Heres the idea - I am mulling over painting my 70 (when it comes time in several months) a semi-flat black and doing the stripes in a semi gloss or gloss black. In terms of color for the overall car think along the lines of the older ducati monster bikes and mopar hoods. I would like to have the overall color be close to a black primer and the stripes being more solid black and shinier. I want a stealth blacked out look and would do varying grades of black, brushed aluminum, cast, grey etc throughout the suspension and engine bay to avoid one single color saturation and have variation. I will be running more on the "pro-touring" side of things when done and would likely run 17 or 18 inch wheels and do the center sections of those wheels black powder the same shade / gloss black as the stripes on the car and keep a polished lip on them.

How does one achieve a semi flat or flat paint job and protect it? Flattener in the CC, the color itself? Any input on products or method would be greatly appreciated as I would like to create a stealth bomber type look in my chevelle. Not everybodys game, not everyone would like it, but I would like to do it if I could or atleast give it a try. I figure I would have to reverse mask for the stripes since I would not want to dull them out if flatterner was used in the CC over the whole car.

IMO the best way to get a nice flat black is to flatten the clear or use a flat clear like PPG's 2065.

The common problem with adding a flatner to single stage paint is that you MUST get even coverage or you will get streaks in the black that appear shiner. Once the paint starts to cure it appears shiner because you have alittle more or less paint then the surrounding paint. But a flat clear doesnt do this.



I think the easiest way to achieve would be to spray the entire car with a flat clear and allow to cure. Then come back lay out your stripes and sand within the stripes. Mask car off leaving only the stripes and apply some regular clear coat. The regular clear will make that once dull black appear nice and shiny.

Beaux, that sound's killer. I really want to see that when done. A friend of mine had some of his trim Anodized silver, then it was like electrolicly altered to give it a "ghost" appereance. Basically ended up looking like it was chromed , then smoked. Was really sharp, when done. He shaved most of the handles and deleted as much trim as possible. He was gonna get the bumpers done the same way, have'nt seen or heard from him in a year or two. Maybe I need to track him down.

I think most paint manufacturers are making a stain clearcoat now.

Awesome. Thanks guys, this was helpful. I REALLY think I am going to go this route, just wasnt too sure on how to approach or how it would hold up.

Beaux, that sound's killer. I really want to see that when done. A friend of mine had some of his trim Anodized silver, then it was like electrolicly altered to give it a "ghost" appereance. Basically ended up looking like it was chromed , then smoked.

That sounds interesting. Im looking into some options for the grill area, maybe going with a black chrome look here and there. Im really shooting for something you wont see and something that doesnt immediately catch your eye or stand out until you REALLY look at it. Like those pictures made up of millions of dots that you dont get until you really look.

Sounds neat.
And better yet I've never seen a car done like that.

You may start a trend.
My daily driver is a 2000 Ford F-150.
Bought it new, and now with the harsh PA weather its starting to look tattered.

I was thinking of red (brown) oxide primer over the whole thing with either gold ghost flames or silver fading into gold flames. Then a set of cool wheels.

Sounds neat.
And better yet I've never seen a car done like that.

You may start a trend.
My daily driver is a 2000 Ford F-150.
Bought it new, and now with the harsh PA weather its starting to look tattered.

I was thinking of red (brown) oxide primer over the whole thing with either gold ghost flames or silver fading into gold flames. Then a set of cool wheels.


Saw an 05 F150 that was all done in satin black with a red pinstripe and nice chrome wheels and thought it looked pretty cool. Something different, thats for sure. Mixing in real old school looks / rat rod type paint with new technology, underpinnings, suspension. Was cool stuff.

It sounds cool if you pull it off just right, but if done wrong, it will look like another one of those cars that was painted flat black to hide all the flaws.

I'm not trying to deter you, but IMHO semi-gloss or flat black paint-jobs have an incredible ability to make a car look mediocre... if you paint a POS car flat black, it miraculously makes it look like a decent car, but if you paint a really nice car flat black, it usually looks either unfinished, or like you're hiding something.

...now if you carry out the theme completely, and do it just right, it could look downright wicked. :thumbsup:

It sounds cool if you pull it off just right, but if done wrong, it will look like another one of those cars that was painted flat black to hide all the flaws.

I'm not trying to deter you, but IMHO semi-gloss or flat black paint-jobs have an incredible ability to make a car look mediocre... if you paint a POS car flat black, it miraculously makes it look like a decent car, but if you paint a really nice car flat black, it usually looks either unfinished, or like you're hiding something.

...now if you carry out the theme completely, and do it just right, it could look downright wicked. :thumbsup:


Not deterred, I hear ya and thats also a big issue in my head. Extensive planning is in order if I want to pull it off and not have it looked like some trashed ride with a cheap paint job. I dont want to spend the time and energy on the car and end up making it look like a car that is in NEED of a full frame off. Spend the time doing mods and resto to have it end up like I need to do a bunch of mods and resto. It needs to look refined and the ENTIRE scheme needs to come together and be well balanced otherwise it will end up choppy and cheap looking.

Im gonna break out photoshop and get down on this soon. I want visuals and documentation so I know exactly where im going to go.

It sounds cool if you pull it off just right, but if done wrong, it will look like another one of those cars that was painted flat black to hide all the flaws.

I'm not trying to deter you, but IMHO semi-gloss or flat black paint-jobs have an incredible ability to make a car look mediocre... if you paint a POS car flat black, it miraculously makes it look like a decent car, but if you paint a really nice car flat black, it usually looks either unfinished, or like you're hiding something.

...now if you carry out the theme completely, and do it just right, it could look downright wicked. :thumbsup:

I totally agree with Derek on this one.. If you do it, make sure to do it right..

Scott

I totally agree with Derek on this one.. If you do it, make sure to do it right..

Scott

As per my normal operating procedure - I will get it wrong horribly the first and second time, NAIL it on the 3rd and by that time will be sick of it and paint it over again in something like a one off cortez silver type color.

Im only in this game to waste my time and money, really. Im a professional when it comes to buying parts and supplies and then leaving them in my garage for years on end.

I think I have enough in my garage that if I sold and hit ebay right now I could buy a bigger house. :D

Im going to work hard at making this work. But it will be plan, plan, plan...rethink, plan, plan and then execute. I have some great local resources to take advantage of and I think with the TC guys we got out here I got a real shot at pulling it off eventually. Im still in the tear down, patch, metal work and frame / suspension stages.

Not quite semi-gloss black, but this shiny charcoal gray car may be a good source of motivation :)

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109253

Not quite semi-gloss black, but this shiny charcoal gray car may be a good source of motivation :)

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109253


I'll be damned! Completely forgot about the scheme on that car and its one of my favorites, have his page marked.

That greatly resembles what I would like to accomplish. Maybe this was in the back of my mind the whole time and this was a subconscious decision. Maybe the bike my fathers friend just built triggered it. Alan also pointed out a blue 70 that was done with Vette wheels that were powdercoated, fairly tricked out car that was featured in car craft many months ago.

Thanks Derek. :thumbsup:

You and Alan get to meet up, fry the tires on the Model T or what?

Anybody else find it really weird that Beaux makes 5 or 6 posts and not one mention of midget wrestling?

Sometimes I forget he even owns a Chevelle. ;) Are we sure this is him? He's so serious...



j/k


BTW it sounds pretty damn slick to me, man.

Anybody else find it really weird that Beaux makes 5 or 6 posts and not one mention of midget wrestling?

Sometimes I forget he even owns a Chevelle. ;) Are we sure this is him? He's so serious...



j/k


BTW it sounds pretty damn slick to me, man.

:D lol

You and Alan get to meet up, fry the tires on the Model T or what?We met for beers and steaks at the Timberlodge Steakhouse... As we left, I did a smokey burnout with my wagon :D

We met for beers and steaks at the Timberlodge Steakhouse... As we left, I did a smokey burnout with my wagon :D

:thumbsup:

Beaux, I'm not telling you what to do, but, take it from someone who's made the mistake. On my first Chevelle, I painted both bumpers body color, and blacked out the grill. :sad: Was so bad, that I had the bumpers stripped and re-chromed, and found a new grill before I even finished assembling the car. For me, it just didn't work. You do what YOU want, just research it well before you spend the money. In the last 2 1/2 years, the one thing I did learn quick, was to really think things out, before I pulled another chunk o change outta my ass.:D

Beaux, I'm not telling you what to do, but, take it from someone who's made the mistake. On my first Chevelle, I painted both bumpers body color, and blacked out the grill. :sad: Was so bad, that I had the bumpers stripped and re-chromed, and found a new grill before I even finished assembling the car. For me, it just didn't work. You do what YOU want, just research it well before you spend the money. In the last 2 1/2 years, the one thing I did learn quick, was to really think things out, before I pulled another chunk o change outta my ass.:D


Thanks. Bumpers will stay chrome, not a fan personally of any attempt to color match the bumper. Grill trim I was thinking about black chrome but that is still up in the air.

This is all tied into my low profile, sleeper type build and I want to extend it all the way to the paint scheme. Look like an unfinished car or something mid build from 50 feet or be underestimated due to appearance from a distance and then as one gets closer and starts to notice or as I romp past em they start to realize.

I figure as long as I can get even coverage, make the car as straight as possible and make sure panel alignment and gaps are as spot on as I can get them it will come out good. have to extend the theme throughout the entire car to avoid that choppy half arsed appearance. I plan to pull it into the interior as well, perhaps trying to achieve a dulled out brushed look on any chrome in the interior. Interior will also revolve around a stock apperance with small mods / changes here and there.

Appreciate all the advice, guys. I will definitely keep everything said here at the forefront of my decision.

other than gloss black wheels this sounds like something i would absolutely love

satin trim, brushed aluminum, satin paint= NICE

if it were mine i would just do some sort of cast or brushed wheels instead...i hate black wheels so much, but its not mine so you do what you want

that sounds tight dude. i've thought about doing something like that, buti think i'm gonna stick with the gloss black with ghosted racing stripes.

A few months ago we had a guy come in and give us a real flames class at school, and he also brought in some other panels he had painted... one of them had a PPG clear on it that felt like satin or suede or something. It was a dull clear that felt kinda fuzzy. It was kinda weird at first, but it is pretty much scratch proof. I took my fingernail and tried to dig into the clear pretty hard and it didn't do a thing. The only problem is that you have to get it right the first time. If you screw up with that clear, there's no way to get it off unless you sand the whole thing down and paint it again.

I don't know... i thought it would look really, really cool on a flat black car. sorry i don't know what the name or number for that clear was.

if it were mine i would just do some sort of cast or brushed wheels instead...i hate black wheels so much, but its not mine so you do what you want


Im not 100% set on the wheels but thinking of that or maybe a tinted or darker gun metal only because I want to tie the entire car together from rubber to roof top and interior. I want it dull so that brushed look might work well. My initial though was tying the wheel color into the stripes of the car.

Still all in the planning stages and definitely taking it all into consideration. After I photoshop it out and get a real visual I am sure things will morph here and there.

Im gonna get this done, though....I am certain of that. How long it will take me - well, another ballgame entirely. :D

After I get married next weekend and get back from my honeymoon, Im going full bore on the floorpans and stripping, metal work and working feverishly to get things moving as best I can. Taking my time, going VERY slow in the work and staying focused on the end results.

Hey Beaux, you got a 70 right?

Hey Beaux, you got a 70 right?

Yessir - 70 SS, 396 ci, 4 spd and 4.10's.

Will end up - 427, M22W (eventually tko 600), 4 wheel disc and 3.42's.

Think I am going to PO the purist community with my plans to stealth it out but im not cutting anything or doing anything to the car that can't be reversed.