El Camino rebuild is under way!
The El Camino rebuild is officially under way!
We've finally been able to make some time to get the TD Customs El Camino in for a full restoration and a new, next level custom paint job. Everything is getting overhauled. Even the motor is going to match the paint job. You don't see many motors like this one...
The first priority was to get it completely sanded down and ready for paint. This included doing the body work on some of the waves in the panels and random dings here and there. It was already pretty straight since Tim had done body work when painted it ...
Motorcycle Safety: Increasing Visibility
The most important aspect of motorcycle safety is visibility. Motorcyclists need to be visible while out on the road. So many accidents happen because of other drivers not being able to see the motorcycles that share the road with them.
Motorcycles are at a slight disadvantage because they are smaller than the average car and aren't easily noticed. Drivers tend to look out for other cars and trucks on the road, but fail to notice the motorcycles that might right near them. The more visible bike riders are, the safer they will be.
Motorcycle Safety Tips
Here are a ...
Saying goodbye to the El Camino as we know it
The TD Customs El Camino
There are big changes happening to the El Camino. We are talking complete restoration, from the motor to the body and paint. And let me tell you, both the motor and the finished paint work are going to blow your mind.
The current (soon to be 'old') paint job is jet black with red ghost flames on the hood. The flames are ghosted in so well that you only see them when you get right up on the car. Otherwise, the entire car looks black. It's been fun to see people walk by admiring the car, and then realize that it gets even better with the custom ...
Trans Am Restoration Update
We've been diving into the Trans Am restoration this week, getting the whole car stripped down to bare metal and doing body work on the areas that need it.
We had stripped the paint off with a paint stripper compound to get most of it off. Then, we took each individual part and sanded it down to bare metal and started doing the repairs. Some parts needed metal work done, while others needed body work, and some both. The job is to get the car as straight as possible, removing any dents and dings and waves in the body.
There was some metal work to be done on the ...
Rust repair: Patching in new panels
Rust repair is a necessary component to most restorations we do since many of them are on old classic cars that have been around for awhile. Rust repair is always easiest when caught early. However, we have repaired extensive rust damage on quite a few cars. When there is a good amount of rust, we generally cut out the affected areas, and replace them with new panels. We'll also spread on a coat of POR-15, an anti-rust paint product that keeps it from coming back again. We recently worked on a truck restoration that needed a lot of rust repair to the cab of the truck, so ...
Collision Repair: Parts Replacing
At TD Customs, we get a lot of quick, fender bender repairs or small dent repairs in the shop. Typically, these body repair jobs are in and out in a day or so. We like to schedule the car to come in early, so we can order your paint, and new parts if needed, and get started right away. If we can plan our parts replacing jobs ahead like this, we will be able to keep you without a car for as little time as possible. Depending on the damage, we will either repair it or replace the part, whichever is most cost effective for you.
Parts Replacing
Cars with larger dents that ...
The MGB is yellow no more
The 1973 MGB Roadster has been painted! Originally a bright yellow, the car got restored and painted a fresh blue/ teal color.
This restoration didn't take as long as most because there wasn't as much body work as we typically find. The car also came partially disassembled, so we didn't have to take care of the small parts, like the door handles, lights, grill, etc. And the car is very tiny! Here is the Before...
There was a lot of sanding to be done with this one. Don't let the size of the car fool you; there's still a lot of surface area that had to be ...
Skoal Bandit Motorcycle Paint Job
The Skoal Bandit motorcycle has a pretty distinct look to it, including specific decals and colors that make it what it is. These bikes are fairly recognizable, and specifically well known for their coloring and decals. The picture below is of another Skoal Bandit motorcycle that we used as a design guide, along with a few others we found online. This is the look of a typical Skoal Bandit motorcycle.
The motorcycle was being painted for Lance Gamma, a motorcycle shop that specializes in building these custom Gamma crotch rockets. The owner brought in the motorcycle ...
Ruthy: Interior Rust Prevention
Ruthy got some attention last week when Tim's parents were in town. For those that don't know, Ruthy is the family restoration project we have in the shop. The '39 Chrysler Royal belongs to Tim's grandmother and is getting a full restoration. It was her very first car, and the whole family is getting to help out on it.
Gail and Rex wanted to do as much as they could on Ruthy while they were here, and were assigned the job of 'PORing' the interior and some other parts. They scrapped out more of the inside of the car and applied a full coat of POR over the entire roof ...
Electroluminescent Painted Guitar
Electroluminescent painted guitars are THE hottest thing to hit music venues and backyard campfires! Think about it; a dark venue, a Lumilor lit guitar. What could be more awesome?
Lumilor is an Electroluminescent Coating System that allows us to spray paint pretty much any surface into a light without changing the object at all. The electroluminescent paint will become a part of the guitar. The wiring and a simple on/off switch allow us to control when the guitar lights up and turns off. We wire the paint straight to an electric current, and all you can see is a ...
