The Goodguys 2025 Giveaway 1987 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe Gets Paint, Exhaust, Brakes, and More!
We’ve said it many times before, but it’s a truth that bears repeating. Few things are more motivating during the build process of a hot rod or street machine than seeing the final paint finish going onto the body. After months or years of construction, a little bit of color can have a big impact on envisioning the finished vehicle. And while there is typically a lot of work ahead in terms of final assembly, having paint on your car or truck is almost always a sign that you’ve cleared the peak of the build process and are starting to navigate the downhill slope.
That’s how we felt when Jonathan Goolsby of Goolsby Customs shared photos of the freshly painted 2025 Giveaway 1987 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe. It was exciting to see the car in color! Or, more specifically, in non-color, since the final finish is a bright white hue – more specifically, GM Summit White, applied using BASF base coat and clear coat materials.
If you’ve been following the Monte Carlo build series, you know the Goolsby Customs team has packed a lot of work into a short amount of time to get the Goodguys Aerocoupe this far along. They have a Roadster Shop SPEC chassis assembled and ready to go, complete with a Chevrolet Performance E-Rod LT4 crate engine and 10L90 transmission from Gandrud Chevrolet. After stripping the body, the team has made necessary metal repairs and built custom front inner fenders while widening the rear wheel tubs to accommodate wider wheels and tires. And with an in-house upholstery department, they’ve got a jump start on the custom Moore & Giles leather interior.
When we left off last month, the 1987 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe’s body had gone back into the paint booth for a fresh coat of BASF polyester primer. While we won’t detail all the block sanding that followed, anyone who has ever created a show-quality finish knows there were many hours devoted to the process to ensure this Monte Carlo’s panels are as straight and flat as possible. When boss man Jonathan finally deemed them ready, the body returned to the paint booth for sealer and paint.
The Goolsby team was well stocked with supplies from Indasa (abrasives, masking tape), Sata (spray guns and related equipment), plus primer, paint, and related materials from BASF’s R-M and Glasurit lines. After applying sealer to the prepped body, Jonathan followed up with multiple base coats of the Summit White paint. This was followed by multiple coats of clear to provide gloss, depth, and protection. When the clear had fully cured, the team got the abrasives out again to begin the long and arduous color sanding and polishing process.
Contrasting the white finish on the exterior of the car was a coating of black bedliner material applied to the inside of the trunk and the bottoms of the floors. This textured coating creates a durable surface that resembles factory undercoating and provides an initial amount of sound deadening. A few other areas – like the top of the cowl, the grille and headlight surrounds, and the undersides of the rocker panels – were detailed with satin black paint.
While the body received its fresh coatings, other members of the Goolsby team continued to work on the chassis. They installed the big, bad Baer brake rotors and 30th anniversary six-piston calipers, complete with Goolsby Custom engraving. They also began building an exhaust system, starting with stainless headers from Ultimate Headers and crafting the rest using Magnaflow stainless tubing and mufflers.
The photos here offer some highlights of the paint process and continued chassis updates, culminating with the reunion of the body and frame. Talk about another motivating moment! It’s getting close now – we can begin to see the end in sight. Stay tuned for when we showcase this Aerocoupe in all its assembled glory!
Check out the other Build Stories about the 2025 Giveaway 1987 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe: Part 5, Part 4, Part 3, Part 2, Part 1
Photos by Goolsby Customs
