over the bigger wheels, and CPP disc brakes were installed both for stopping power and to fill the real estate behind the bigger wheels. It’s things like this that change a nice looking car into a great looking one.
realrides.co.nz 09 947 0112 27 Foundry Road, Silverdale, Auckland
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The car can then be painted, and a steady hand and consistent spraying speed will be essential here to ensure a streak-free finish. The booth temperature will be set to around 23 degrees Celsius, and, as before, a flash-off period
between coats will be required. Once the final coat is applied, this will be given time to dry before the clear coat is applied. With the paintwork about complete, one of two possible routes can be taken — buffing or flow-
coating. ‘Flow-coating’ involves sanding back the layer of clear coat before applying another single clear coat, mixed in a different ratio. However, if the paint quality is good enough at this stage, it’s OK to proceed straight to buffing.
JAMES LEE DESIGN J
ames Lee Design (JLD) has been operating since May 2008, and its staff members have over 40 years of combined experience. The team has the skills and resources necessary to cater for all your painting and airbrushing requirements including work on your modern, classic, custom, hot rod, motorbike, pushbike, and much more. JLD has won various paint awards, which stands as a testament to the quality and passion the team apply to its workmanship. Having expanded, the company can now offer custom and panel fabrication, alloy welding, and classic and custom body restoration. The newest member of the team has brought to JLD more than 25 years’ experience in the panel-beating and coach-building industry. From a small repair to a one-off build, modifications, or custom work, it can all be done at JLD. Lee is the resident airbrushing artist at JLD, and he can airbrush any piece of fine art you can dream up onto any canvas you want, whether that’s your car, bicycle, helmet, or
even your shoes. In fact, pretty much anything you want painted can be achieved with JLD. JLD team members are committed to the customer’s needs and requirements, from the start of the project right through to the end, and believe that communication is the key, no matter how small or large the project may be. The only limit at JLD is your imagination.
jamesleedesign.co.nz 03 377 8692 24 Lismore Street, Christchurch
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FINISHING Buffing a freshly painted car is a three-step process, and it might sound a bit worrying at first. The entire body will be sanded back with 2000-grit wet-and-dry sandpaper — despite how terribly wrong this may sound, the paintwork will be better for it. After the 2000-grit’s worth of scratch marks has been applied to the fresh paint, an electric orbital sander with a 3000-grit pad will be taken to the bodywork — a precise and consistent buffing surface is key to ensuring a fine finish. Then there will be still more buffing stages to go, with each additional step moving to a finer finished surface. Done correctly, it’s a timeconsuming task that can take hours, if not days, to get absolutely right, but it’s essential for a top-quality finish free of ‘orange peel’. As well as requiring plenty of attention to detail and skill on the part of the painter, it’s also impossible to understate the value of having the right products and working environment to ensure a perfect paint finish.
MOSELLE’S W
ith the latest equipment and five fully qualified, skilled, and experienced technicians, Moselle’s can assure you that the paint finish on your car will be of the highest quality. Only PPG Auto Refinish products are used at Moselle’s, and the company now uses PPG Envirobase High Performance water-based paints. The eco-friendly system works well with the PPG primers and clear coats that Moselle’s also uses. PPG backs the company’s quality of repairs. With 10 years of panel and paint experience behind it, the company has grown from being a small business to one of the larger repair shops in the Auckland region. It’s not just collision repairs that Moselle’s specializes in; it has also earned a reputation as one of the top restoration and customization businesses in the region. It’s Moselle’s work in this area that really allows the team members to show off their skills. With an in-house pinstriper, they can offer anything from simple paint touchups right through to full custom jobs, all of the best quality.
moselle.co.nz 09 836 3396 6 Moselle Ave, Henderson, Auckland
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Projects that Moselle’s has worked on are being recognized at car shows within New Zealand and internationally. The company is so confident that your job will be completed to the highest quality that it offers a lifetime warranty on all work done on your car.
PAINT DIRECTORY HOWICK AUTO PAINTERS & PANEL BEATERS howickautopainters.co.nz 09 535 7320 217 Moore Street, Howick, Auckland
happl@xtra.co.nz
NORTH ISLAND BAYS CAR PAINTERS & COLLISION REPAIRS bayscollisionrepairs.co.nz 09 478 7611 745 Beach Road, Browns Bay, Auckland
grant@baycollisionrepairs.co.nz
BIRKDALE PANELBEATERS birkdalepanel.co.nz 09 482 1260 20 Bay Park Place, Birkdale, Auckland
glennb@birkdalepanel.co.nz
CLASSIC AUTOBODY PANEL & PAINT LTD classicautobodycentre.co.nz 09 238 8354 42 Franklin Road, Pukekohe, Auckland
classicautobodycentre@xtra.co.nz
CUSTOM RIDE BODYWORKS LIMITED customridebodyworks.co.nz 09 537 0646 62 Rodney Street, Howick, Auckland
customridebodyworks@yahoo.co.nz
ELITE AUTO PAINTERS eliteautopainters.co.nz 07 571 5378 4C Brook Street, Parkvale, Tauranga
PAPAKURA PANEL & PAINT panel.co.nz 09 298 7939 200 Great South Road, Takanini, Auckland
panel@clear.net.nz
PETE & IV’S AUTO CENTRE peteivs.co.nz 09 259 4496 2/37 Saleyards Road, Otahuhu, Auckland
info@peteivs.co.nz
PRECISION SPRAY PAINTING LTD precisionspraypainting.co.nz 06 345 9449 64 Wilson Street, Wanganui
admin@precisionspraypainting.co.nz
SOUTH ISLAND AUTO RESTORATIONS autorestorations.co.nz 03 366 9988 52 Stewart Street, Addington, Christchurch
allan@autorestorations.co.nz
MALBOROUGH CLASSIC AND CUSTOM RESTORATIONS classicandcustom.co.nz 03 578 0086 3 Warwick Street, Blenheim
info@classicandcustom.co.nz
clintdavies@clear.net.nz
FIRST CHOICE PANEL & PAINT firstchoicepanel.co.nz 09 443 8009 62A Porana Road, Wairau Valley, Auckland
dave@firstchoicepanel.co.nz
HIGH IMPACT AUTO PAINTERS willie-jcustompaint.com 07 577 1931 29B Burrows Street, Tauranga
highimpactautopainters@yahoo.com
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