Editor’s note: This is a third in a series of article’s by MCSD member Richard Blackman as he integrates parts from a 2016 Mustang GT into a 1969 Mustang Mach I. You can read Richard’s first two articles on the updated MCSD website at mustangclubsd.com.

On Saturday December 15th the car made its way to the painter, Braun Mollenhauer in Alpine. Braun is a small shop, but his work can be seen on many concours quality cars in the local area. It’s important to share with the painter your expectations, and your budget. As many of you know, painting a car is one of the most important steps in any build. The quality of the paint has a wide spectrum from rattle can DIY, to disassembling each body panel, doors and hood and paint separately.

Braun also does detailed metalwork, so if you want to make your ride subtlety unique, I couldn’t recommend a better shop. Some of those subtle features I chose will include driver side fuel filler door, shaved drip-rail moldings, front and rear bumper tucks, hood scoops with turn indicators taken from the 2016 GT, and side scoops modifications.

The actual painting is the middle step in the process and takes the least amount of time. Preparing the car for paint takes weeks if not months of metalwork, applying thin layers of bondo, several coats of primer and block sanding—lots of block sanding. It’s a very messy job but essential if you want a high level of paint quality. The final step after the paint is applied is the wet sanding and buffing. This also is not a one or two day process. This step also takes several days if you want your paint to stand out. Wet sanding does not blemish the paint, it cuts down the clear-coat by eliminating any orange peel, or minor surface imperfections. Wet sanding uses sandpaper with a very fine grit of between 1200 and 2000.

While at Braun’s, we discovered several small areas of rust. The doors and hood felt as if they had been in a demolition derby after all of the bondo was sanded off, so it was decided to bead blast the car. I also decided to replace the doors and hood since the labor to fix them to a high standard would have cost twice what it would cost to buy new door shells. (Buy from Scott Drake for top quality).

There is one final step before all of the block sanding can commence, and that is a complete mock up. This important step is when you and the painter view the car together and make decisions on metal gaps, spotting any small imperfections in the metal, and in general confirming your expectations on the results.

It’s now the second week of April and the car’s paint job is complete and beautiful. We chose a GM color, “Velvet Red” for the body and the hood a gloss black with a pin stripe. The car was trailered back for engine, tranny install, undercoating, interior fit out and wiring. We left the front fenders and hood off until the aforementioned work is complete.

In a fourth article I’ll share the install of the engine and drivetrain, rear suspension, fuel, electrical wiring, interiors and final details before the car is ready for its many car shows and we can’t wait road trips.