The plan was to make the Hot Rod to Hell really stand out at the 2014 SEMA show, but pulling the trigger on painting flames or graphics is a lot like getting a tattoo—there's no going back without an extreme amount of hassle. Instead of laying out wild graphics that might or might not age well, we opted to rubber wrap the 1927 track T with Eastwood's new ElastiWrap. The idea of doing a removable rubber wrap to undergo a complete color change is nothing new, but the odds are good your friends at STREET RODDER can lay claim to being the first to roll out in candy purple rubberized lace graphics with crushed mirror buried in four coats of high-gloss ElastiWrap clear.
Silicone residue left behind from car wax or oil contaminated road grime can prevent masking tape from adhering properly. We wiped the surface clean with Eastwood PRE.
ElastiWrap removes easily from chrome, glass, or paint, but all porous surfaces, such as canvas grille and cowl welting, should be masked to prevent sticking.
Blue fine-line vinyl masking tape works best to achieve a clean edge, followed with 1- to 2-inch crepe masking tape to begin filling in negative space.
To keep the graphics matched equally on each side a measuring tape was used.
A 2-in-1 product, Eastwood's ElastiWrap Surface Prep & Cleaner cleans the surface prior to applying and creates a slick surface, making ElastiWrap easier to remove.
To prevent unwanted overspray in addition to masking paper, 2-mil Visqueen was wrapped over the last exposed areas.
Using an Eastwood Evolution spray gun with a 1.4 tip (2.0 for heavier application) the white ElastiWrap basecoat was applied in three coats at 15-20 minute intervals.
Notice the candy purple was fogged-on Gene Winfield style before the stretchy lace was painted with Eastwood radiator black in a spray can.
The final steps were to spray four heavy coats of clear gloss ElastiWrap followed with an X-Acto knife to cut away the masking after the ElastiWrap dried.
After a week baking in the Las Vegas sun the ElastiWrap custom lace job peeled off with ease and the track T was back in black.
Eastwood Tech Tip:
If you can't use a dial indicator with the heads off when setting TDC, crank the engine to get number 1 on compression and insert a piece of safety wire, welding wire into the spark plug hole until you feel it hit the top of the piston. Have your buddy rotate the engine and you will feel exactly when the wire stops moving—this is TDC. Re-mark your pointer if it's not on 0. Many engines have been over timed due to inaccurate stamped-steel timing tabs.
