Tony Correia's Speed Shop Custom Paint is ahead of the curve when it comes to expertise in cutting-edge painting technology. With the use of advanced waterborne finishes and sophisticated equipment designed for just this purpose, it's the place to go in SoCal for a great paintjob that will not only put a smile on your face but placate the tree-huggers, as well.
Welcome to the future, the future of enviro-friendly street rod finishing, that is. The new waterborne paint is an advanced technology that all commercial body shops-in California, anyway-will need to convert to by 2009. The switch over to waterborne automotive paints will take a bit of planning and training to ensure that the finish quality we all expect is maintained, and hopefully improved upon. In reality, waterborne automotive finishing is actually not that new; it's been around quite a bit longer than most of us realize. In fact, PPG water-based paint has been used by some OEMs since the early 1990s, and although I can't confirm, I think PPG was the leader in that respect.
Now that waterborne finishes are set to become the norm, even for us hobbyists, PPG has again set the benchmark in refinish and color-matching technology with the new Envirobase HP waterborne paint system for the refinisher, and STREET RODDER wanted to give it a try on our latest project vehicle. So, with that in mind, we dragged our pile of chassis parts to one of our favorite paint shops, Speed Shop Custom Paint over in Corona, California. SSCP owner Tony Correia and painter Jose Pelayo not only graciously welcomed our pile of parts but offered us a bit of an idea as to the waterborne painting process, as well. So, we took 'em up on their offer and looked over their shoulders as they applied a glass-smooth finish on our chassis and components. This intro into waterborne painting will hopefully just be the beginning of our education, and as we become more informed, we'll gladly pass on more in-depth info on this new system. Meanwhile, let's take a look at our first exposure to this technology.
