Building the Goodguys GRT-100 Giveaway Vehicle, Part 3
There are many milestones on the path to building a custom vehicle, but few of them match the excitement and satisfaction of finally seeing new paint laid down. For many of us, paint color is the first thing we envision when we picture our finished dream ride in our mind. Combined with stance and wheel-and-tire selection, color choice helps define a vehicle’s style and character.
We showed you a few glimpses of color last week as the bodywork progressed on the 2019 Goodguys GRT-100 Grand Prize Giveaway truck. After undergoing a thorough dose of metal repair, smoothing, and refinement by Doug Gonzales and his team at Lucky 7 Speed Shop, the old Ford made its way to Tim Nickel and his crew at Bodylines by Nickel for final bodywork and paint prep.
Anyone who has ever built or restored a vehicle knows that you can’t overstate how much effort goes into a quality paint job. There are hours upon hours of sanding, fitting, block sanding, fine tuning, and more block sanding before parts are sent to the paint booth. Spraying the paint takes its own set of skills, and then you face hours of wet sanding and polishing to achieve that glossy, mirror-like finish. Of course, quality products are also key to a fine finish, and PPG refinish materials were used throughout the GRT-100 build to ensure it will hold up and look great for years to come. 3M also stepped up with paint prep products like sand paper, tape, and masking film.
If color helps establish a vehicle’s character, then there’s no question about what the PPG Toner Red hue says about the GRT-100. Simply put, it’s hot! Bright and bold, the sizzling red color will make sure this low-slung pickup captures attention wherever it goes. Doug and Tim’s teams broke up all that red with just the right amount of satin black on the hood, grille, trim, and tailgate. The effect is reminiscent of ’60s muscle cars, with a dash of modern flair.
With deadlines looming, final assembly of the GRT-100 commenced immediately after it was cut and buffed. The cab was re-mounted on the Scott’s Hotrods ‘n Customs, then treated to Dynamat sound deadening material and Quiet Ride insulation. The electrical system was also wired up using a Painless Performance fuse panel and harness, and the interior started coming together with a Flaming River tilt column and Flashpower steering wheel. There were plenty of new pieces from LMC Truck, as well, including the grille.
We’re sure you’ll share our excitement as the reassembly process brings this freshly painted F100 closer to its final form, which we’ll show you next week…stay tuned!
