Painting Mark Worman Style

[Dibbons]

Many "Graveyard Cars" older episodes have been showing up on youtube this year. Mark has commented several times how he finish paints his restorations "twice" to make them shine and appear picture perfect. My question is wondering if, in the end, that is not the best method for paint longevity? Somewhere along the line, I was taught (old school) that the more coats of paint applied, the more likely to find future cracks in the finish. Comments?

 

[slimt]

I know the ones I painted lasted until they were scrapped either from damage Or neglect.
Generally , with product. The more you use. Even using to much to fast. Something in there will fail.

 

[dadsbee]

Yes, I've heard that Mark has had to paint more than a few twice !

 

[Dibbons]

To clarify: When I mentioned twice, I meant he painted them "twice" on purpose during his standard practice of restoration. He wets sands the color finish and then paints it over again.

Doing it all over after the paint fails would be another matter altogether.

 

[69L48Z27]

He calls it ‘pre-painting’. In episodes this year they have stopped doing this and do it like everyone else does. For some reason they liked shooting color and then blocking on it.

 

[zyzzyx]

So, He used to paint the cars with a PPG single stage paint to get a warm & fuzzy feeling about the
underlying bodywork. No big deal to go back and fix a few Boo Boos when it's not Done Done!
Also if you listened to him talk about painting with single stage and then Base Coat/ Clear Coat,
he warned about not putting too much single stage on. Millage as he puts it. You can buy a little
magnetic do dad that measures the thickness of coatings applied so you don't have the hazing
and cracking that's associated with putting heavy coats of material on. Now they only use the BC/CC
process because they have felt comfy with their work and don't need the extra step or cost. In other
words, They're gettin good!

 

[Dibbons]

I never thought his process of double-painting was a bad idea. For my own vehicles, I don't want a "show car" finish. What for? I like the look of a fresh factory finish.

Which reminds me, Worman constanly brags over and over again how he restores everything to OEM specifications so his restorations are identical in appearance to stock showroom new. However, if his paint finish is "show car" smooth and shiny, then his restoration is NOT OEM any longer is it? Kind of a double standard. Has anyone called him out on that discrepancy?

I know in one episode, Worman pointed out the fact that coming from the factory/Creative Industries he found a Superbird nose did not match exactly the Superbird body finish and he was going to duplicate the original slight "mismatch" in paint between the two. I thought that was just stupid!

 

[66/440]

Materials have changed drastically from the "Old" single stage stuff. Too much is a waste of material and a work around for body work that was not done correctly or the time wasn't spent on all the sanding steps. I have a shop nearby that specializes in concours level restoration on Duesenberg's and they do not use this method. Their paint jobs start at $25K for a basic level single color job and go up from there. There is a huge amount of labor in the prep to make sure the paint comes out right. I have a '59 Cadillac that has been finished painting and now they will have a finish crew that will sand and polish for the better part of 2 weeks on just my car. If Mark is trying to use the first paint job as a base for the second paint it sounds like he would rather spend the money on materials than labor to get it right. On some level it's is understandable since really skilled, experienced and dedicated help is very rare.

 

[zyzzyx]

They only do Mopars, and in my experience if you've gotten "intimate" with a few of them by
blocking and wet sanding on them for a week or so, You know all the problem areas and how
to get them right in a jiffy. When working in a collision shop, you don't get the same familiarity
while working on different cars every day.

 

[MoparLeo]

He has said on previous shows that most customers opt for a non factory paint finish. They like it done to "perfection".
And it is not how many coats. just like a rattle can job at home, it is how thick the layers are. Several light are always better than a few thick ones.

 

[gkent]

Yet there are a lot of painters out there who will tell you that the "perfect" paint job is when you stop applying paint just before it runs.

 

[kiwigtx]

Graveyard Cars and shows like it are made purely for entertainment and making money.

These shows should not be taken as a gospel method of how to accurately restore any sort of vehicle.

If there isn't already a disclaimer on these programs, there darn well should be - "For entertainment purposes only"

I have never heard such baloney as painting a car twice on purpose to achieve the desired finish. That's like running parallel circuits in every house, just to make sure the lights and socket outlets are live.

 

[kiwigtx]

One coat of paint (base coat-clear coat) - cut & buffed.

Won every paint contest I entered into. Retired after winning 3 consecutive shows with an 6-year span.
Still wins trophies 21 years later.

 

[1967coronet]

On a complete job on a restoration .
There are a couple important things to remember.
Shrinkage during and after the filler & primer stages.
Then once painting, flash times between coats.

 

[747mopar]

The guys on Bitchin Rides block sand the sealer once it's applied but spray and clear just like anyone else and I'd garrantee they do better work the GYC. Their logic makes sense to me, I always notice a bit more texture in the sealer so blocking it makes sense if your going for perfection. I believe Keepat on here blocked his base or clear then recoated it... can't remember but it looks fantastic!

 

[747mopar]

Graveyard Cars and shows like it are made purely for entertainment and making money.

These shows should not be taken as a gospel method of how to accurately restore any sort of vehicle.

If there isn't already a disclaimer on these programs, there darn well should be - "For entertainment purposes only"

I have never heard such baloney as painting a car twice on purpose to achieve the desired finish. That's like running parallel circuits in every house, just to make sure the lights and socket outlets are live.

 

[66/440]

He calls it ‘pre-painting’. In episodes this year they have stopped doing this and do it like everyone else does. For some reason they liked shooting color and then blocking on it.

This was an accepted method on midlevel single stage paint jobs years ago. Even some of the shops that did paint for the manufacturers show/display cars did this. But they were generally starting with a virgin car and painting over the factory paint car. Since there had never been any repair work they got a decent paint job. Base clear alleviated the need for this and is actually more forgiving with regard to a painters skill. However, as has been mentioned, shrinkage and poor body work prep can't be hidden by any kind of paint. I don't care how good the painter is he cant hide poor body prep.

 

[66/440]

On a complete job on a restoration .
There are a couple important things to remember.
Shrinkage during and after the filler & primer stages.
Then once painting, flash times between coats.

My car coming back from paint has taken a while. One of the things they do is to let the sealer dry for a week to check for shrinkage. If you wait too long, I think it is 24 hours, the sealer has to be sanded or the color coat will not stick. Also they shoot clear over the sealer to show up any waves/flaws before ever putting any color on the car. Then this has to be sanded as well, so as stated a whole bunch of labor/prep to make sure the finished product is what you paid for. This shop does not advertise or have any phone listings. They are referral only and a screw up on their part quickly impacts their business.

 

[conv67bdere]

I want a nice paint job on my car, but then I need to keep in mind that people these days have "absolutely no respect" for other people's property so sure as can be, someone WILL park to close and throw open their door and ding the car . . . So it'll never stay pristine . . . But I will also be driving my car as it will not be a trailer queen. ...

 

[66/440]

I want a nice paint job on my car, but then I need to keep in mind that people these days have "absolutely no respect" for other people's property so sure as can be, someone WILL park to close and throw open their door and ding the car . . . So it'll never stay pristine . . . But I will also be driving my car as it will not be a trailer queen. ...

For most of my cars I completely agree. However this car belonged to my wife's father and she got it when he passed so it is Daddy's car and she wants it to be perfect! She isn't bothered by parking in the south 40 lot and walking to where she is going. She is extremely **** about her cars! BUT, she supports me in what I want to build and never complains about up grades to my cars or new projects so what ever she wants she gets.