Going Green with a '68 Mustang Convertible

I thought I should start a new project thread since my other one has become pretty long with many projects.
This thread is for my 1968 Mustang Convertible. I am going from white and primer to a dark green as I had to replace some major body parts after my former handyman ran into another car with it and then did more damage by pushing it with my Brother's Ranchero a few years back. I am looking to get close to the color of the 1968 Mustang used in the movie Bullitt(Best car chase scene ever)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcW-T-thdoE&feature=related
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I think I found a good mix.


the above pictures were taken after 12 coats on the hood and fender tops and 10 coats on the fender sides. The mix I am using is half Rust-Oleum Topside Gloss Deep Green and Rust-Oleum Gloss Black. I use 3 parts paint mix, 3 parts Mineral Spirits and 1 part Penitrol.
Here is what the deep green looks like without being mixed with another color.


Here is what the car looked like before the new paint.

Good looking Stang. The un-mixed green is a little nasty looking. The green/black is much better in my humble opinion. Car looks to be really solid from the pics you posted.

Are you gonna black out the grill area and remove the emblem like in the movie? Just curious if you liked the color or if your trying to clone it.

Either way, it looks great!

Ian

That straight green is a bit much. Much better in the darker shade. I agree about the bullet car chase but the one in Thunder Road was pretty good also or am I showing my age now
Mike

I am going to keep the grille emblem, If it was a fastback I probably would have gone for the complete clone job.

I was a bit surprised at how green the "Deep Green" came out on the car.
when I saw the sample it looked darker than the dark Hunter green, but it is actually much brighter.

I agree about the chase in Thunder Road being a good one as well as the original "Gone in 60 seconds" Bullitt gets my vote because the way they filmed it make you feel like you are in the car as well as the way they lead into the chase with music and then once the chase starts it's the engine that are doing all the singing.

Good call on the color. That will look nice!

Well, I have finished it up. 14 coats on the Hood, deck lid and fender tops and 12 coats on the side panels. I like the way the color came out. Depending on the amount of light it will shine from Forest green to Black. I still have a few little touch ups as I polished it out I found a couple little runs that I did not see through the sanding process. Overall I am very Happy with the results. Now I just need to fix the hood latch and install the M-U-S-T-A-N-G letters on the rear deck lid and wait a couple months to wax it.



1968 Mustang Convertible (Rust-Oleum Topside Gloss Deep Green & Gloss Black)
1972 Ranchero GT Cobra Jet 4 speed( Rust-Oleum Topside Gloss Black)

very nice The color looks like the British Racing Green from the mid to late 60's.
So whats next for your fleet?

I still have to paint the bed cover and stripes on the Black Ranchero.

I got a nice compliment on the Mustang yesterday while filling up with gas. It turns out the Guy owns one of the Mustang restoration parts businesses "California Classic Mustang Parts" He really liked the color, I did not bother to tell him it was rolled on, as I was in a hurry and thought if I did tell him he would want to ask more questions.

It looks pretty darn good to me. Can you imagine some of the Mustang fanatics having strokes when they find out you painted with a roller.

That was Steve him self driving the mustang with a camera beside him. They couldn't get a stunt driver for that plus Steve had driven race cars so he felt OK doing it. I read they wrecked 16 mustangs and 17 chargers (too much to film with) to shoot that race which was taken with regular normal traffic.
Mike

Did you wetsand at all?

I wet sanded after every two coats. starting with 400grit and progressing up to 2000 grit.

Oh ok so is the final coat wetsanded then polished? Cause when i did my second roll on pj...i did 6 coats then wetsanded and that wasnt fun. So im trying to cut down on orange peel and wetsanding as much as I can.

Yes, wet sand with 2000 before polish. The best way to avoid the orange peel is to go thin with your paint mix. Better to roll on a few more coats of a thin mix than to have to sand off a few more coats of a thick mix. By sanding between every two coats you prevent the orange peel if any to build up. I have notice that orange peel usually does not really start showing up until about 6 coats when I have had issues with it. That does not mean that coats 1 through 5 went on without any orange peel issues, I think that the build up of the peel just does not start to show itself until there is that much paint built up on the surface. Also make sure the surface that you are painting is not too hot and the roller is clean and smooth.

Ok yeah i was running 50/50 mix. it wasnt too bad, I just had more op than I think I would have if I woulda sanded between every 2 coats.