r e p o r t e r

v 7 0 . 1

CreatingeffeCts WitHWaterBOrneCharley hutton demonstrates the wood grain look p.16

CreatingeffeCts WitHWaterBOrne

PPG RePaint RePoRteR Volume 70, number 1

executive editoR Cristina Fronzaglia

cReative diRectoR t. Jon worden

desiGn diRectoR daVe buFFington

desiGn staff mark FranCisCo bob santoro

ManaGinG editoR meredith simpson

WRiteRs t. Jon worden eli greenbaum Cathy nelson

PRoduction ManaGeR shellie hill

contRibutinG PhotoGRaPheRsriCk buChananChris Clor John Cummings daVid nuFerpoint & shoot photography tri-digital group, llC

ppg repaint reporter is published

by the adVertising department

oF ppg automotiVe reFinish. send

Comments and questions regarding

this publiCation to:

ppg industries

repaint reporter editor

19699 progress driVe

strongsVille, ohio 44149

reFinCommdpt@ppg.Com

or, Fax to: (440) 572-6880

looking For additional Copies oF

this ppg repaint reporter issue?

limited Copies are aVailable Via

two easy ways oF ordering:

1) email ppgreFinishCanada@ppg.Com

with your Full Company name,

shipping address, phone number,

ContaCt name

or

2) Call the ppg Customer serViCe

team at 888-310-4762

please reFerenCe part number

on baCk CoVer

dePaRtMents

4 team ppgup-to-date news and announcements from the world of ppg.

10 in liVing Colorhow RapidMatch™ raises accurate color matching to the next level.

16 teCh talkCharley hutton takes us step-by-step and creates the wood grain effect using Envirobase® High Performance.

24 taking Care oF businessracer Jim guthrie taps mVp teachings to fulfill his quest for speed at his Car Crafters collision center.

28 galleryunusual ways and eye-catching examples of how ppg finishes are put to good use.

32 what’s newdplV 2.1 epoxy primers

6 MartinO aUtO COnCePts the place to go for repair

of luxury vehicles and exotic

sports cars

14 aUtOBODY COLLisiOn anD gLass ohio-based

collision center succeeds

despite tough times

20 a taLe Of tWO CaDDies ’59 Cadillacs

follow different paths

to capture award-winning

attention

10

2024

16

3

to the next level.

©2011 PPG Industries All rights reserved. www.ppgrefinish.com

Take your business

With PPG Technology and Expert Guidance.Looking to achieve a competitive edge in today’s demanding collision repair marketplace? Then take advantage of PPG’s highly-acclaimed MVP Lean for Collision training and industry-leading waterborne basecoat technology offering the latest advance in color matching accuracy. Two proven examples of how PPG is helping today’s progressive collision centers gain the competitive advantage in quality, speed and cost.

4 54

team ppG

Paint Panel bash

Lowrider magazine recently teamed with Paul Stoll, paint

professor at PPG, to put on the 1st Annual PPG Lowrider

Paint Panel Bash at PPG’s Los Angeles training center. The

idea behind the event was to provide the opportunity for

Lowrider builders and artists from around the country to

learn about and to demonstrate the endless custom

possibilities using PPG’s Envirobase® High Performance

waterborne system and special effects and colors from the

Vibrance Collection® by PPG.

On the MOVe

Deb Nucciarone will be assuming

the role of Product and

Marketing Manager. After

graduating from the University

of Waterloo with an Honours

B.Sc. in Applied Chemistry,

Deb commenced her

employment with PPG as a

Chemist trainee. She has had a varied background working

in a technical capacity for Industrial Coatings and in

Customer Service and Logistics at the Clarkson Plant

before joining Refinish in 1998 as Manager, Technology

Services and subsequently moving into her current

position as Product Manager.

Norm Angrove will be assuming

the role of National Business

Development Manager. Norm’s

focus will be on developing new

opportunities and growing

existing customer business

among MSO’s and other large

collision shop accounts, with

the assistance of the Regional Business Development

Managers. Additionally, Norm will lead our Canadian OEM

initiatives and retain his current responsibilities for the

Canadian Platinum program.

Please join us in congratulating Deb and Norm; wishing

them each success in their new roles.

OlyMPic Paints intrOduces MObile aPP fOr

iPhOne and andrOid deVices

By simply snapping a picture on a mobile device,

homeowners can quickly find a matching shade of Olympic

paint, thanks to the new Colorclix™ mobile application

available free from Olympic® Paints. The ColorClix app helps

consumers find color inspiration in anything they see by

snapping a photo with a mobile device, selecting any color

displayed and matching it to one of more than 1,200 Olympic

Zero-VOC Interior and Dirtguard Exterior Paint colors. It also

helps users select paint colors, order samples and find retail

locations across the country.

ppg Canada— automotiVe reFinish appoints new direCtor

deb nucciarone John Kelly

norm angrove

John Veresuk

Dave Kitagawa passed away peacefully

at Freeport Health Centre of Grand River Hospital on Tuesday,

April 5, 2011 at the age of 52 years. Dave is survived by his

beloved wife Kimberley of just under 20 years, his son Matthew,

father Toshio, brothers and sisters: Stephen (Gail) Kitagawa of

Markham, Ellen Kitagawa (David Huff) of Calgary, Karen Kitagawa

Froese (Brian Froese) of Etobicoke, mother and father-in-law

Myrtle and George Kidd of Chatsworth, as well as his brother-in-

law, sisters- in-law, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by

his mother Iris Kitagawa.

Dave worked with various companies throughout the Ontario

region including PPG Canada Inc. and UAP.

in memory oF daVe kitagawa

Pittsburgh Paints sets guinness WOrld recOrd

fOr largest Paint sWatch

PPG Pittsburgh Paints™ recently set the Guinness World Record for

the “Largest Paint Swatch”—measuring 68 square feet, or 24

times larger than a typical swatch. An official Guinness World

Records™ Adjudicator presented the company with a certificate to

declare the swatch as the largest in the world. The event kicked

off a month-long effort by The Voice Of Color® program to draw

consumers’ attention to the power that a fresh coat of paint can

add to a home, and the many tools available to homeowners that

simplify the process for choosing the right color.

Dee Schlotter, national

branD manager for PPg

Pittsburgh Paints anD

Porter Paints,™ anD charleS

e. bunch, PPg inDuStrieS

chairman anD ceo, holDing

guinneSS WorlD recorDS

certificate.

The mobile app seamlessly ties to Olympic Paints’ online

color tools, which include a downloadable desktop

application that gives consumers the ability to view the

entire Olympic Paints color palette. Consumers also can

virtually “paint” a room to instantly see how different

colors work together in a space. Additionally, consumers

can save their projects and share with friends via email,

Facebook or Twitter to gain confidence in their color

choices. The ColorClix mobile app is available in the Apple

App Store or the Android Market. A version for Windows®

PC and Mac computers is also available for download at

www.Olympic.com.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Rafael

Hinojos to the position of Director, Automotive Refinish, PPG

Canada Inc. effective July 1, 2011. In his new assignment,

Rafael will be responsible for the continued growth of the

Canadian PPG Automotive Refinish business unit.

Rafael joined PPG Industries, Inc. in 1998 and has held

various positions throughout his thirteen year career. His

proven track record as a Territory Manager, National

Account Manager, Business Development Manager and,

most recently, North American Manager of National

Accounts will position him well in his new role. Rafael has

extensive knowledge of the Automotive Refinish Business

and emerging trends with multiple-shop operators.

Rafael’s leadership will further enhance the growth and

success of PPG Canada Inc., Automotive Refinish.

John Kelly has been appointed

as Western Canada Training

Manager for PPG Refinish. John

comes to us from the refinish

industry, having held positions

from production painter in a

collision center to trainer for

11 years at DuPont in Western Canada.

tWO neW hires at

PPg canada

John Veresuk joined PPG

Refinish as Commercial Territory

Manager for Saskatchewan

and Manitoba. John has a

background in coatings and

related application equipment,

and was recently a part of the

PPG’s PKAF OEM group working

with Toyota.

Please join us in welcoming John and John to PPG

Canada Inc., Automotive Refinish.

gOOD as gOLD

martINo aUto CoNCeptS

Catering to aFFluent tastes pays oFF For this perFeCtion-driVen, high end FaCility

in the 1920s, glen Cove, n.y. was home

to famous industrial tycoons such as J. p.

morgan and F. w. woolworth. today, this

community overlooking long island

sound remains one of the most affluent

zip codes in the u.s. it’s the kind of place

where the cars, like the people who

own them, are often noteworthy. serving

the gold Coast crowd and its rare and

expensive vehicles has become a

specialty for martino auto Concepts.

the martino auto

Concepts business plan

is to cater to those who

want the ultimate in

attention to detail,

perfection or artistry.

it’s a niche that might not

be successful everywhere,

but here, surrounded by great

gatsby-level luxury, it works.

“people are often surprised to hear that

we are not a direct repair facility for any

insurance company, and yet 95% of our

work is insurance-related,” says Joe

lapadula, president and founder. that’s

possible, in part, by virtue of their

specialty equipment: martino auto

Concepts is one of only eight facilities

in north america to repair cars using an

italian Car bench® octopus, in addition

to five Celette® fixture and Car-o-liner®

benches. the company has worked

diligently to become certified to perform

repairs on luxury brands such as

Ferrari, lamborghini, porsche, bmw,

mercedes-benz and rolls royce.

martino auto Concepts acquired its

current facility in 2004 by buying an

abandoned collision center near their

original location. because the new facility

is located on multiple levels, a great deal

of retrofitting was required to install the

five lutro semi downdraft prep stations,

three lutro climate-controlled downdraft

spray cabins from germany, custom rim

racks and other specialty touches that are

all part of the martino experience.

while the new facility was in-progress,

lapadula saw an opportunity to try

something new and chose to implement a

new paint line as well. with the assistance

of their distributor, single source inc., and

ppg territory manager sonny digregorio,

martino started using a solvent-based

Nexa Autocolor™ system. they have since

begun making the move to Aquabase® Plus

waterborne basecoat. “we wanted to be

ahead of the curve with water,” he said.

“plus, oems such as lamborghini utilize

a ppg waterborne system, so we’ve found

that it’s excellent for newer models or

3-stage colors.” lapadula predicts that

martino will convert entirely to water-

based coatings in the future.

in may of 2008, lapadula and his business

partner, Jon holzer, were joined by derek

pasch. together they decided to take a

good thing and make it even better: maC

auto Couture became an extension

of the martino auto Concepts brand,

leveraging the company’s reputation

for superior repair work into the

market for outstanding vehicle

customization. “interiors, wide body

conversions, color changes, wheels,

suspension, brakes, stainless steel

exhaust,” says lapadula, “whatever

the customer wants, we make it happen.”

last year, the custom work included an

enzo Ferrari (one of 399 ever built)

valued at $1.7 million, a nissan gt-r in

lamborghini pearl orange, and a custom

Cadillac escalade in matte black that was

“so perfect, the customer wanted to sell it

because he was afraid he would ruin it.”

gOOD as gOLD

martINo aUto CoNCeptS

the martino grouP organizeS

annual car ShoW eventS to

helP raiSe money for a variety

of charitable cauSeS.

a Reputation

6 7

98

also cares about the community. in 2009,

they organized and hosted the inaugural

gold Coast extravaganza—a showcase of

customers’ exotic cars that helped raise

money for a neighboring school for

children with language and autism

spectrum disorders. this past year maC

decided to turn to a national charity and

raise money for the diabetes research

institute. the charity car show event was

relocated to a larger venue, closing the

entire downtown area of the City of glen

Cove in order to accommodate over

600 vehicles that attended the

show, now titled the gold

Coast Concours.

loyal to ppg products through

and through, martino utilizes

specialty colors from ppg’s

Vibrance Collection® to achieve

spectacular special effects. “pearls,

heavy flake metallics, liquid pearls, flip

last year’s new york international auto

show where they showcased five cars.

among the show-stoppers was a

modified Cadillac escalade finished in

matte black—a project that was

completed using ppg’s Deltron®

dCu2060 Flexed “n” Flat. lapadula

recounts, “though not really designed

for overall repaints, we were able to

achieve impressive results with this

product. we’ve had many oem people

asking how we did it!”

maC auto Couture was back at the

auto show again this spring, this time

with a total of 10 vehicles on display.

while success has become anything

but rare at martino auto Concepts

and maC auto Couture, one thing

is certain—their extreme attention

to detail will continue to make this

collision center a one-of-a-kind.

Customers who are fanatical about their

vehicles have learned to seek out martino

auto Concepts and maC auto Couture.

people know that we’re as neurotic about

cars as they are,” says lapadula. “they

know that we’re going to do the extra

detailing, cleaning and polishing, going

through the doorjambs with q-tips.® i even

had a customer once who took his bmw

home and disassembled it, just to make

sure we had refinished the underside of

the body panels and the bolts!”

as concerned as they are about quality

and special touches, the martino group

flops,” says lapadula, “we’ve barely

scratched the surface of what we want to

do with these colors. we use them on

helmets, roof tops—even covering wood

trim with a cool ‘cosmic’ color.”

Fame begets fame, it seems. maC auto

Couture was featured in dub and rides

magazines, and was invited to exhibit at

for Joe laPaDula, Who haS SPent hiS entire career in the colliSion center buSineSS, mac auto couture haS ProviDeD a neW outlet for hiS creativity anD PaSSion. likeWiSe, When a manhattan-baSeD hiP hoP artiSt aPProacheD him to refiniSh hiS 17th century Picture frameS to contain automotive-themeD art, laPaDula conSiDereD it JuSt another Way to cater to the car croWD. “i’D been exPerimenting With canDy aPPle colorS anD metal flakeS,” he SayS. “it’S fun to go to the art ShoW anD See hoW he’S maDe the frame Part of hiS art.”

“peopleknow that we’re as neurotiC about Cars as they are,” says lapadula.

“We’ve got flatbeD truckS out there

right noW, Picking uP vehicleS in other

StateS to bring them back here becauSe

the cuStomer Won’t go anyWhere elSe.”

defining a color formula that most accurately matches the

customer’s vehicle is essential to the efficient throughput of any

productive collision repair center. now, with the newly-launched

RapidMatch™ formula retrieval module for ppg’s PaintManager™

system and the industry’s only 5-angle spectrophotometer,

RapidMatch X-5, the workflow in the paint operation can be elevated

to the next level of color-matching accuracy and efficiency.

“RapidMatch represents a significantly-improved electronic approach

to formula retrieval and a major step forward in the science of color-

matching,” says mary park, director, global color, ppg refinish.

“in essence, we’ve taken the power of a scientifically-developed

algorithm customized for the automotive coatings segment coupled

with an instrument that truly measures color travel, and created a

new approach to electronic formula retrieval with our new RapidMatch

software module. once the spectrophotometer takes its 5-angle

reading of a customer’s vehicle color, RapidMatch finds the closest

match from ppg’s extensive database of the latest oem primes and

variants —even special field formulas. plus, it offers other innovative

advancements to make the technician’s job easier.”

seaRch oPtionsRapidMatch offers a choice of search options to find the closest

match. the “oem Code search” is the most preferred and provides

the best route to finding the correct oe pigmentation. there’s also

an “oem Filtered search” option, which focuses on the effect pigment

of the returned formula that appears on the match rating formula

list and provides additional “best match” formula options beyond

the original oem code. a “wild Card search” combs the entire

ppg refinish color database to find the closest match when oem

information is not available.

new, innoVatiVe eleCtroniC Formula deliVery proVides the latest in Fast and aCCurate Color matChing

IN LIVING CoLor

the adVanCedrapidmatCh x-5

•Measuresvehicle

Color From FiVe

reFleCtiVe angles

•specializedalgorithM

Calibrated For

automotiVe Coatings

•advancedoptics,an

improVement oVer led

teChnology

• instantforMula

database downloads

•ergonoMicdesignwith

touCh Controls

•affordaBle

10 11

doWnloadable foRMula databaseone of the best features of the RapidMatch

system is the ability to search and

rate from the most up-to-date formula

database—including prime, variants

and special field formulas. Coupled

with PaintManager’s™ internet update

feature, technicians will now receive

important color information monthly,

including reflectance data to support

the RapidMatch program.

the launch of RapidMatch follows a year

of beta testing in real collision centers

with real ppg customers. their experience

with the new system provided very positive

feedback.

“there isn’t a day that goes by that

we don’t put the RapidMatch X-5

spectrophotometer to good use,” says

ron lemley, paint department manager

for smail auto body & Collision Center,

greensburg, pa. “when we run into

problems, say like when a brand new

car comes through and it isn’t coded,

RapidMatch gets us right in the ballpark

without trying to figure out what that

code is. it works really well.”

iMPRoved WoRkfloW oPPoRtunitiespark says the RapidMatch X-5, working in

concert with ppg’s PaintManager system,

presents the opportunity for shops to

re-think their workflow and color-

matching process. “given the accuracy of

the RapidMatch X-5, we believe collision

centers will find the system beneficial for

use for all refinish repairs—not just

difficult-to-match or unknown oem

codes.” the management at smail auto

body is already exploring this option. “we

have a teardown department where the

vehicle is first brought into the shop,” says

lemley. “so we’re considering using

RapidMatch here, along with our spray-

outs, so the code and the paint match can

be set well before the vehicle enters our

process line.”

“as the perfect complement to our variant

deck system and other excellent color

tools, RapidMatch is one more example of

ppg’s commitment to color-matching

leadership for auto refinish,” says park.

For more information on PaintManager

color retrieval software and the

new RapidMatch X-5 spectrophotometer,

visit ppgrefinish.com, or ask your ppg

distributor for a demonstration.

exclusive electRonic Match RatinG systeMone innovation in the RapidMatch™ electronic retrieval

system is its “match rating” feature. it rates the

selected formula, on a scale of 0 to 20, for its ability

to achieve a blendable match of the targeted color.

the lower the match rating, the better the chance to

retrieve a blendable formula for the vehicle repair.

match ratings carry a visual color indicator that

quickly alerts the technician when to “blend” or

“Check” the returned formula. and taking it one step

further, a new “adjust” feature provides the technician

with further direction on improving the color match.

0 to 5—blendable For

solid Colors

0 to 10—blendable

For metalliC and

pearl Colors

11 to 20—CheCk with

Visual reFerenCe

> 20—tinting may be

required

RaPidMatch RatinG Guide

AdvAncing Bodyshop EfficiEncy through

Color ExCEllEnCEColor ExCEllEnCEconsistent delivery of outstanding color matches is vital to the success of bodyshops around the world.

The ability to consistently craft exacting matches to today’s sophisticated oEM finishes is critical to repair process efficiency. The latest innovation from nexa Autocolor,™ Aquabase® Plus basecoat, combines next generation waterborne technology with state-of-the-art color tools to offer progressive collision centers the most reliable and efficient color matching process in the industry. For more information, contact your nexa Autocolor distributor.

Aquabase plus. the latest innovation in color matching technology.

©2011 PPG Industries All rights reserved. www.ppgrefinish.com

12

CHangeeMBraCing

14 15

autobody collision and glass

a multiple-loCation Collision Center proCeeds ConFidently toward the Future, despite eVer-Changing market Conditions and demandsautobody Collision and glass started out

as a Columbus, ohio area collision center

affiliated with local saturn dealerships. in

years past, the company would rent out

the Columbus zoo to hold an appreciation

day for its saturn vehicle owners—some

29,000 of whom are still potential

customers. now, with the untimely

demise of the saturn brand, autobody

Collision and glass is diversifying its

dealership connections to include

mitsubishi and wheego, an electric car

franchise. it has fostered a relationship

with hertz rental Cars, and has

successfully negotiated drp contracts

with several large insurers.

like many of the most successful shop

managers, Chris hardin, Vp at autobody

Collision and glass, welcomes the

change and the challenges that come

with it. “if it’s drp that your business is

based on, then you better be focused on

Csi and cycle time.”

in summer of 2009, frustrated with the

minimal level of support and service

provided by his past paint supplier, hardin

began his quest for a partner that shared

his company’s culture of continuous

improvement. he invited three vendors

to make recommendations regarding a

paint system that would be best suited for

his midwest environment and throughput

requirements. “i let them (the paint

companies) decide,” hardin says, “whether

they would recommend a solvent system

or waterborne.” one brought solvent, and

two—including ppg—arrived with their

water-based systems.

the painters, accustomed to working on

saturn vehicles, were wary of a non-solvent

solution. “but ppg believed in waterborne,

and they were willing to take it to the

gunfight,” says hardin. ppg’s Envirobase®

High Performance basecoat ultimately

prevailed, says hardin, “because the

product worked very well and ppg offered

service and support in abundance.”

since switching, hardin wasted no time

in taking advantage of ppg’s many value-

added services, in particular throughput

performance training from the mVp

business solutions team. he closed one

shop entirely for four days to allow his

team to participate in mVp green belt

training on the practical application of

lean six sigma, on the company’s own

turf and under their particular operating

conditions. “there’s real value in having

everyone focus on something together,”

says hardin. “it was fun watching the light

bulbs go on as members of the group saw

the impact of completing one vehicle

before moving on to the next one.” since

participating in the training in december,

hardin’s team has gained a full hour in its

labor hours per day—proof positive that

the combination of the paint system and

the training is working well.

hardin intends to have two more teams

attend mVp green belt training this year,

and also plans to participate in mVp’s

leading Change and advanced estimating

business development courses.

but one thing won’t change with the times,

and that’s the company’s loyalty to its

customers and employees. autobody

Collision and glass just completed its

annual employee appreciation event where

employees use “money” they’ve accrued

during the year by achieving sales goals

to buy things at an auction held at a local

country club. it’s an old-school, “receive

a watch on your 5-year anniversary,

employee of the year-type event,” says

hardin, “but there’s nothing wrong with

honoring traditions so long as they don’t

keep you from moving forward.”

in today’s market, where the only constant

is change, companies like autobody

Collision and glass are relying

increasingly on valued partners

like ppg to give them a

competitive edge. having

recently surpassed the

$10 million sales mark,

autobody Collision and

glass has proven that it

pays to embrace the

future—whatever it holds.

at a glanCe

4 repair FaCilities

58,000 sq. Ft. oF

FaCilities

$10m+ Combined

annual sales

48 employees

20 years in business

6 repair booths

5 prep deCks

paint system enVirobase® high

perFormanCe

Wheego electric car

Charley hutton, Custom painter extraordinaire, explains how to Create a realistiC, wood grain look with a Few simple tools and enVirobase® high perFormanCe baseCoat.

inexpensive ones with stiff bristles. the

brushes are used to create very tight

grain lines, what we call the “dry

brushing” technique. and finally, you’ll

need an airbrush and compressor for

shadowing and highlighting.

of course, like learning any special effect

technique, it will take some practice to

get the technique down. some of the

techniques i’ve learned actually came by

accident. For example, paul stoll, ppg’s

custom painter/trainer, and i discovered

a cool trick while doing a ’49 tin woody.

a Painted Wood-GRain effect is

one way to add a distinctive look to your

custom build. in this tech talk, i’ll show

you how to paint a panel with one style

of wood in the center, framed by another

wood grain look.

Creating the wood grain effect is about

having the right tools. you’ll want to

have a variety of sponges, some with

loose density for creating larger grain,

and others more dense for tighter

grain. sea sponges are ideal. you’ll also

need a choice of brushes, preferably

the tools

Start with the top and bottom portions of the frame. Wet

your finer sponge with the lighter tan color, squeezing

out the excess by pressing it into the side of the mixing

cup. Then, simply drag the sponge across the surface in

one direction, repeating the process several times.

16 17

teCh taLK

the PaintTwo colors of basecoat are needed for the wood-grain

look—a dark, reddish brown (T442 Woody Brown at 800.0 pts.

and T430 Green 100.0 pts.) and a lighter tan color (T429

Trans. Golden Yellow at 940.0 pts., T442 Brown 40.0 pts. and

T430 Green 20.0 pts.) In my case, I use Envirobase® High

Performance basecoat and it works wonderfully. I especially

like the fact that if you apply some paint and you don’t like

the effect you’re getting, you can easily re-wet again with more waterborne color, giving yourself a fresh start.

1 2

PaintinG the outeR fRaMeI’m starting with a white base-coated panel, masked off to

create a center panel. Each end of the outer frame should be

masked with mitered corners, typical of wood frames.

we didn’t like the look we were getting,

so when we went to wipe the paint off,

it smeared and created a really nice

wood grain effect—and i’ve been using

this technique ever since.

18 19

Airbrush the areas left unmasked. This will darken them and

create the illusion of shadows.

Next, airbrush the panel in vertical, up ‘n down strokes.

This is called “ribbing.”

Next, we need to mask the outer frame to create a beveled

look. With ¼-inch tape, mask from the side where you want

the light source to appear to come from. Do the same with

the bottom edge. Then mask the frame panels, leaving only

the bottom edges of the frame exposed.

PaintinG the centeR Panel

After it’s dried, re-mask the outer frame, and remove the

masking from the center—you’re ready to create the wood

grain effect on the middle panel. With the sponge, use the

same technique as the outer frame to apply the color. Start

at one end and drag the sponge in straight lines across the

panel. Keep applying coats and as the paint begins to dry,

it’ll get sticky and cause the sponge to drag. This creates

a streaked, grained look.

Then, as the paint begins to dry and get sticky, drag your

gloved hand across the painted surface. As it begins to drag

it’ll create authentic-looking grain with that knotty look.

After dragging all the way across the panel for several

strokes, start from the center and drag, and make smaller

swipes in succession, gradually tapering your strokes to

short swipes. If the paint starts to set, just re-wet it with

more waterborne paint.

After creating the darker shadow lines, re-mask over the

lines in preparation of creating a lighter, highlight line. Once

you airbrush the unmasked areas of the frame, making it

darker, the area covered by the tape will leave a lighter,

highlight line.

loGo oPtion

If you’d like to add a simple logo, this is the stage to do it.

Using the same paint you used to tone the wood, airbrush

the cut-out of the logo. This will create a darker highlight

around the letters, creating a de-bossed effect.

Now you want to add tone with a paintbrush and the darker,

reddish shade of brown. Dip the brush into the mixing cup

and tool it out, so little is left on the bristles. Using light

strokes, swipe the brush across the panel, creating the

darker streaks. First, apply strokes horizontally across the

panel. Be sure to leave streaks to mirror the inconsistent

color of natural wood.

After finishing the top and bottom of the outer frame, mask

the corners off before doing the sides. Be sure to “under

mask” a bit, which in the end will create a darker line

highlight. Then, using your sponge and gloved hand, create

the wood-grain look on the side panels, as you did on the top

and bottom. Remove the masking on the corners and allow

the paint to dry.

shadoW and toninG

Next, reduce the same lighter color with a clear basecoat

T490 at 2:1, and reduce 4:1 with reducer. This will make

the color more transparent. Airbrush the outer frame

panels to add tone and accentuate the grain in the wood.

When the ¼-inch lines are unmasked it will leave the

lighter highlights.

3 4

8

14

125 7

13

11

6

9 10

and heRe’s the finished look.

featUre

two Caddies take diFFerent paths two Caddies take diFFerent paths yet share a Common ground

Wild cadowned and built by customizer mario Colallilo, wild Cad is a glitzy, right-

hand-drive, radically customized Cadillac from sydney, australia.

when Colallilo first saw wild Cad, it was a gutted hulk sitting on an old

chassis with just three wheels. Colallilo has been building custom cars for

30 years, and this time he really let his imagination go. the result is a car

with a drastically chopped roof, ultra-low ride height, killer profile, space

age interior, and enough hybrid engineering to impress an mit grad. and,

oh yes, a fabulous paint job.

Colallilo invited legendary customizer and master painter gene winfield to

sydney to help finish the car. the two of them, along with ppg training

manager John hristias, created the one-of-a-kind Deltron “perfect purple”

color by incorporating Vibrance Collection® Liquid Crystal, Flamboyance® and

Crystal Pearl® special effects.

“the car had to be spectacular and ppg’s Vibrance range gave us

everything we needed,” said Colallilo.

if proof was ever needed to show there’s more than one way to skin a cat, or, in this case, to restore or customize a car, check out these two award-winning stunners—Wild cad and the custom restoration cadillac. both began life as 1959 cadillac coupe de villes, yet each traveled down very different paths to fulfill their owner’s dream. though wildly different, both share amazing paint jobs achieved with PPg’s Deltron® system and its Vibrance Collection® of custom colors and effects. both cars received much attention at the 2010 Sema Show, as befitting vehicles on display in PPg’s booth decked out as a retro-themed ‘50s diner.

20 21

gracefully flow with some 300 feet of

custom-bent chrome. the interior

showcases a host of custom touches like

biarritz-inspired bucket seats, remote

control locks, navigation and push buttons

for the ignition and transmission. the

Chateau mauve interior color is an

original factory choice from the ’70s.

and then there’s the paint finish—a

perfect complement to the car’s

character. ken washwell and painter ken

laFlemme relied on Deltron® dbC and

custom hues selected from the Vibrance

Collection® soft & subtle color card. after

setting up for the finish with nCp270

primer and nCs2003 sealer, the Caddy

was topped with color coats of Vanilla

shake over soft yellow. Chateau mauve

was selected for the striping to match the

interior and deliver the three-tone look.

several coats of dCu2002 and dCu2060

clears created the show-quality gloss.

custoM RestoRation cadillacthe Custom restoration Cadillac, owned

by lou querusio, was crafted by todd

lewis of xtreme restorations, slatersville,

rhode island. although this Caddy’s been

truly customized bumper to bumper, its

reincarnation took a “restoration”

approach with an aim to create the look

of a gm concept car of the era.

while subtle in its approach, the

restoration is full of unique touches.

lewis upgraded the stock 390-cubic-inch

V8 and 4-speed tranny with tri-power

from a ’58 model. the exterior moldings

1959 cadillac couPe de villeBuilder: Todd Lewis, Xtreme Restorations, Inc.

Owner: Lou Querusio

Paint finish: NCP270 Primer

NCS2003 Sealer

DBC 90990 Vanilla Shake

DBC 83318 Soft Yellow

DBC 2074 Chateau Mauve

DCU2002 and DCU2060 Clearcoats

featuRes: 390-cubic-inch, 345-horsepower Cadillac V8

with tri-power

Custom dual quad exhausts

Air Ride Technologies suspension

Handmade trim and interior

aWaRds: 2010 SEMA Show—Mothers® Choice Award

2010 Grand National Roadster Show—

1st Place in Class

2010 Sacramento Autorama—1st Place in Class,

Outstanding Overall Custom

Wild cad1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville

Builder/Owner: Mario Colallilo

Paint Stylist: Gene Winfield

Paint finish: PPG K93 Primer,

Deltron DBC “Perfect Purple” with Liquid Crystal,

Flamboyance, Crystal Pearl

featuRes: 454-cubic-inch, Chevrolet Turbo 400 V8

Jaguar front-end suspension

Air Ride Technologies springs

Custom monocoque chassis

aWaRds: 2010 SEMA Show—Best GM Passenger Car

2011 Grand National Roadster Show—George Barris

Kustom D’Elegance award; Most Radical Hardtop award

2011 Sacramento Autorama—King of Kustoms award;

Custom D’Elegance Outstanding Engineering award;

Custom D’Elegance Outstanding Engine award

22 23

29

giFted raCer Jim guthrie applies his expertise to Collision repair

by the tiMe JiM GuthRie Was 6 yeaRs old, his coMPetitive natuRe Was alReady aPPaRent. “none of my hot wheels® or slot

cars were stock,” says guthrie. “i always

modified, and i always won (in races with other

kids).” it was an early indication of a career that’s

been characterized by risk-taking and always

striving for a faster, better, smarter solution. and

at age 50, it seems that guthrie’s need for speed

shows no sign of slowing as he steers the

direction of Car Crafters inc., a market-leading

collision shop in albuquerque, n.m. not

surprisingly, when a teenaged guthrie was faced

with the choice between going to college to

become a dentist or “finding a shop of your own,”

guthrie chose the latter. he rented his first

space for repairing and customizing cars in

1982—continuously expanding facilities to keep

pace with the company’s growing market share.

but it was guthrie’s keen interest in racing

that fueled his passion, and kept him striving

for that “next best thing” both personally

and professionally.

“before i was married, i was really into road

racing motorcycles,” says guthrie. “my wife

wasn’t too keen on that, so i agreed not to do

that anymore. but i didn’t say anything about

racing the 4-wheel stuff!”

taKING Care of BUSINeSS

24

needle the wrong way, but at least if you

measure, you’ll know.”

guthrie has been an active participant in

ppg’s mVp throughput performance

solutions program for six years, and was

among the first shop owners to participate

in green belt training, mVp’s intensive

workshop on the practical application of

lean six sigma for collision repair. “green

belt training has been invaluable to me,”

says guthrie. “it helps shop owners take

the best of what’s out there and put it to

use in practical, ‘quick start’ fashion.”

Just as the mVp program preaches,

guthrie is a big believer in “keeping score.”

his paint supervisor, a mechanical

engineer by training, measures and

documents performance in every part of

the process. during their recent switch

to a waterborne basecoat system, for

example, Car Crafters conducted line trials

with every major paint supplier. they

documented pros and cons of each system,

and ultimately chose Nexa Autocolor®

Aquabase® Plus for its consistent

performance.

guthrie used Car Crafters as a “live

laboratory” to develop a shop

management computer system that he

ultimately sold to mitchell. to this day,

mitchell continues to conduct software

development and high-end technical

support for the system from guthrie’s

Car Crafters location.

what’s next for guthrie and Car Crafters?

with annual gross revenue of $11.7 million

and a “no holds barred” share of the

market, it’s hard to imagine ways in which

Car Crafters could improve its performance.

but guthrie’s current interest is drift

racing (formulad.com). one need only

watch the high speed battle between him

in a Corvette-powered mazda rx7 and

a stretched 05 kawasaki zx10 motorcycle

to know—with Jim guthrie at the wheel,

all bets are off.

in 1996, guthrie made his debut as an indy

racing league (irl) driver. For the 1997

season, he told his wife that he needed to

mortgage their home to purchase the new

irl-required chassis. with no sponsorship

and with everything the couple owned on

the line, he won the phoenix race, attracted

a sponsor for the upcoming 1997 indy 500,

and was awarded rookie of the year by the

irl. unfortunately, he was seriously

injured in a multi-car crash during the

1998 indy 500, thus ending his irl career.

but guthrie’s interest in racing was far

from over. he ventured into the star

mazda series in 2005, fielding a car for his

son sean, who has since moved into the

Firestone indy lights series. “sean has

far more natural talent than me,” says

guthrie, “and he’s Very competitive!”

whether it’s in the racing circuit or in the

collision industry, guthrie believes in

creating a culture of change. “you can’t

accept the status quo,” he says. “in

racing, it might be a wing angle, a spring,

plug or shock. but you have to try.

likewise, in shop management, you

might make a change that moves the

Car CraFtersat a glanCeJim guthrie’s Collision

repair Center, Car

CraFters inC., employs

more than 50 people at

its 50,000 square Foot

FaCility in albuquerque.

Car CraFters boasts

annual gross reVenue

oF $11.7 million, has 65+

repair bays, and has

earned a “no holds

barred” share oF the

market.

“green belt training has been inValuable to me. it helps shop owners take the best oF what’s out there and put it to use in praCtiCal,‘quiCk start’ Fashion.”

2726

ppG GaLLery

planes, trains and other things…the guys at auto art studio in prescott, ariz. love to customize

cars. and when their work benefits a charity, so much the

better. that’s what this 2011 Ford mustang 5.0 gt is all about.

brad houk and Justin burns took the high-performance stock

mustang, and put it into the ‘something special’ category by

boosting the engine to 650 horsepower and giving the body its

very distinctive look.

painter Charles “the kid” armstrong gave the car his artistic

touch using ppg’s Deltron® dbC basecoat for the rich, deep

black finish, topped with a show-quality gloss of VC5200

Custom Clear. For the eye-catching brushed aluminum look

of the racing stripes, Vibrance Collection® Liquid Metal was

applied over blue-to-red Harlequin® to add depth and create

a streaked appearance. the car was sold at a barrett Jackson

auction in scottsdale for $91,000—the highest sale of the day—

with proceeds going to bennett’s house, a local charitable

organization.

honoring our militaryCarubba Collision Corporation of buffalo, n.y. painted and reconditioned this korean war-vintage navy

reconnaissance jet for the recently-expanded war memorial in walter m. kenney Field in suburban

tonawanda. the jet was retired from action, donated to the city by the navy, and placed at the site in

1959. the plane, a grumman F9F-6p Cougar, was originally part of the blue angels, the u.s. navy’s

flight demonstration squadron. over the years, its once-shining finish fell victim to time and weather.

over the past two years, company president Joseph Carubba has stepped forward and volunteered

his team’s services to repaint the plane, fix the decals, and restore its glory. his crew painted it,

appropriately enough, with a blue topcoat using ppg’s Commercial Performance Coatings aue-360

over a Cre primer. Carubba was awarded a civic citation in appreciation of his contributions.

on traCk For saFetyhow do you make an old locomotive engine look brand new?

easy. turn to ppg. the engine, a 1947 “sw-1” model built by

general motors’ electro-motive division, was recently

donated by the georgia northeastern railroad to the Cobb

County (ga.) safety Village, an education project for area

children. it was a generous gift, but the 64-year-old engine

was showing its age and needed sprucing up before it could

be put on display. enter dempsey mosely, owner of atlanta

road body shop in smyrna, who contacted ppg to help

refinish the locomotive. working with ppg platinum

distributor aCs of georgia, ppg called on big John & sons

locomotive painting, specialists in refurbishing trains, for

their assistance. they gave the engine a fresh look using

a ppg Commercial Performance Coatings system, comprised

of Cre epoxy primer, aue-300 topcoat and esC-600 Clear.

the locomotive is now being used to teach children about

railroad crossing safety. aCs of georgia, atlanta road body

shop, big John, and ppg are being recognized by safety

Village for their contribution.

Charity mustang... sold at a barrett JaCkson auCtion in sCottsdale For $91,000—the highest sale oF the day

28

ppG GaLLery

painter dennis barraza gave the coach its

maroon and beige finish using ppg’s Delfleet

Essential® system. ledbetter unveiled it at the

2010 goodguys 24th west Coast nationals, where

it won a goodguys pick award.

30 31

a truCk to help Fight CanCerthere are many ways to display support for cancer research, and ron Charlebois, owner of r. r. Charlebois, inc.,

a truck sales and repair facility in milton, Vt., took part with a unique approach. a local waste removal company

asked Charlebois to paint one of their trash haulers pink—the color associated with the fight against breast

cancer. Charlebois agreed and

turned to ppg’s Delfleet® Evolution

system to do the job. painter

dana murphy applied FbCh hs

polyurethane basecoat and Fdgh

single-stage hs polyurethane enamel to give

the truck its distinctive finish. the paint job

was so impressive that another Charlebois

customer, a bus company, requested a pink

finish for a motor coach to show its support

for cancer research.

Franny drummond is painting goalie

masks for the national hockey league,

and he’s using ppg products to do it.

drummond, of drummond Custom

airbrush, langhorne, pa., has been a

hockey goalie and is an avid philadelphia

Flyers fan. three years ago he ventured

outside his comfort zone of cars and

motorcycles and started painting the

masks. his first was for the Flyers’ ray

emery playing in the 2009 nhl winter

Classic, followed by a custom mask for

brian boucher, another Flyer. drummond

insists on the Deltron® dbC system for his

creations and his distinctive work has led

to a contract with a mask manufacturer.

drummond shoots! he scores!

PPG ON ICEPPG ON ICE

retro motor CoaChConceived by famed industrial designer brook

stevens and one of only three ever built, this 1941

western Flyer motor coach was given a new life by

award-winning, custom car upholsterer howdy

ledbetter. when ledbetter found the rare relic, it

was a rusted shell. he then took a new Ford

chassis, stretched it 48”, rebuilt the body, custom

fabricated fenders and added a 1941 Ford grill,

upside down for a cowcatcher look.

throughout the restoration, ledbetter stayed

true to the vehicle’s original retro style.

if they did it right once, why not let them do it right

again? apparently, that’s what one of lee brown’s

customers thought. brown, owner of precision auto

body, reseda, Calif., restored this beautiful and

very rare 1961 Ferrari 250 gt lusso some 37 years

ago. so when the car was damaged recently in a

roadway mishap, its owner brought it back to

brown for another restoration.

the precision crew went to work on the million-

dollar sports car and meticulously repaired the

body. the car’s deep burgundy metallic finish

came out looking like a pristine sheet of glass,

thanks to Envirobase® High Performance products

and d8126 CeramiClear® mar and scratch

resistant Clearcoat. the Ferrari’s actual

designation is 250 gt pininfarina berlinetta, but

the car became known as “lusso,” meaning

luxury in italian, and very appropriate here.

re-restored Ferrari

©2011 PPg industries all rights reserved. www.ppgrefinish.com Part no. PaMrr511C, 6/11 LitHO in Usa

Your favorite PPG ePoxY Primer is now available as a 2.1 voC!dP

lv epoxy Primer

2.1what S New

• ExcEllEnt corrosion rEsistancE• Multi-purposE priMEr or sEalEr• FastEr hiding oF topcoat• availablE in whitE, gray and black• ppg watErbornE basEcoat coMPatible

dplV 2.1 epoxy primer provides excellent adhesion to many substrates, including properly prepared metals, fiberglass, rigid plastics and plastic fillers. when used as a sealer, dplV can be topcoated with many ppg undercoats and topcoats, including ppg waterborne basecoats. available in 3 colors—white dp48lV, gray dp50lV and black dp90lV.

Your favorite PPG ePoxY Primer is now available as a 2.1 voC!