The Goodguys 2023/2024 Grand Prize Giveaway ’32 Ford Coupe Gets Some PPG Color
There are many milestones in a hot rod build. When you first get the tires and wheels mounted so you can roll the frame around and assess the stance. When you first fire the engine. Or when you first mount the body on the chassis. All are significant, but few match the thrill of finally seeing paint being applied to the body.
When we caught up with the Streamline team, they were already well involved with bodywork and sanding on the coupe body. Even with fresh sheet metal, a little filler and a lot of block sanding are required to achieve the flat, wave-free panels you want for a show-quality finish. Naturally, a lot of primer and most of the filler ends up on the ground as dust. Having the chassis mobile on Guniwheels made it a lot easier to roll around as needed during bodywork.
During the bodywork and sanding process, the different body panels – like the hood tops, sides, grille shell, doors, and rear fenders – were fit to the body shell to confirm proper alignment and gaps and, where applicable, allow the team to block sand across panels. Generous use of masking tape – and even a laser level – helps ensure alignment of body lines and panels.
There’s something about getting color on body panels that really rejuvenates the momentum on a build. Color is one of the first elements we tend to envision for a hot rod or custom project, so getting a taste of that fresh hue provides us with a glimpse of the completed build.
Using masking along body lines and transitions during the block sanding process helps to sharpen those edges and helps to keep you focused on the specific portion of the panel you’re sanding. Keystone Automotive kept us well stocked with tape and sanding supplies.
Tight and even gaps and alignment like you see here on the driver’s door is the sort of panel precision we’re looking for.
How do you block sand hood louvers? Very carefully and deliberately! Note how the area around the louvers on our Rootlieb hood sides were masked off to avoid inadvertent nicks and scratches, and the use of a sanding block that’s consistent with the width of the louvers. Guide coat helps to ensure things get sanded thoroughly and visible scratches have been removed.
With that in mind, all of us at Goodguys were excited this spring when Donnie Hall at Streamline Custom Designs let us know he was rolling our Grand Prize Giveaway ’32 Ford coupe into the paint both and preparing to apply color using PPG materials. We were almost as giddy as new parents learning the gender of their child, even though we know some lucky winner will be raising our “baby” after it’s given away next year.
After bodywork, the shell was given another coat of primer, which was followed by block sanding and more primer, as necessary, until Donnie deemed it ready for paint.
The first dose of color came with a color-match sealer product that’s similar to the final paint hue, but a little more tan. This will aid in the appearance of the final paint color.
Next came the true color when Donnie applied the paint base coat. He used PPG materials for the custom-mixed color, a tan hue that had a healthy dose of green mixed in to create an olive-like color that will look right at home on the Deuce.
After the base coat had dried, the body was masked off and select areas – like the firewall, underside of the hood and trunk lid, and inside of the hood sides – were sprayed with a matte clear finish.
We’ve shown you the top chop and other metalwork highlights on this Eric Black-designed coupe in previous build installments. And since we started with fresh sheet metal from United Pacific, we didn’t need to fight with rust repair or other major repair challenges. But as any bodyman will tell you, there’s always bodywork to be done before paint can be applied – even when you’re working with fresh metal. So, we can assure you there were many hours invested in fitting panels, applying and sanding filler where necessary, applying primer, and block sanding. Those last two steps – primer and block sanding – were repeated several times until the panels were deemed straight enough for a shiny finish.
It’s the clear that adds the gloss and shine, and for that Donnie used PPG’s Ditzler VC5700 Custom Clear. The Rockstar energy drink is a reminder of the long hours he put in to get this coupe ready for its debut in Columbus!
The color takes on a completely different look with some gloss clear. And it’s got a fantastic shine even before any color sanding or buffing has been done. The matte finish on the firewall will add a nice touch to the finished car.
The color we ultimately selected for the coupe was a custom-mixed sandstone hue, an earthy tone that will look right at home on this ’32 Ford. It’s one of those subtle colors that will surprise you, as it has just enough green and yellow in it to change a little depending on what light you see it in.
The coupe’s Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop frame also got a turn in the paint booth. It was first painted black, and then masked so three sides of the rails could be sprayed body color. The inside portions of the rails, crossmembers, and other parts will remain satin black, providing some contrast and detail to the chassis.
Needless to say, we can’t wait to soak in this new hue on the completed coupe!
Photos courtesy Streamline Custom Designs
