The old saying “things aren’t always what they seem” often applies to vehicles. Take Kim K’s 1965 Mustang Coupe for example. At first glance, the Mustang seemed like a good, solid car however, under that red paint was a nightmare of epic proportion. When Kim took his car in to have it repainted he quickly found out the true meaning of things aren’t always what they seem.

Kim owned the car for several years and has done an excellent job keeping the car in very good shape.  But, like all cars, no matter what you do, time and the elements take their toll on a car, especially a car driven on a regular basis. All Kim wanted was a sand and repaint on the car. After years of the Gulf coasts’ hot sun and humidity the red paint was tired and no amount of buffing could bring it back to life. So, Kim brought his classic Mustang in to have it freshened up.

Just some paint, carpet and seat covers were all that he wanted. Well, he got that and much more. After sanding and priming the car it was ready to prep for paint. While prepping the left rear quarter panel, the painter noticed a spot that seemed to move as he wet sanded the panel. Seeing this before, he quickly recognized the problem and knew that work from a previous repair had come apart after being disturbed by the crew working on the car. The spot, which was a small bubble, was then pierced with a small screwdriver and then peeled off of the car to reveal a car owner’s nightmare, a very nasty previous repair.
The car was apparently hit from behind on the left rear damaging the quarter panel, rear panel and the frame rail. Instead of straightening or replacing the metal, the people who repaired the car filled the area with fiberglass and cleaned up with bondo. While this is a common repair procedure, the shocker was that they never even sanded or prepped the body for the repairs. Additionally, they also covered rust that was there. Yep, shiny red paint and rust under body work.
After seeing such a poor repair on the car, the painter and his crew decided to reinspect the car and reassess what should properly be done. They found a multitude of sins on the car. The trunk jamb was covered with seam sealer, which was not standard on these cars; under which was yet another poor repair. Aluminum tape was placed under the jamb area, covered with seam sealer and then painted over. The doors, fenders, hood, roof and trunk lid were treated to the same type of repairs as the left rear quarter panel. After the discovery, the car was then completely stripped down and the repair process began.

If the painter and his crew had gone on with the original process the final product would have been compromised. It, too would have began to bubble in a few months. The repairs started by replacing both rear quarter panels. Rust had worked its way up the panel to consume almost half of the panel on both sides. The trunk jamb or drip rail was then cleaned out and rebuilt. The previous repairs in the doors were grinded out and repaired properly, the roof was grinded and repaired, one fender was replaced and the cowl panel was rebuilt. Per the request of the owner, the air vents on the cowl were covered to give the hood line an even cleaner look.

The interior was treated as well. New pony seat covers and cushions were installed and new carpet was laid. While the car was apart the painter painted the insides of the doors and jambs to match the outside of the car. Speaking of paint, the entire car was shot with true red color topped with a clear coat that looks as though you could dive in and go swimming in the paint. Kim didn’t want any stripes and very little chrome.
New bumpers, front and rear in chrome were a must on this car. The grille was restored in black to accent the chrome Mustang emblem that hangs out front. New door handles were installed because the old ones would have really taken away from the bright red paint. If you look closely at the car, there are many small touches that the painter and his crew did to subtly customize this car. Many areas on the car, where chrome trim used to reside, have either been filled or shaved to give the car a very clean look.

Under the hood, Kim has detailed the engine bay to let the original 289 be the star. New chrome valve covers and breather leap out at you when the hood is raised.

It took the painter and his crew ten months to complete the build on this car. Kim missed all but two weeks of the 2011 cruise-in and car show season waiting on his Mustang to be restored. He made up for it though and entered the car into the last two shows of the season and won trophies at both.

You can bet that during the 2012 cruise-in and car show season Kim will have his Red Hot Stang at every show and event that he can possibly attend.

For those who own and ride motorcycles, their bikes are an expression of themselves and their freedom. For rider Pat McDonough, his Honda Magna is definitely an extension of his personality. Pat has customized his bike to match his fire and passion for riding.

On any given day, when the weather’s right and he’s not working, you can see him riding his Magna with a big smile on his face. Just like any bike owner, Pat is proud of his bike and he should be.

Why should he be proud? First, he had (the already cool) bike repainted. All of the panels and tank were removed and painted Pure Black and covered with silver pearl ghost flames. Ghost flames are cool because they fade in and out of your vision depending on the angle that you are looking at them. On the side ferrings, he had custom Honda flame emblems painted. Then all of the parts were sprayed with multiple coats of tinted black clearcoat and more silver pearl to give the paint a look as if you could reach in and grab the flames.

Second, he had a Plasmaglow motorcycle L.E.D. kit installed. Pat chose the blue to really accent the black and silver pearl paint and chrome on the bike. Placed strategically on the bike, the kit lights up the engine, radiator and fenders.

It is so much fun to watch spectators respond to the bike at cruise-ins. As they walk around the bike, catching all of the small details and admiring the paint and lights, they point and comment on how cool the bike looks.

If you happen to see Pat riding his bike or at a cruise-in, tell him what a nice bike he has and he will be glad to tell you “thank you”.

This month’s Guest Garage takes us to a garage that is holding a very “HOT” rod. This month, Bob shows us his 1932 3-window coupe. Built back in 2004, this car set fire to the realistic flames we see on cars today. Artist Mike Lavallee, owner of Killer Paint, pulled out all the stops on this super realistic flame job.

On the front of the frame rail the flame throwing begins. Just as if it is being blown into the grille, the flames consume the radiator and the hood. As you would expect, the heat is really turned up under the hood by the 383 stroker engine. When the right air, fuel and “fire” are initiated by the push of the throttle, a magical thing happens and smoke begins to erupt from the p275/60 R17 Billet specialties rear wheels launching this “Hot” rod forward like its tail was on fire.

Speaking of the rear and fire, it isn’t “on fire” but is being visited by the Grim Reaper. Coming from under the car, across the Curry rear differential and up the trunk, there he sits amidst the flames – the Reaper, looking for his next victim.

As hot as this car is on the outside it is very cool on the inside as well. This air-conditioned heat storm is very comfortable with its low leather seats. I am a big guy and sitting in this car is no sweat, as some cars of this caliber are not very comfortable for tall people.

Keeping the flames just to the doorjambs are the suicide doors which are wrapped in fine red leather and allow one to get in and out of the car with ease. Keeping the raging flamethrower in control is easy to do with the Billet steering wheel, while all of the vitals are monitored with VDO gauges.

With a car this hot I can see why Bob keeps it in a Secret Garage. It takes a caring hand to keep a car like this in show shine condition and I think that Bob has done a great job at preserving this car and keeping it hot.