1968 Chevy Camaro Paint First Clear Coat

Taking on any large automotive project requires loads of planning and dedication. At times the effort it takes to get through some of the obstacles encountered might seem insurmountable, but once you get past them, you learn to appreciate what it took to achieve your goal. Much like running at Baja or Indy, all of the grueling time spent during the race always comes down to those last few miles before you cross the finish line. For Peter Newell and the team at Competition Specialties in Walpole, Massachusetts, spending a little over a year working on Tony Rose's Project Karma Camaro came down to its final lap when they prepped the car for its trip into the spray booth.

It's amazing to see all that happened in 12 month's time. Rose saw the total resurrection of his car, including a complete body teardown, panel replacement, new front subframe and suspension, and most of all, its new coating of color. It was a long road for the car (since it originally came in only for a repaint), but the more Newell and his team poked around, the more discrepancies they found that would need to be addressed. All of the hard work and perseverance came down to having the body massaged to perfection before it entered the spray booth. Just because the car was heading toward its completion stage, however, didn't make it any less intense with regard to the attention to detail required.

With the car fully masked and surface cleaned, it was time for Newell to give it a final once-over to be sure there wasn't anything that might have been forgotten. Keep in mind, proper surface preparation will win the game, while overlooked errors will contribute to catastrophic failure.t here.

Long days spent block-sanding to have the car's surface prepped as smooth as glass were hours well spent once the paint started to flow from the spray gun. With the final color laid down, Newell fastidiously wet-sanded and prepped the new paint (which sometimes can take over 40 hours alone!), removing any signs of orange peel followed by compounding and polishing the surface. The completed body, with its new coating of PPG Ferrari Grigio Silverstone metallic, is nothing short of breathtaking, and we can hardly wait to see the car in finished form.

  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Basecoat Reducer
    Sparing no expense for the final stage of Rose's '68 Camaro, when it came to color, Newell of Competition Specialties selected PPG's Deltron 2000 urethane basecoat and DT 860 reducer. Rose's color decision was a very dramatic Ferrari Grigio Silverstone metallic.
    Sparing no expense for the final stage of Rose's '68 Camaro, when it came to color, Newell
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Sem Solve
    It's essential to properly prepare the surface of the body to be sure it is free of any contaminants like dirt, wax, grease, or skin oil, since they can easily ruin a paintjob. To ensure the surface is ready to go, SEM's SEM Solve (#38371) pre-cleaner, Gerson tack cloths, and DuPont Sontara static control wipes (#PS-3975S) are a must.
    It's essential to properly prepare the surface of the body to be sure it is free of any co
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Ppgs Global Refinish System
    Working with PPG's Global Refinish System ensured that all of the products would interact correctly once they met the body of the car. Pictured from left to right are their D870 Fast Thinner, D894 High Solids Clear, and D884 High Solids Hardener.
    Working with PPG's Global Refinish System ensured that all of the products would interact
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Seam Sealing
    One of the final items to be addressed is seam sealing. Newell prefers to use Medallion Repair System's gray urethane sealant adhesive (#RS-228) and a caulking gun to seal the deal.
    One of the final items to be addressed is seam sealing. Newell prefers to use Medallion Re
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Rocker Panel Masking
    Competition Specialties team member Brian Jordan uses 3/4-inch masking tape to prepare the rocker panel area for seam sealing.
    Competition Specialties team member Brian Jordan uses 3/4-inch masking tape to prepare the
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Sealant
    Using Medallion Repair System's gray urethane sealant adhesive and a caulking gun, Jordan lays down a nice even bead following the rocker seam. Once completed, he uses his index finger to smooth the bead.
    Using Medallion Repair System's gray urethane sealant adhesive and a caulking gun, Jordan
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Seam Sealer
    Since the rear window valance and taillight seams were welded smooth, Jordan masked off and proceeded to seam seal the roof drip rails followed by the trunk gasket area. The sealer dries to the touch in one hour.
    Since the rear window valance and taillight seams were welded smooth, Jordan masked off an
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Dust Blow
    With the booth vents turned on to create a vacuum, Jordan proceeded to blow the car clean of any surface debris. Special attention was paid to all areas, especially the tightest confines like the taillight regions, where contaminants can easily hide from view. After this was completed, Jordan then wet down the floor of the spray booth.
    With the booth vents turned on to create a vacuum, Jordan proceeded to blow the car clean
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Surface Run
    Once the body is blown clean, Jordan likes to run his hands along the body panels to feel for any unusual surface irregularities that may have been missed. This way there's still time to make final corrections before the paint gets laid down.
    Once the body is blown clean, Jordan likes to run his hands along the body panels to feel
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Pre Cleaner
    After the final inspection, Jordan proceeded with SEM Solve pre-cleaner to remove any surface contaminants like wax or skin oil, using lint-free soft white cloths. One cloth was used to apply the solvent, and a separate dry one was used to wipe the surface clean.
    After the final inspection, Jordan proceeded with SEM Solve pre-cleaner to remove any surf
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Static Control Wipe
    The final step of surface preparation had Jordan using a DuPont Sontara static control wipe to reduce static charge before applying paint or primer.
    The final step of surface preparation had Jordan using a DuPont Sontara static control wip
  • 1968 Chevy Camaro Paint Tack Cloth
    For the next step, Jordan used a Gerson tack cloth to pick up any remaining dust and lint from the body surface. When preparing the tack cloth for use, it's best to unfold it completely and create a nice, loose pad to whisk across the panel surfaces.
    For the next step, Jordan used a Gerson tack cloth to pick up any remaining dust and lint