One of the things that I’m flipping a coin on is whether I’m going to paint the Rough Start Fox or not. Our 1989 Mustang is two different shades of red (mostly Cabernet Red, some Bright Red, and of course the one Light Crystal Blue fender that’s been heat-toasted to perfection) and it bothers me. It also bothers me that I’m actually considering painting this car any other color than primer black. It’s a $600 car. Paint should be the last thing I consider doing, and it is pretty far down the list of what I intend to get done. We just got Haley’s truck out of the paint booth and it’s currently sitting in a shop, setting up, looking knockout stunning. The next professional paint job I ever intend on having done will be the Great Pumpkin, once we agree on how that car’s build will proceed. The RS Fox? I just want it one freaking color. I’ve got a paint gun, I’ve got a compressor, and I can get enough plastic to protect the shop should I decide to shoot the car in the garage.
But…is that a good idea? Back in my middle-school days, we did a lot of home-spun paint jobs. The 1969 Chevelle was painted white, then black. Two Chevy trucks got painted primer yellow…on purpose. (Don’t blame me, wasn’t my call.) One 1979-ish Camaro got slathered in a bright blue color, a Fox Capri was done up in black, and more cars than I care to remember were shot primer black or primer gray and left that way. Painting at home can be done. But doing it yourself is more than just pointing and shooting a paint can at the fender and making sure you don’t leave runs. Uncle Tony is in the process of preparing his Swinger for a paint job. The poor Dodge was the victim of a sideswipe and got wrinkled up pretty bad, and he’s getting ready to return the Mopar back to it’s Hemi Orange beauty. But he’s reminding himself of some past painting sins and has some thoughts on the subject.
