As is the norm with the Road Tour buildups, a bunch of chores have been scratched off the to-do list for the '07 car in an amazingly short period of time. Leonard Lopez at Dominator Street Rods finished up the Roadster Shop chassis, then it, and the Brookville three-window body, were shipped off to Rick Valdez at Creative Images for one of his signature ultra-smooth paint jobs.
After the body arrived at Creative Images, the floor underwent some modifications to accommodate the transmission and rearend, various brackets were built, and the hood and grille shell were installed. And while all those jobs were well executed, it's the TLC the sheetmetal received and the fabulous finish that covers it all that wows everyone who sees it; this car proves that the secret to a great paint job is in the preparation-the time spent block sanding really paid off.
Once the primered body was deemed ready for paint, Rick covered it with black PPG basecoat; then, after color sanding, Art Himsl was called in to apply the familiar flames. And when we say familiar, we mean it-any similarity to the flames on the original Tom McMullen roadster is purely intentional. So, how similar can two flame jobs be, you ask? The same paper pattern Art made for the recent restoration of the McMullen highboy was used to lay out the flames on the Road Tour '32. With the flames taped off, Rick shot them with the classic combination of yellow and red, and then the entire car was covered in clear. Color sanding and buffing were the last steps in the superb finish.
With paint and flames now crossed off the to-do list, the Deuce was off to Dominator once more to have the engine installed. But while the goal for the Road Tour program is to build a reliable rod with readily available components, an element of show biz is part of the process as well. The unfinished coupe was scheduled to make its first public appearance at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona. The three-window was very well received by the public, and while there was still much to be done, progress on the project didn't come to a complete stop while it was on display. Herb Martinez 'striped the flames with a room full of rodders looking over his shoulder.
Our RT car is well on its way to being on the road, but there's still some cool construction stuff coming your way, so stick around. In the meantime, take a look at how far it's come since last month.
Three quarters of a century...
Three quarters of a century after its introduction, '32 Ford three-window coupes are still in production, only this time they're coming out of Brookville instead of Dearborn. Thanks to modern techniques, they're better than ever.
Brookville's repop Deuce is...
Brookville's repop Deuce is beautifully built, so Rick Valdez and the crew at Creative Images only had to do some minor massaging to get the sheetmetal ready to be painted black.
The procedure is fairly simple...
The procedure is fairly simple if the door gaps need a little work to be perfect. Sometimes you add a little material with a welder...
and then you take away a little...
and then you take away a little with a grinder. Rocket science it isn't, but it works.
Particular attention was paid...
Particular attention was paid to panel alignment and the various gaps in the trunk lid and doors. While the Brookville's fit is very good, bolting any body to a chassis makes things change; so, when you're as hypercritical as Rick, some reworking will be in order.
Door gaps almost seem to disappear...
Door gaps almost seem to disappear when they are this close and even; it's as if there are no rough edges to catch your eye.
With a skim coat of filler...
With a skim coat of filler on the quarters, the body was ready for the first of several trips into the spray booth.
Some remodeling of the floor...
Some remodeling of the floor was required to accommodate the TCI Automotive 200-4R transmission. The new trans tunnel looks great and provides plenty of room for the overdrive automatic.
Under the cowl, custom brackets...
Under the cowl, custom brackets were made to hang the Vintage Air heat and cool unit and support the steering column.
The trunk floor was also altered...
The trunk floor was also altered to accommodate the kicked-up rear crossmember and allow plenty of room for exhaust and the Strange rearend to move.
A new floor section was fabricated...
A new floor section was fabricated and welded in place once the dimensions were determined. Even with the raised floor, there's still plenty of room to haul Jerry Dixey's Road Tour wardrobe.
A custom hood was required...
A custom hood was required because the frame (wheelbase) was stretched. Brookville supplied the longer-than-stock hood top; note that the sides are deeper and there is no accent line.
The coupe was equipped with...
The coupe was equipped with an aluminum radiator, shroud, and fan from U.S. Radiator to make sure the Flathead keeps its cool.
With the solid hood top trimmed...
With the solid hood top trimmed to fit properly, Mickey Galloway rolled in stock-looking beads on each side.
The Brookville body was flawless...
The Brookville body was flawless and ready for paint after several rounds of block sanding and priming. With a final scuff, the Deuce was headed back to the paint booth.
This is where all the priming...
This is where all the priming and block sanding pays off. Rick shot the body and hood with black PPG DBU 9700 that's as smooth as a baby's bottom.
Rick put on the first coats...
Rick put on the first coats of PPG primer/surfacer. The buildup properties of NCT 280 allow for the block sanding that really makes sheetmetal panels arrow-straight.
With the body color-sanded...
With the body color-sanded and yet to be cleared, it was reunited with the frame.
After installing the hood...
After installing the hood and grille shell, Rick watched the legendary Art Himsl lay out the flames.
With the same time-honored...
With the same time-honored procedure that has resulted in who knows how many classic flame jobs, Art taped off yet another one.
Once the flames were taped...
Once the flames were taped off on the right side of the car, the pattern was transferred to the left side for layout.
The next step in the flaming...
The next step in the flaming process was to cover the entire layout with 18-inch-wide transfer tape. Rick then cut the tape away from the areas to be painted.
Back in the paint booth, Rick...
Back in the paint booth, Rick shot the yellow base for the flames.
Red was then applied. When...
Red was then applied. When that was finished, the entire car was covered in clear.
Would you let this guy close...
Would you let this guy close to your car with paint and a brush? We did, and the results were outstanding. We called on our old buddy, Herb "The Line Doctor" Martinez, to pinstripe the flames at the Grand National Roadster Show. You'll have to wait to see the final results, but it will be worth it.