How to Paint Your Car
Whether the effort you put into enhancing your car consists of years of painstaking preparation, or merely an hour or two of car detailing once every couple of weeks, you want your car to look its very best. For better or worse, your values, self-image, and priorities are reflected to the world in the car that you’re modding and (hopefully) improving. Often, this implicit connection between the car and its owner happens in obvious ways — like what car you chose to commit your money, time, and energy into and how you go about doing it — and sometimes it is in more subtle ways — like how your attention to detail, creativity, and ingenuity are reflected in your car.
When you’re considering whether to go mild and clean with your car’s appearance modifications, or to go wild and really make a statement and show your skills and vision, two guidelines usually ensure that your car and your efforts are respected rather than mocked behind your back: Stay true to yourself and stay true to your car.
Ideally, the finished project is unique, tasteful, and admired. The best rule is to exercise restraint. Remember quality over quantity. An overly modified car is a caricature of itself. Your car is much more likely to be a hit than the butt of jokes if you
- Stay true to the lines and heritage of your car
- Understand your car
- Modify with an eye toward restraint
Sweat the details and keep it clean. Eliminating such distractions as protective trim pieces, casting marks, and panel seams can help bring out the natural lines of your car. Adorning your car with tacked-on accessory after accessory obscures the natural lines of your car. Be very careful about buying replica kits and knock-offs. These rarely fit right and often look off even after spending time and money aligning them.
Keep it balanced. A $15,000 paint job and $5,000 wheels and tires don’t make your $5,000 car look like a $25,000 car. It is better to address all aspects of the car in equal proportion than to go overboard in one or two areas.
Authentic or not, if your project includes more Bondo, rust, and duct tape than hope or horsepower, the project is probably in violation of some or all of the preceding rules. Review and reconsider.
Have you ever seen super-slick paint jobs on show cars?
... and ever wanted that kind of look for your own project car? Those kind of paint jobs cost tons of money and most of us just look and wish. Only a lucky few have the resources to get that dream look.
Ever wanted to give your car a new fresh coat of paint?
Ever wanted to give your car a new fresh coat of paint?
Or have you thought about learning spray painting but just don't have the time to do it?
Or have you ever wanted to do a simple car body work paint repair but have no idea where to start?
No comments:
Post a Comment