Classic Restoration shows how to give your tired Fourth Gen a new look, demonstrating on our Project LT1 Formula
Welcome to the House of Kolor
We performance junkies sometimes forget about the finer points like aesthetics, but every time we (or anyone else) look at our hot rods the paint is the very first thing we see. As the result, it becomes increasingly difficult to ignore faded or damaged paint, or simply an unremarkable color. This is exactly what prompted us to repaint our Project LT1 Formula, and put its awkward teal-colored childhood behind us. Instead we chose to let the Formula enter adolescence born again with a custom Emerald Green Pearl paintjob courtesy of House of Kolor and Classic Restoration Enterprises in Pine Island, New York.
Perhaps you are met with a similar set of circumstances with your aging Camaro or Firebird, or maybe you are just looking for that extra something special to set your car apart from the thousands of black, red, white and silver F-bodies out there. In any event, you will most likely go through most of the very same steps as we did. For starters, you have to decide what your budget is and who is going to be doing the work. Classic Restoration owner Melvin Benzaquen said on average you should expect to pay for materials alone about $700 for a basic single stage urethane (no clear), reds and greens are 30-50% more, while a two stage (base coat/clear coat) is generally in the $1,300 range. For example, one gallon of premium name brand red paint is $575. We opted for the three-stage custom paint route with House of Kolor (see below), which is easily over $2,000 and well beyond. According to our packing list, the sum total of our materials was $2,300 including all the necessary primer, activator, reducer, Kandy, base, clear coat, and catalyst. This however does not take into account necessary body materials such as sandpaper, bondo, fiberglass, MIG wire, studs, etc. Melvin said to expect between $1,200 and 1,500 on this front, but this will largely depend on how much work is being done. If your F-body is pristine and straight as an arrow this cost could be relatively minimal.
As it was our Project LT1 Formula was going to need plenty of help from Evercoat as well as Year One, SLP, Hawks Third Gen and F-body Motorsports to rework or replace some of the exterior parts that were in poor shape, so I thought it best to leave the work up to the professionals at Classic Restoration. Classic is well known among die-hard Pontiac enthusiasts, and the rest of the community is catching on after making quite a splash at last year's SEMA convention with September 11th hero cop John McLoughlin's '55 Thunderbird. Pay attention and you may pick up some valuable tips from the pros, particularly in the arena of prep work, which is "where a lot of shops and people cut corners and it shows," Melvin says. "You can have the best paint in the world and have it look like crap with a bad prep job." In all fairness, though, that kind of attention to detail will cost you at a quality shop like Classic. Melvin said expect to pay around $4,500 to 5,000 for single stage (prep, prime, color), $5,500 to 7,000 for two stage (prep, prime, color, clear), and $7,500 to 11,000 for three stage assuming minimal body work and not including cost of materials.
Evercoat hooked us up with a number of great prep materials designed specifically for vehicles such as F-bodies that use a variety of materials such as plastic, SMC, and fiberglass in addition to sheet metal. The Metal Glaze, Maxim Plastic Repair Kit, and Semi-Rigid Epoxy Adhesive would be necessary to massage the fenders, doors and bumpers as necessary. Meanwhile they also shipped Triple Cut Compound, Surface Magic, Dark Foam Glaze and Hand Glaze to polish up the new paint and get out all the swirl marks. | 
On older cars that are front to back sheet metal these D.A., or Dual Action, grinders and some Aircraft stripper would be your best friends. However, on a Fourth Gen F-body it is only useful for stripping the quarter panels using 24 and 80-grit paper. The plastic bumper covers and fenders as well as the SMC roof, hatch and doors will require less abrasive means. | 
A block of wood and a wheel well puller are used to pull the majority of dents out along the lip. |