Jazzman’s #8745 "Flip Top" Build

[Jazzman]

Just in case you were wondering why you have not seen photos of the painted Flip-Top, it hasn't been painted quite yet. It was supposed to be done last week, but my very observant painter found a few items he just wasn't quite happy with. He had his team of bodywork experts go over the car again. He felt is was fully ready for paint on Friday, but he wanted to start on it fresh on Tuesday morning. (They are closed Monday.) I certainly want his "A" game, so I don't mind waiting a few more days. Even after he is done, I will have to wait a week for the paint to cure before they can do the color sanding and polishing. Wait, wait, wait!!!

In the meantime, I picked up my fully polished stainless steel roll bars. Wow, the polisher did an amazing job. You are gonna love the look, but you're just going to have to wait now.

[Jazzman]

Artistry takes time. Anything worth doing is worth waiting for. Patience is a virtue.

Ok, enough with the platitude-fest! I am getting so itchy to get my car painted!! To quote a friend: "Show me some color!" I have driven down for the past to days, only to discover that it was still not painted. Yesterday they spent the entire day just taping and papering over all the sections that are not supposed to get paint. They even covered the underside of the car!! Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the attention to detail, I want it done right, I continue to trust my painter. But I sure am getting excited to see it done! Here's what it looked like yesterday.











I am still holding out hope that today is the day!

[Jazzman]

Yesterday when I was at the paint shop, the owner/painter asked me if I had heard anything about "ceramic coating on paint". I had not. He is still researching it. Apparently it is very new technology. Instead of applying the wrap-type clear plastic "bra" material to protect the paint, this product claims to provide "guaranteed chip protection" when applied directly to the paint/clearcoat. From what I can read, it seems like it is a sort of thick, very hard, clearcoat type material that is somewhat sacrificial in nature. They claim it is very, very, strong and resilient to chips and scratches. Has anyone used this product, or know anyone who has?

[Jeff Kleiner]

They are spraying it on the chassis?

Jeff

[Jazzman]

They are spraying it on the chassis?

Jeff

Yep. I was surprised too, but he seems quite confident that this is the best and safest way to make the color match on my car. It may have something to do with the flip top and the inherent movement and flex you get in this setup. I am not sure. You know more about Candy jobs and fibreglass than I will ever know. EdwardB's painter did the same thing, and his car clearly came out great! My painter tried to explain it to me, something about fibreglass moving and changing shape or something. I probably have it wrong. Long story short, yes, they are spraying it while the body is attached to the frame. But they sure are being meticulous about keeping the paint off of absolutely everything else! I am pleased!

[wareaglescott]

Kevin in relation to the ceramic coating I have had numerous discussions with installers about the film or ceramic coating for my P car I ordered. At this point they are still primarily doing the clear films for best results. The ceramic coatings need to be reapplied after a few years. Of course the films will also last for only a limited time as well. 5-10 years on the films is what they tell me. The problem I came across with the Cobra in relation to getting film installed is apparently the shape of the nose is extremely tricky to get it to lay down properly. I am going with film when my car arrives from the factory at a cost of about $2000. For production car models the film manufacturers make custom cut kits for specific models. For something like the Cobra you would not be able to go that route and finding someone that does a custom film job would be tricky. I asked a couple guys in Atlanta that do all the Porsche, Lambo and Ferraris and they had no interest in doing the Cobra. I think the ceramic coating is quite a good option if you are interested in additional protection and I have read positive reviews on those as well although I cant speak for a specific brand.
Personally I bought some Xpel film on Amazon and cut some pieces for the rear wheel fronts and put some pieces on the bottom of the nose around the oil cooler opening. At 2500 miles my nose looks brand new still and is mostly unprotected. The area in front of the rear wheels definitely needs some protection. It does take a beating.
One thing to consider is how the Cobras are normally driven/ garaged and not exposed to much if any weather vs a normal daily driver. Whatever protection you are interested in you can kind of exclude the damaging effects of sun and weather. Road debris should really be your main concern so just decide what gives you the best protection from that.

[edwardb]

Yep. I was surprised too, but he seems quite confident that this is the best and safest way to make the color match on my car. It may have something to do with the flip top and the inherent movement and flex you get in this setup. I am not sure. You know more about Candy jobs and fibreglass than I will ever know. EdwardB's painter did the same thing, and his car clearly came out great! My painter tried to explain it to me, something about fibreglass moving and changing shape or something. I probably have it wrong. Long story short, yes, they are spraying it while the body is attached to the frame. But they sure are being meticulous about keeping the paint off of absolutely everything else! I am pleased!

Yes, my #8674 Anniversary Roadster was painted "body on" for mainly the same reasons you mention from your painter. My painter too was meticulous to keep everything masked, including the bottom of the chassis, and they did a great job. Just a hint though. The challenge with this approach for clean-up isn't paint or dust. It's the messy slurry that results from the cut & buff process. Even being careful, it goes everywhere. Through the slots for the windshield, holes for the roll bar, holes for the lights, louvers, around the wheel openings, etc. I cleaned it as best I could and touched up with some more undercoat where it still showed. Not a big deal and certainly doesn't take away from the overall build. But just something to be aware of. It was a bit of a surprise to me.

[KDubU]

Paint???

[Jeff Kleiner]

Yesterday when I was at the paint shop, the owner/painter asked me if I had heard anything about "ceramic coating on paint". I had not. He is still researching it. Apparently it is very new technology. Instead of applying the wrap-type clear plastic "bra" material to protect the paint, this product claims to provide "guaranteed chip protection" when applied directly to the paint/clearcoat. From what I can read, it seems like it is a sort of thick, very hard, clearcoat type material that is somewhat sacrificial in nature. They claim it is very, very, strong and resilient to chips and scratches. Has anyone used this product, or know anyone who has?

You might find this interesting. Although he is affiluated with a European wax manufacturer so there is a certain amount of bias the short presentation is rather balanced in touching on the both the + and - of ceramic:



Jeff

[Jazzman]

You might find this interesting. Although he is affiluated with a European wax manufacturer so there is a certain amount of bias the short presentation is rather balanced in touching on the both the + and - of ceramic:



Jeff

This is a very good video, and the one that followed it is also helpful. Since the car is newly painted, and will not ever be stored outside, I am not as worried about dirt and bird droppings. My primary concern is rock chips, and for this, it looks like the clear bra material is the only real solution. It truly protects the paint, but can be peeled off and replaced when necessary. Thanks for the video, Jeff!!

[Jazzman]

I went to the paint shop on Friday afternoon, and progress had indeed been made. My painter started painting at 7am that day, and when I arrived he told me he had already laid 15 coats of paint! He told me he had sent me photos of each coat as he laid it on. For some reason, my new Galaxy S8 doesn't seems to want to receive photos from his phone. I have no idea why. I get photos from other people. Perhaps my phone knows how eager I am to get updates, and is trying to teach me patience. (It's not working!!) So this morning, I found that my trusty old iPad actually had gotten all the photos! So here we go. Keep in mind that this is one photo per coat of paint.

Black Base Coat, Coat #1



Coat #2



Coat #3



Coat #4



Silver Base Coat, Coat #5



Coat #6



Coat #7

[Jazzman]

Silver Base Coat #8



Coat #9



Coat #10



Coat #11



Coat #12



Silver Coat #13, the last Base coat!!



Now at this point, the painter and all his employees seriously considered just stopping and clearcoating the silver! They loved the look of the silver on there, and I agree. It is amazing. But that was not what I wanted, so they moved on to the candy coats . . .

[Jazzman]

When I arrived on Friday, the painter had completed two coats of candy and was letting it "flash". Though he normally does not let anyone see his work in progress, he invited me in to see the car in partial metamorphasis.

This two photos are both after two coats of Candy Burgundy:





After 6 coats (I think), here is the last photos that I received on Friday:









I am not sure if this is "done" or not. I know it will get 8 coats of clear on top of this candy color, and he wanted to wait about three days to let the paint cure before applying the clear. I don't know if he plans to apply more coats of candy before he applies the clear. I am checking with him on that now.

***UPDATE*** Just confirmed that this is not the final color yet. The painter ran out of Burgundy on Friday, and came in today on his day off to put on the last coats of Candy. More photos to follow. (soon I hope!!)

WarEagleScott asked "why all the coats"? Honestly, I have no idea, but I trust my painter. His work speaks for itself. (He has painted two Riddler award "Great Eight" winners, and has previously and is currently doing many exceptionally high end builds for collectors and sports stars.) I wonder if it may have something to do with the candy process, but I really don't know. So far as I know, thus far he has laid the following on the car:

2 Gallons of Base Coat, one Black, one Silver
1 Gallon of Candy Burgundy
3 Gallons of Reducer (to make the paint flow through the spray gun).

[2bking]

Wow! some nice color and a paint job you'll be proud of each time the sun makes it sparkle. I can feel the goose bumps.

[Straversi]

Usually when someone posts paint photos I have to rethink my paint ideas but you threw a curve with silver and candy to consider. Thanks... Looks great.
-Steve

[Jeff Kleiner]

Exciting news for you Kevin! Curious, do you know what brand of products he's using?

Jeff

[Jazzman]

Usually when someone posts paint photos I have to rethink my paint ideas but you threw a curve with silver and candy to consider. Thanks... Looks great.
-Steve

The silver was stunning, I have to admit. I am glad they continued, but the silver is really worth considering.

[David Hodgkins]

Kevin, that's an amazing color. Can't wait to see it polished; It'll be stunning!

[Jazzman]

Exciting news for you Kevin! Curious, do you know what brand of products he's using?

Jeff

It is House of Kolor Burgundy.

[Jazzman]

Kevin, that's an amazing color. Can't wait to see it polished; It'll be stunning!

Thanks, David! And it isn't even done yet. I just texted with my painter, and he ran out of Burgundy on Friday and came in this morning on his day off to put on the last coats of candy! He is truly amazing!! He is really going above and beyond for me!

[Jazzman]

At 8:35pm tonight I received the following message and photos: "I just finished. Heading home now. Come see me am to check it out." Matt Myers, the owner and master painter of Kandy Shoppe Creations, had spent his entire day off working on my car! Wow!! Here is the final color. I am not sure if he did the clear coats yet, and I don't know how many coats of candy burgundy he ultimately laid on. (I will ask tomorrow!) Needless to say, I am thrilled with how it turned out!!

[networkcrasher]

Damn!

[KDubU]

Wow!

[AZPete]

Wow X2

[Jazzman]

I love working with a true artist. Matt and I have spent the past six months talking about what we wanted the car to look like. I have always felt that Matt has a unique and clear vision into my mind about this car. We really seems to be on the same page. About four months ago he sprayed a number of 4"x8" aluminum panels to narrow down the color that we were going for. After a lot of discussion and consideration, we landed on a very deep red burgundy color. It is very deep red/purple in the absence of direct sunlight, but pops bright red when the sun hits it. I have been looking at that panel for four month trying to envision the entire car in that color. Last night when I got the photos of the completed car, I was entirely thrilled with what I saw. It did not, however, look much like the spray out panel that I have been looking at for months. I attributed that to the difficulties of capturing a look on film, to the lighting inside the spray booth, etc. But I loved what I saw, make no mistake.

Today I went down to see the car in person. Matt met me as I walked up, and I thanked him for coming in on his day off to do it. He said that it was all on him because he . . . had decided to completely start over painting the car!! After laying on the candy on Friday, he had been thinking about the end product, and he wasn't happy with it. We had talked many times about the fact that I want the car to have an inner glow, much like that deep red glow when a light hits a glass of fine red wine. He didn't feel that this glow was happening for him. He laid on several more candy coats, and became less and less happy with the result. The color on the spray-out panel looks great, but when you spread that color over the entire body of the car, it was just too purple. It matched the spray-out test panel, but it lacked the vibrancy that we wanted. He decided his only option was to completely start over. He re-sanded the entire car to make sure the new paint would adhere well. He laid on four more coats of silver base. He then custom mixed a red candy color just for my car. It started with the Burgundy candy, but then added red and other colors to create my own custom "Jazzman's Kandy Shoppe Red Confection". After laying on many coats of this "Confection" he was finally happy with the result. So am I. I didn't get what I expected. I got more than I expected!

He hopes to lay on at least eight coats of clear today or early tomorrow. By Thursday the car should be back on it's wheels, basking in the Arizona sun! I can't wait to see it!!

[David Hodgkins]

I love working with a true artist. Matt and I have spent the past six months talking about what we wanted the car to look like. I have always felt that Matt has a unique and clear vision into my mind about this car. We really seems to be on the same page. About four months ago he sprayed a number of 4"x8" aluminum panels to narrow down the color that we were going for. After a lot of discussion and consideration, we landed on a very deep red burgundy color. It is very deep red/purple in the absence of direct sunlight, but pops bright red when the sun hits it. I have been looking at that panel for four month trying to envision the entire car in that color. Last night when I got the photos of the completed car, I was entirely thrilled with what I saw. It did not, however, look much like the spray out panel that I have been looking at for months. I attributed that to the difficulties of capturing a look on film, to the lighting inside the spray booth, etc. But I loved what I saw, make no mistake.

Today I went down to see the car in person. Matt met me as I walked up, and I thanked him for coming in on his day off to do it. He said that it was all on him because he . . . had decided to completely start over painting the car!! After laying on the candy on Friday, he had been thinking about the end product, and he wasn't happy with it. We had talked many times about the fact that I want the car to have an inner glow, much like that deep red glow when a light hits a glass of fine red wine. He didn't feel that this glow was happening for him. He laid on several more candy coats, and became less and less happy with the result. The color on the spray-out panel looks great, but when you spread that color over the entire body of the car, it was just too purple. It matched the spray-out test panel, but it lacked the vibrancy that we wanted. He decided his only option was to completely start over. He re-sanded the entire car to make sure the new paint would adhere well. He laid on four more coats of silver base. He then custom mixed a red candy color just for my car. It started with the Burgundy candy, but then added red and other colors to create my own custom "Jazzman's Kandy Shoppe Red Confection". After laying on many coats of this "Confection" he was finally happy with the result. So am I. I didn't get what I expected. I got more than I expected!

He hopes to lay on at least eight coats of clear today or early tomorrow. By Thursday the car should be back on it's wheels, basking in the Arizona sun! I can't wait to see it!!

'Scuse me?

#gobsmacked

[Jeff Kleiner]

8

Jeff

[CalR80]

Holy smokes Kevin....that is amazing. I can't believe that he started over as it is looking beautiful! I guess you gotta let the artist do his thing, knowing the end result is gonna knock you socks off.

Dave

[Jazzman]

You are right! You have to trust your painter. I do. The photos in post #821 are exactly as it sits now after he fully painted the car twice. My son went with me today, and we both agree that the color he finished with is much better than the spray-out sample that we started with. Matt quickly offered to completely paint the car a third time if I didn't like the current result. He also made it very clear that I wouldn't be paying for the additional hours of work or the additional materials to do this second color, and I wouldn't be paying for hours or materials if I told him to change the car from where it is at now to match the spray-out that I have. He loves the car and wants it done "right". He wants me to get exactly what I want. He loves the current color. I agree. I think it is amazing. I just can't wait to see it in the sun!

[Mark Eaton]

That is impressive

[Boydster]

Stunning. This car is going to be amazing.

[Jazzman]

I went to see the finished product today. The clear coat is on and . . . it is simply stunning! I am speechless! (Ok, you know me by now, I am never really speechless. ) Keep in mind it has not been color sanded, buffed. or polished. It is so very difficult to capture the nuances in the color in a photograph. The color is rich and deep, it fades to a deep rich red in the shadows, and has blazing highlights in sunshine.













If I could extract the color in my mind and put it on the car, that is it! It is absolutely perfect.

[Ducky2009]

I went to see the finished product today. The clear coat is on and . . . it is simply stunning! I am speechless! (Ok, you know me by now, I am never really speechless. ) Keep in mind it has not been color sanded, buffed. or polished. It is so very difficult to capture the nuances in the color in a photograph. The color is rich and deep, it fades to a deep rich red in the shadows, and has blazing highlights in sunshine.

If I could extract the color in my mind and put it on the car, that is it! It is absolutely perfect.

Wow, congrats, it's beautiful! I love red, but still plan to paint dark blue on mine.

[edwardb]

Looks great! Surprisingly similar to the Ford Red Candy on my Anniversary build. You're going to love the final product. Especially when the sun is shining like these pics. It's very rare that people don't comment about the great color when I have my car at shows and cruise-in's. Congrats.

[2bking]

We need an update, I know something has to have been done since the last one

[WIS89]

Kevin-

I am a little late to the party, but I need to comment on the beautiful color! You must be overjoyed at how it turned out!

I am so happy for you, and happy to see how great your car looks.

I look forward to seeing more pictures!

Regards,

Steve

[Jazzman]

Well the current delivery date is now next friday. Time will tell. They began taping the car up to be cut, buffed, and polished on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday, they spent all day cutting and buffing. They used sandpaper up to either 1500 or 2000 grit, (I can't remember which), then began buffing with some grade of compound. I went by yesterday to see it. It has two more (I think) buffing levels to go, then the polishing stage. That was being done yesterday, and will continue on Tuesday. My painter is delivering a car to SEMA next week in Vegas, so once again he planned to work on his days off to get my car done. The remaining items to be candied are:
1. The interiors of the doors and trunk
2. He is going to re-candy the interior of the hood because he changed color. (no cost to me.)
3. Two sets of engine covers. One for "everyday" use which will be pretty basic, the second for "Show" use which will be somewhat more intricate.
4. The Factory Five round sign I ordered.

He said he would do everything he could to get it all painted today so that it can all be delivered to me next Friday. It will be wonderful if it is finally done. But the art is worth the wait. If it takes until the next week, the world won't come to an end!! Here's a little tease of how it looked yesterday:



When they get this thing completely polished, it's going to have all the clarity of the Hubble telescope! You already can see a perfect reflection in the paint. Amazing!!

[wareaglescott]

Wow a backup engine cover. You are going all out! Latest picture looks great. Cant wait to see it next week!

[GoDadGo]

Well Done Jazzman, Well Done!

[Jazzman]

Wow a backup engine cover. You are going all out! Latest picture looks great. Cant wait to see it next week!

Because of the heat generated sitting right on the engine, there is a concern that the paint on the engine covers might fade over time. I also liked both the older style cover and the newer one. The new one will be the "daily use" set, and the older one, the "Show" set. I feel like the curved lines of the older style cover generally look better.