COMP Cams 40th Anniversary Camaro at V8 Speed & Resto Shop

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Inside the trunk, where the 3M Body Defender coating has been applied. This coating will allow the trunk to be used without worry of scratching.



The 3M coating was also applied to the entire bottom side of the body shell to prevent rock chips, reduce noise, and protect the tub.




The subframe is carefully rejoined with the body, and the freshly painted suspension parts are reinstalled.

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Tilt column





Heidt’s 4-link rear suspension final installation. Note the 3M coating on the bottom of the car.





Steering installation





Front sway bar installed



Emergency brake and axles installed



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Soon, the car is a roller again and it heads back to the body shop for final bodywork and priming.





The removable panels, hood, decklid, fenders, doors, valances, etc., are cleaned and hung in the booth for final priming.

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The backsides of panels are stripped and sanded in preparation for a black Axalta epoxy primer and Imron topcoat.









The outside panels were all sanded to a 180 grit surface. The body tub was then rolled back into the paint booth and masked for another coat of high build primer.













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The crew left the dashboard and firewall exposed to receive primer for sanding, and anywhere the crew sanded through the primer to bare steel, another epoxy coat was applied for corrosion protection.



After the epoxy had cured, a fresh coat of Axalta high build primer was applied.















Once the primer dried, a layer of guide coat was applied to all the exterior surfaces to make the next rounds of block sanding easier and more effective.



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The door jams, dashboard, and firewall were all treated to the guide coat.



Here, the guide coat is being sanded off in a wetsanding operation. The guide coat makes it easy to reveal high and low spots, and also lets the technician know what areas have been sanded.

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Once the primer is wet sanded to perfection, the firewall, dash, and masked areas are sprayed with satin black Imron. The backsides of the fenders were also sprayed at this point.













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The exterior panels and body shell were sprayed with a guide coat in preparation for more wet sanding.








At this point, the convertible top mechanism was cleaned, prepped, and painted with Imron Satin black.





The body shell and all the exterior panels were then wet sanded smooth with 400 grit 3M paper.







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The bottom of the hood and decklid were sanded and prepped, and 3M seam sealer was applied before a final sealer and then basecoat color!

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The plan was to shoot the car in the brightest white we could find, a color called Summit White. We had some mixed in Axalta Cromax SBBC base coat and prepped the car for application.



A booth-load of panels were mounted in the paint booth, then cleaned and degreased with wax & grease removers and preparation solvents. They were then wiped with a tack cloth to pick up any fuzz left behind. Even though lint-free Sontara towels are used, you cannot be too careful.

The first parts to receive the Summit White came out really slick. Painter Jeff Wittlich sprayed several base coats, and then shot Axalta clear over them to bring out the gloss and protect the color.