We Show You How To Black Out a Hood

"So you're coming up to the Christmas tree and the exhaust is going bappety bappety bappety and all those little internal bits are going whumpa whumpa whumpa."

We took that quote right from the Plymouth ad that ran in the Jan. '68 issue of Car Craft. It was the beginning of an increasingly bizarre advertising campaign that eventually manifested itself on the showroom floor with strobe-sticker kits, cartoon caricatures, and blackout hoods. Other makes were in on it too. The blackout rear valance on the Camaro screamed big-block, the Road Runner had the six-barrel hood; even Ford had a version on the Mach 1. It was cool enough back then to rope in the customers, and the flavor lingers with old guys who try to buy back some of the original cars if they can afford it and younger dudes who try to re-create the look on garden-variety musclecars for cheap.

The best bet would have been to drill the holes for the hoodscoop andmock it up, then take it back apart and paint each piece separately.This allows you to paint the underside of the scoop and the entire areaof the hood in the rear of the scoop area. Since we had mounted thescoop months earlier using rivets, we had to paint the hood and scoop asis. The fiberglass scoop would have cracked and likely broken if wetried to remove it. This made the paint job trickier than it needed tobe. If you are stuck like we were, be sure to tape off the hole in thehood and blow the chunks of fiberglass out of the scoop. If you don't,the paint gun will do it for you and get debris in the paint and youwill have to start over.
The best bet would have been to drill the holes for the hoodscoop andmock it up, then take
The hood we scored from the junkyard had been painted two or three timesplus the primer that we'd applied after the scoop installation. Thetrick to this or any paint job is to get a stable base before you startto build up the primer. We used a DA with a 150-grit disc and sandeduntil the surface was even and smooth. Don't worry about rock pits anddeep scratches at this point, and you don't have to sand all the way tothe metal. According to Stevenson at Gold Coast, sometimes paint doesn'tlike to stick to bare metal. After the 150-grit, we finished it with a320-grit skim. Paint that is cracked with spider webs and crow's feet,also known as lacquer check, will crack again under the primer if notsanded smooth.
The hood we scored from the junkyard had been painted two or three timesplus the primer th
Someone had taken some 80-grit to the hood in the past and caused deepscratches, plus the hood had seen some rocks, and of course we left somerough edges with the hole saw. Rather than using spot putty out of atube, Stevenson used Sikkens Kombi putty to fill the damage because itdoesn't shrink as it dries, which would leave behind blemishes and pits.
Someone had taken some 80-grit to the hood in the past and caused deepscratches, plus the

In our case, it's the latter. We rattle-canned on the flat back in Apr. '06 when we mounted the hoodscoop to clear the impending tunnel-ram installation, and it looks like we just hit the can with a nail and let fly. We live with ourselves because at the time we wanted the street-race look. But whatever the reason for wanting a black accent panel, hood, or stripe, it is important to get the right amount of sheen. Not too flat and not too glossy. The next time you go to a show, take a peek at the lineup of open hoods and you will see everything from rattle-can flat black (us) to overpolished reflective treatments that are just a little too much like a regular clearcoat paint job to look correct. After staring at the hood for a couple of miles, we decided to take it to Russ Stevenson at Gold Coast Customs and do it right. In the end, it wasn't cheap, but doing it right seldom is.

Description	Source	Price
R-M UR50 reducer	BASF	$89.50/qt.
R-M DH42 rapid hardener	BASF	89.50/qt.
R-M SC804 UNO HD Mat Black	BASF	68.85/ltr.
Heavy-duty high-performance HVLP paint gun	Craftsman	99.00
Geo FX97 paint gun	Walcom	471.10
Self-etching primer	SEM	5.78
Kombi putty	Sikkens	8.86
PCL primer	DuPont	50.00/gal.

The black primer we used is called PCL PolyPrimer, and we like itbecause it is cheap, thick, and user-friendly, and you have to be reallyaggressive to get it to run. After the Kombi putty dried, we began tobuild the primer with a preliminary coat. When the shine went away, itmeant the primer had flashed off and was ready for the next two coats.Stevenson warned us not to let it get too dry between coats because theadhesion process gets interrupted causing topcoat problems later. Onceit flashes, hit it again.
The black primer we used is called PCL PolyPrimer, and we like itbecause it is cheap, thic
For shooting primer, we always use an inexpensive primer gun with afluid tip in the 1.8mm to 2.0mm range. What you are looking for here isgood application with plenty of product laid down on the metal ratherthan a fine finish. We've used the Craftsman high- volume low-pressure(HVLP) heavy-duty high-performance gun and the DeVilbiss starter-gun kitwith the 1.8mm tip for shooting heavy primer. Stevenson used a no-nameHVLP gun that cost less than $100.
For shooting primer, we always use an inexpensive primer gun with afluid tip in the 1.8mm
After the primer has dried for 24-48 hours, you can prep it for paint bywet-sanding with 400-600-grit paper. We used a 5- gallon bucket of waterand a sponge to keep the surface wet. We just wanted to knock down thehigh spots and wash away dirt and debris. The surface should be smoothwhen you are finished.
After the primer has dried for 24-48 hours, you can prep it for paint bywet-sanding with 4

For areas that have been sanded through to bare metal, Stevenson uses afew shots of SEM self-etching primer to cover. Don't paint the area,just dust it enough to fog the metal.
For areas that have been sanded through to bare metal, Stevenson uses afew shots of SEM se
After the surface dries, you can use lint-free Tork wipes to get anyfilth off the surface. This is super critical to having the job look probecause you can't color-sand this paint after you apply it.
After the surface dries, you can use lint-free Tork wipes to get anyfilth off the surface.
The key to getting this paint job right is R-M Mat Black UNO HD. UNOmeans single-stage, as in one coat and no clearcoat on top. It is arugged paint that will last if you keep it clean and don't cook itforever in the sun. The UR50 is the reducer, the DH42 is the hardener,and the SC804 is the Mat Black.
The key to getting this paint job right is R-M Mat Black UNO HD. UNOmeans single-stage, as

To get the UNO to look right, Stevenson uses a Walcom Spray Guns' HVLPGeo FX97 gun with a 1.3mm tip for a fine spray. The gun is in the $500range, which buys you a finer tip with quality machining on the partsthat atomizes the paint better and lays down a finer sheen withoutorange peel or texture.
To get the UNO to look right, Stevenson uses a Walcom Spray Guns' HVLPGeo FX97 gun with a
For the mix, you more or less follow the instructions. Stevenson tippedus that if the gun starts to clog or leaves texture and glops, addslightly more reducer to the mix. This is a feel thing, so start bypainting something else, like an old fender, to get the blend right. Ourmix was close to four parts paint, one part reducer, and one parthardener.
For the mix, you more or less follow the instructions. Stevenson tippedus that if the gun
Stevenson did the final shooting because he has the experienced hand.Try to hold the gun 6-12 inches from the surface at a 90-degree angleand let go of the trigger before the end of the stroke if you are goingto try this yourself.
Stevenson did the final shooting because he has the experienced hand.Try to hold the gun 6

SOURCES
Eastwood 263 Shoemaker Road Pottstown PA 19464 1-800-345-1178 www.eastwoodco.com	Sears Craftsman
R-M (a division of BASF) Floram Park NJ	SEM semproducts.com
Sikkens www.sikkens.com	Walcom Spray Guns Italy
Gold Coast Customs Ventura CA	DuPont www.Dupont.com
Powerbuilt Tools/Alltrade Long Beach CA alltradetools.com