Project Street Fighter Paint & Graphics

Today on Muscle Car Project. Street Fighter gets a facelift, how to rescue your plastic bumper from the scrap heap and take a ride in a 66 Nova Super Sport.

Hey,

welcome to Muscle car. Our 71 Ka

Project. Street Fighter looks a lot different from the last time you saw it

and I can't lie. It's taken more than a few late nights and a lot of cold beer to get it where it's at today.

This thing's about ready for some color, but it's not gonna get just your average paint job because this thing has to look as tough as the new owner. You have CS Dana White. So we're gonna put down a paint job that's gonna look like a coup at first glance. But Scream Street Fighter when you get all up in its grill,

the 71 Barracuda we started with was in pretty good shape, but it needed some muscles. So we added some frame connectors and new suspension and tough rear end to handle that. 440

we got the exhaust in then added the

C A shaker hood, Louvers and exhaust tips

since Street Fighters, a tribute to the UFC, we're using their color scheme, charcoal gray and black and the billboard will read UFC instead of 440.

If we are painting this thing, all one solid color, we just shoot it in pieces and be done with it. But since the graphics are running from one panel on to the next, we gotta hang all the tins on this thing before it rolls into the booth.

Since we'll have to blow it apart again, later to jam it. We're hanging the panels with just enough bolts to keep them in place.

But

we got it all wiped down and taped up. I'm going to lay down some black DP Sealer first. Not only will this help with the adhesion of the base coat, but it will also get it one step closer to the final color of the car.

One thing to remember with Sealer, you only have a specific window of time to get the base code on over it. It varies from one sealer to another. So be sure to read the text sheet.

A

Street Fighter looks good enough and flat black. I'd be tempted to leave it like that. But trust me, this paint that auto body color and supply hooked us up with

its Galaxy gray. You think it looks good? Now, wait till we put this on it.

And there you have a first look at what Kelly Street Fighter is going to be

when laying down base coat. Make sure to keep the overlaps consistent

and with a high metallic color like this

airflow and using the right temp producer is critical. You may have to experiment to get the combination that works for you

with the base coat down and dry. It's time for the fun part. The graphics, I've got some reference matilla here on original Kutas on one hand and a rendering on the other. Now, the trick is to combine the two in a way that pays homage to the original cars, but lets the world know this is muscle cars tribute to the UFC. Now, Plymouth never had UFC on their billboards, but that's where my creativity comes in.

Since we don't have an actual cooter to measure from, I'm using a picture as a reference.

Once I've converted the measurements to the right scale, I can transfer them to the car.

I ended up using a scale of 16 to 1

using quarter inch tape to outline the rest of the billboard.

The small pieces of tape are reference points for where the corners need to be.

For the UFC lettering. I'm laying down a piece of transfer tape over the whole area.

It comes in a lot of different widths. You can pick it up at any sign shop. I want the UFC logo to be slightly inset from the edge of the graphic and this tape line will mark that gap.

Now, I can lay out the lettering a lot of this involves the calibrated eyeball. I have a basic plan, but I'll tweak it as I go to get the best look

to one side

time to get out your sharpest razor blade.

Now, remember when you're doing this, that you're cutting right through your mask right against the base coat. So use a really gentle touch.

I've seen guys come in like this get too aggressive

and have them push into the point where they actually dig into the base coat and leave marks in the primer behind it. And let me tell you that is a pain to go back and fix later.

Just use a nice, gentle touch.

Well, that's one side done, but I still have a whole another side to go. Not to mention I still got mass this whole thing off. Well, I'll get that knocked out during the break, but don't go anywhere because coming up later in the show, I'm gonna show you a new use for something out of your kitchen. I'll bet you never thought of it

after the break. Rick's got candy and he's willing to share.

Hey, welcome back. I got Street Fighter all masked up and I'm ready to add some detail. I was digging through the kitchen. I found some drawer liner. I'm gonna create a carbon fiber effect by laying this down and spraying an opaque black through it.

But I'm gonna keep the sinister attitude by laying a black candy back over the whole thing

Hey, bro, your stuff came in. All right on.

Need any help. Yeah, definitely.

Oh,

all right, man. I'll get the paint.

I'm using the lowest pressure I can for this. Let the paint just settle through the holes instead of blasting it on. Don't

need a little more there.

Or do you want to try a smaller beef?

I try the smaller bee.

You'll have to go back and fix some spots but keep in mind

imperfections actually add to the realistic look. Carbon fiber has overlaps and inconsistencies and you don't want it to look like a stencil

on the top surface, an extra set of hands is nice, but on the sides, it's a must.

Now, the carbon fiber pattern is down and really looking nice, but it's not done yet. I want more of a subtle look, but I don't want to lose the pattern that we've already worked so hard to lay down. That's where candy comes in. Now, most people have heard of candy paint, but they don't really understand what it is.

Now, imagine this plastic film is the candy paint you can easily see through it but it tints the color of everything behind it.

Now, there's no Metallica pearl and candy that all comes from the base coat

and the more layers you put on,

the more depth and the more dramatic the color change. But if you put down too many layers, what you end up with is black,

there's no such thing as off the shelf. Black candy. It's a custom mix of blue and red candies with a little opaque black thrown in.

You think gun control is important when spraying metallics? Yeah, try candies. If you end up with tiger stripes you're stuck with.

Unless you want to send the whole thing down and start over.

Now, remember I told you the more coach you put on the darker it gets until eventually you'll get the black.

Well, this is where the artistic side really comes in. You have to get the look that you're after,

when you get it to where you want, you stop

after giving it about 20 minutes, it's time to see what we've got.

Oh,

yeah.

And last, but not least I'll seal it all up with three coats of PPGS. 2002. Clear.

Right on, man. This thing laid out. Did I finish my car yet or what?

Oh,

man, here comes trouble.

What's up, man? How you doing?

It's,

it's

pleasure. I actually just roll it out of the booth, man. You're just in time. That's, is that like fencing?

Uh, is that what that's supposed to be? He has a carbon fiber level. Actually, fencing is cool. Yeah, it's fencing.

It

looks like that.

I love those rooms. Sits good.

They

fit in the wheel. Well, is nice too. It's got a good right to it. A good

stand. This won't, this won't touch one of the one they turn. No, we, we've had it locked a lot and it didn't hit the suspension on this thing is completely adjustable so you can raise it, lower it,

you know, do whatever you gotta do to set it up. Hey, man, you have to check your seats out.

Legendary auto interiors. Hooked us up with these.

No, it's beautiful,

man.

These are awesome.

So, what's next?

Well, after this, we gotta put the interior in. It still have to paint some parts, the trunk lid, the wing scoop, you know, balances that type of thing. Then it's down to wiring, plummet, brakes,

assembly, man and throw some keys at you. Awesome. Right on. Thank you. I love it. We need to get back to work.

Yeah,

I gotta go to the fight. You coming to the fight. Yeah, absolutely. Right on, man. I'll see you

up next. Why Chevy's mini muscle car became a big hit.

Today's flashback. A 1966 Chevy Nova Ss,

the Chevy Nova is considered today as one of the hottest mini muscle cars,

but it started out life as a much different car brought about by the compact wars of the late fifties and early sixties.

Ford's Falcon was slaughtering the Plymouth valiant and Chevy's rear engine Corvette

GM fought back by unleashing the Chevy two in 62 with the Nova as the top of the line model.

It never overtook the Falcon in the compact arena,

but the Nova would become a force to be reckoned with on the street

and the strength.

The first novas were strictly economy cars. A little pizza

was added in 63 with the new SS package. But that was merely for looks in 64. It got its first

V8,

a 283 making 195 horsepower.

The cars

light weight made it a real street contender but the real muscle came in. 66. Chevy dropped in to 327 which came in two flavors. One made 275 horse while the other cranked it up to 350.

Now that's what's powering this little,

this is a numbers matching L 79 motor and they only made it into about 3500 Nova Super sports. It features chrome valve covers

and a dual snorkel breather.

A close ratio four speed was thrown in at no extra cost

along with dual exhaust

and a 12 volt rear end

weighed in at just under 3000 pounds, 400 less than the Chevelle.

So this set up got you a ratio of one horsepower to every 8.5 pounds.

Compare that to the hypo

Mustang which had a 1 to 10 ratio.

Novas could hit 60 in seven seconds and shoot through the quarter mile in 15, beating out the pony car that year.

The 66 also got a more macho look

with razor sharp body lines.

A bold new grill and a tapered fast back like roof all inspired by the 64 Supernova concept car.

Super sports only came in a hard top and they had wider rocker panels and bright work in the rear deck cove.

You also got strato bucket seats, a console and plenty of super sport badgers.

Now, one thing that stands out about the 66 models is this was the only year that the SS didn't carry any Nova badges.

Another cool feature on this ride is well, air conditioning.

You don't see that on too many muscle cars.

It's also a sport in a one year only color

Aztec

bronze.

It's estimated that less than a dozen were sold at this combo making this one unique car.

The Chevy Nova Ss was a hit with buys doubling sales to 21,000 in

67. It would be overshadowed by Chevy's answer to the Mustang.

The Ca

Novas would get a complete facelift in 68. But that's a story for another flashback

coming up. Don't let a cracked bumper get you down. We'll show you how to save it.

Hey, we're back. Part of what makes a 71 the most desirable model.

Ka

is a signature cheese grater grill. These things are highly desirable and you're looking at least a grand if you're gonna have to replace one project. Street Fighters original grill is in pretty good shape, but like you might expect with a piece of plastic, almost 40 years old, it's got some cracks. So some reconstructive surgery is in order

build on a budget muscle car projects that save you time and money

original parts for these cars are getting harder and harder to find. So we wanna save what we can repairing this grill. Not only saves in the OEM part, but it also saves us a big chunk of change. So no matter what kind of car you're working on, this helps to keep the repair costs down and the resale value up before I do any repair, all the trim has to come off. Be really careful doing this because you don't want to end up with more damage than you started with.

A couple of clamps will keep the area level. I'll make the repair with the clamps in place, then come back and fix the area where the clamps work.

I'm prepping using a rotary grinder to clean it up.

Some 80 grit will rough the surface. So the adhesive will stick.

I'm using plastic bumper repair adhesive. Once it's loaded in the gun, squeeze some out and throw it away, then squeeze out what you're going to use. This is just to make sure it's completely mixed before you apply. Any

use a plastic spreader to apply the adhesive and scrape off the excess.

You have to work fast because this stuff dries really quick. After giving the first side 20 minutes to dry, I can flip it over and repeat the process on the other side.

Next, I'm gonna fill in the areas where the clamp were

using the same steps.

Once all the areas are dry, go over them with a rotary center to rough them in,

in the tired area. Sand it down by hand with some 80 grid. I'm using my homemade sanding block. A ka a paint paddle

once it's roughed in, smooth it down with 180 on AD eight.

Now, all this thing needs is some primer. This same process will work for flexible parts like your thing, moldings or bumper covers. The girl still needs to be stripped before I can prime it. So I've still got some work to do,

but we're all out of time. So until next week, keep it between the ditches.