| 2002 Chevy S10 Custom Paint Job painting Chevy S10
Unless you are Mr. Do-It-All-Myself, there is going to come a point when you'll need some help with your build. It can be a very scary thing to pass the keys to your pride and joy to someone else. Questions arise like: Will they show the same attention to detail? Will they take care of my baby? One piece of advice we can pass on to help cure this fear is do your homework. Ask people at shows who did their work and are they happy. You can also look to Sport Truck for guidance. Every feature truck article contains a 411 box of some type in which the painters, fabricators, mechanics, and so forth are listed.
For this story, our goal is to show you exactly what to expect when getting a custom paintjob from a reputable shop like Clean Cut Creations in St. Louis, run by John Meyer. Now, you may be asking, "How do I know that's a good shop?" We've seen John's work in person when we shot his Colorado for the cover, and it was nice to say the least. We have also done a few tech stories with John, and he has never let us down. His rep is solid with us.
The lucky recipient of a new paint scheme for his truck is Tim Genz. Tim performed all of the bodywork on his '02 S-10 himself and had the truck ready for paint when he walked into CCC. So here is how it all went down from the concept phase, where they discussed colors and design, all the way to giving it its first hand-wash.
Speaking of the first hand-wash, be sure to check out the spread following this article. Tim's truck got all soapy with help from a few hotties, and luckily Joann Kuehl was there to catch it all on film.
| 2002 Chevy S10 Custom Paint Job ideas And Colors
Part One: The DesignHere is the first thing you should do once you've decided on a shop for your truck's new paintjob. Sit with the painter and discuss ideas and colors, making sure to bring anything you might like to the table. What you want will dictate the price. The more intricate the design is, the more time, materials, and money it will take to accomplish it. John uses the Digital Paint Booth program (shown on the screen) from House of Kolor to quickly create a rendering of the customer's ideas. This helps ensure that the customer knows what the truck will look like and how much time John will have to charge for.
| 2002 Chevy S10 Custom Paint Job prep Work
Part Two: The Prep WorkOne key element of a great paintjob is the prep work. Skimp here and it won't matter how good you can paint. Any dirt, oil, or other contaminants will just ruin the paintjob, and they may not show up until it's too late. John is a stickler when it comes to prep work, and he performs a thorough cleaning as the first step to achieving a quality finish.
| 2002 Chevy S10 Custom Paint Job debeer Valspar Products
Part Three: Applying ColorThe paints John used for this project are Debeer/Valspar products he got from Gateway Coatings & Supply. They are urethane paints mixed with a hardener rated for a nonbaked booth at a temperature range of 64 to 95 degrees F-perfect for his location. When asked why he uses these particular products, John replied, "They're cost-effective urethanes with a full spectrum of colors for custom and collision refinishing."
Part Four: Tape And Paint The Design
| 2002 Chevy S10 Custom Paint Job fill In
6.After the pattern is completely duplicated in fine-line, the areas that are not to be sprayed with the next color are filled in with tape. John states, "Be patient. Accuracy is the key in this step to prevent unwanted stripe color on your main body color." After the fill-in is complete, the roof and all other areas are covered.
The Final WordUsually the finished truck is shown here, but we decided to show it with some skin on the following pages. We hope this story educated you enough to choose a good shop to take care of your pride and joy. Just use what you learned here, some common sense, and good old gut feeling to pick your place. When all else fails, either learn to do it yourself or contact John at CCC.
