Paint Tech - Painting Made Easier

Painting your race car can be a chore you wish you didn’t have to do. Getting that clean, smooth finish free of fish-eyes and orange peel, keeping the overspray under control or simply cleaning the surface before applying the finishing coat sounds easier than some might think.

In order to get some interesting tips, Circle Track spoke with four experts in the racing/painting industry. First, we went to Mario Gosselin’s shop to get his expert opinion. Gosselin is a Hooters Pro Cup driver, car owner and expert mechanic. Next, we traveled to two nearby auto body shops: Francisco’s Auto Body and Thompson’s Auto Body. Both shops paint local race cars and employ some former race car drivers. At Francisco’s we met up with Howard Osteen, shop manager and former Limited Late Model owner and driver. At Thompsons we spoke with Terry Thompson, shop owner and a mechanic who started his racing career in the Bomber Class and moved up to SARA Late Models before retiring from racing.

The last person we talked to was John Pfanstiehl of Pro Motorcar Products and author of HP Books’ Automotive Paint Handbook Volume 1 and 2. The books have lots of high-end painting instructions, as well as some great information that applies to basic race car painting. These guys are full of experience and information that makes painting a car seem easy.

After talking to these painting experts, Circle Track compiled several of their painting tips to assist you with your race car’s appearance. Hopefully, one or more of these tips will make your painting a little easier.

Check 'em out in the sidebars below.