The Body Shop
Prep and Paint:
Most diecast cars come pre-assembled and are made up of a compilation of both diecast metal and plastic parts. The body components of this car are shown below. For proper repaint and detailing purposes, the car must be completely disassembled. Metal parts are stripped of paint and sanded. All plastic parts are washed and cleaned.
The car is then primed with a high quality automotive primer. Another primer is applied over the initial primer and the car is sanded smooth.
Following the primer stage, the car is painted (basecoat/clearcoat) with 2-3 coats of high quality automotive paint specific and exact to your cars color. After basecoat application, the car is clearcoated with 3-5 coats of a quality automotive clear.
The car is then hand polished to a deep crystal shine.A quality wax is applied and the final paint will look something like this. My paint process is almost identical to that performed on real cars and I use the same high quality materials.
Engine and EngineBay:
The engine is generally taken completely apart, cleaned, and repainted in its correct factory color. A detailed distributor is added and it is wired to the exact firing order of your car. Wires are even separated with wire looms. The engine is also plumbed with water hoses and fuel lines. Additionally, I fabricate many components with a lathe and mill making parts such as breather caps, oil filters, coils, radiator caps, etc.
After working the engine up, it makes its way into a fully painted and detailed engine bay. Note the details that adorn this engine bay….water hoses, hose clamps, battery cables, fuel lines, accessory decals, etc.
Interior:
Most diecast cars lack interior detailing. This Charger, which started out having a black interior, now is dark blue as required to replicate the owner’s real car. Note the addition of carpet, seatbelts, and a host of other items added. The base car also started out being a 4 speed and was converted to an automatic.
Undercarriage:
The undercarriages on diecast cars are generally black unpainted plastic. I cannot tolerate the look of bare plastic and thus all plastic parts receive paint regardless of where they are located. If your car is a Mopar or Ford, the undercarriage is primed with a primer similar in color to that utilized by the factory during its build. The body color is sprayed in a pattern to mimic the typical overspray pattern seen on the real cars. If your car is a GM, the undercarriage is painted black and the chassis frame rails gloss black. No details are left out in making the car as correct on the bottom as it is on the top. Note additional details on this car.
Wheels and Tires:
Different wheel and tire combinations are possible, but often limited to what is available. If the wheels are available, I can make them fit. Note the different wheel combinations on this 71 Road Runner.
Graphics:
I make all my own decals and thus your car will come fully equipped with all the necessary graphics, logos, and badging. Aside from the graphics, I even produce high quality license plates exact to your car. The resolution is so good; you can even read the sticker tags. Specialized and vanity plates can also be done.
Vinyl Tops:
Aside from paint and graphics, some cars require vinyl tops. I have a vinyl top application process that closely mimics the vinyl top you may have on your real car. Not only is the grain and texture close to the real thing, but so are the layout and the bordering chrome trim. This is not paint, but actual material applied very much like the real top. This particular Charger received a vinyl top application as well.
Before and After:
Though not the original base car that I started with for this project, this particular car is the same differing only in paint color. The below pictures will give you some insight on the transformation that this car went through in order to recreate the owner’s real car.
