There's no doubt that custom paint will take just about any project to the next level. For our SEMA car, it was a necessity. We knew our AMSOIL '11 Mustang GT needed to stand out among the amazing custom builds that always steal the show in Vegas. What we came up with was tastefully over the top.
The color scheme for our AMSOIL '11 GT started in Flat Rock, Michigan, at the factory. Ford layered our 5.0-liter in Kona Blue, which we knew would really pop under the lights in our Source Interlink Media booth at SEMA. The day after we got home from Detroit, we headed to Blow-By Racing and added horsepower by way of a Ford Racing blower and Kook's exhaust; then it was time to make our AMSOIL GT look the part.
We headed to Visual FX Custom Paint and Body in Orange Park, Florida, to tackle the aesthetic mods. We were looking to add to the Mustang's already aggressive looks, and an aftermarket front fascia, hood, and rear spoiler would handle that task nicely. AmericanMuscle.com sent us a Roush Performance front fascia and spoiler, and Cervini's Auto Design supplied us with one of its 4-inch cowl-induction hoods.
Prior to getting our AMSOIL...
Prior to getting our AMSOIL '11 Mustang GT from Ford, MM&FF submitted a rendering of what the finished car should look like. Pfaff Designs took our ideas and produced a rendering, which showed the basic design cues of the project.
Paul Holman, owner of Visual FX, started by stripping the factory parts we would be tossing to the side. With the help of Rocky West, the new body pieces were prepped, primed, and layered with a few fresh coats of Kona Blue before being installed on the Mustang. The Visual FX crew also prepped the roof, decklid, and fenders for the custom paintwork, which is a combination of a Murray Pfaff and Paul Holman design.
Once the basecoat was cured, Holman and West laid out the stripes with fine-line tape. After trying numerous configurations on the hood, roof, and rocker panel, the duo decided on the final placement and began spraying the red, silver, and black. After the newly painted stripes had time to dry, Holman went to work with his airbrush. Using a white base and a blue candy topcoat, the blue fire began to take shape. With nothing more than a stencil and an airbrush, Holman laid down three-dimensional flames so realistic looking, you'd swear blue fire is engulfing the car-it was the perfect touch for our SEMA-bound Pony.
Once in Vegas, the Mustang was a showstopper. Virtually everyone who walked by clicked off a photo, and the folks at Ford Motor Company were quite pleased with our AMSOIL GT.
Now that we have the body complete, we'll be back next month with yet another part of the build. So stay tuned as we take this GT from stock to rock.
Rocky West of Visual FX mixed...
Rocky West of Visual FX mixed up the Kona Blue basecoat for the new parts we acquired from AmericanMuscle.com and Cervini's Auto Design.
AmericanMuscle sent us a Roush...
AmericanMuscle sent us a Roush Performance front fascia and rear spoiler. Although these give a subtle change from the factory panels, the differences definitely makes our GT more aggressive looking.
West laid down the Kona Blue...
West laid down the Kona Blue base color on the 4-inch cowl hood...
...along with the Roush front...
...along with the Roush front fascia and rear spoiler.
Once the basecoat was dry...
Once the basecoat was dry enough to work with, West carefully unmasked the Mustang.
Using 1/8-inch fine-line tape,...
Using 1/8-inch fine-line tape, Holman and West began laying out the stripes, which wrap around the nose, and then up the hood, roof, and rear spoiler.
The theme of the stripes will...
The theme of the stripes will also run down the rocker panels.
With the basic stripe design...
With the basic stripe design laid out on one side, West measured the spacing and laid out the same stripes on the driver side.
After the stripes were finalized...
After the stripes were finalized on the hood, the front fascia was installed so the design could be finished.
Using the same fine-line tape,...
Using the same fine-line tape, West spent the next few hours wrapping the nose in preparation for paint.
This step takes tons of patience...
This step takes tons of patience and a steady hand.
With the front fascia removed,...
With the front fascia removed, West finished laying out the stripes on the nose.
The rear spoiler was installed...
The rear spoiler was installed to ensure the stripes on the decklid and spoiler would line up once the paintwork was complete.
Once West was done laying...
Once West was done laying out the stripes, Holman and West went to work masking off everything that wasn't going to be painted.
Before the red and silver...
Before the red and silver hues were sprayed, West coated the panels with a white basecoat. This makes the red and silver brighter, and allows the color to cover with less coats.
West then coated the outer...
West then coated the outer stripes in bright red.
After removing the masking...
After removing the masking on the inner stripes and covering up the fresh red paint, West sprayed the silver on the hood, roof, decklid, and rockers.
With the red and silver stripes...
With the red and silver stripes complete, the center of the hood, roof, and decklid were coated in black.
Next on the agenda were the...
Next on the agenda were the AMSOIL and MM&FF logos. We could have used vinyl stickers, but we wanted to take advantage of the chance to add yet another custom touch. Holman used vinyl stickers as a stencil to paint each layer of the logos on the Mustang.
After careful measurements,...
After careful measurements, West laid out the stencils in specific order.
With only the area that needs...
With only the area that needs to be painted exposed, West laid down the color.
Once the paint was dry enough...
Once the paint was dry enough to work with...
...he simply removed the vinyl...
...he simply removed the vinyl stencil.
The process was repeated with...
The process was repeated with each color of the logo. The finished product is an exact replica of each logo. Holman finished off the AMSOIL logo with some blue fire.
Once the striping was complete,...
Once the striping was complete, Holman went to work with his airbrush.
Starting with a white base...
Starting with a white base color, the real-fire graphics began to take shape. Holman then laid down the blue candy topcoat to finish off the fire.
Holman's blue fire is extremely...
Holman's blue fire is extremely intricate. Multiple layers of base color and candy give the fire an unbelievable amount of depth. The end result is nothing short of awesome!
Come back next month as we...
Come back next month as we take a perfectly good interior and tear it apart! See you then!