Seeing Red – The Goodguys 2027 Grand Prize Giveaway 1966 Chevelle Gets Red at GAP Industries
If you’ve been following along with the progress of the Goodguys 2027 Grand Prize Giveaway ’66 Chevelle being built at GAP Industries, you know that it’s shaping up to be one stellar street machine. It has a firm and agile foundation in the form of a Speedtech Performance chassis with an independent rear suspension, Wilwood disc brakes, and Forgeline wheels. It has a potent power plant from Late Model Engines – a port-injected 427c.i. LT engine producing more than 720 horsepower. And it has an essentially new body, with reproduction steel from Auto Metal Direct from front to rear.
One of the main ingredients missing at this point is one of the first things people notice: color. The lack of color has been remedied in this month’s installment, as the team at GAP dove into the final bodywork process and got the Chevelle sheet metal ready for its final finish. And the color? A bright red hue that will let people know this street machine is packing some heat!
The GAP Industries shop is well equipped to deliver show-winning finishes on all the cars and trucks it builds. The business has a dedicated building for bodywork and paint tasks, and a team that’s experienced in all aspects of the refinishing process. A full PPG paint mixing station and Global Finishing Solutions paint booth also contribute to the shop’s successful finishes. It also helps that GAP’s fabrication team performs its metal work at an extremely precise level, giving the body shop straight and well-aligned steel to work with.
We should note that all primer and paint materials used for the Chevelle are from PPG. They came from Tasco Auto Color, as did the many other materials required for a first-rate finish, like body filler, masking tape and paper, sandpaper, and other consumables.
When the Chevelle body came over to the body shop, it was essentially ready to be masked, wiped down, and rolled into the paint booth. It was first coated with epoxy primer, which is designed to adhere to and protect bare metal while providing a strong foundation for subsequent primers and bodywork. That was followed by several coats of high-build primer so the block sanding process could begin.
The initial block-sanding stage is where any minor body filler work can be applied to correct low areas or other imperfections. This is also when any other fixes might happen, in addition to finessing panel gaps and the fit of the custom one-piece trim around the windshield and rear window. After the initial round of block sanding, the body received its second round of primer and guide coat in preparation for the final stage of block sanding to achieve the flat, smooth surfaces required for a flawless finish.
When the block sanding process was finished to exacting standards, the body was rolled back into the paint booth for the fun parts. First, sealer was applied to seal off the primer coats and provide a good foundation for the paint. Next came that bright red color. Tim Palazzolo from GAP wanted a red that was vibrant and bright, but also easy to maintain and touch up. He ultimately chose a late-model Honda hue called Rallye Red, a bright, eye-catching color that has a classic, timeless look. The color shifts a little in different light but never fails to catch your eye. A base coat/clear coat system was used for maximum depth, gloss, and protection.
The GAP team didn’t neglect the underside of the car, either. The floors were epoxy primed and finished with Raptor bedliner material to provide a tough finish that reduces road noise and resists chips and damage. The firewall was finished in satin black for an OEM-style look that will coordinate well with the Ironworks carbon fiber inner fenders.
The Chevelle body will ultimately be wet sanded and polished using products from Griot’s Garage to give it a glass-like finish and shine. We’ll cover some of that along with the assembly process in our next installment where we’ll also have the final feature on this red-hot muscle machine.
If you missed the installments detailing the Goodguys 2027 Grand Prize Giveaway 1966 Chevelle, check them out: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6
Photos: GAP Industries
