The Goodguys '70 Chevelle - Bare-Naked Stripes

A year ago, Chip Foose designed the Goodguys Rod & Custom giveaway car, a '71 Dodge Challenger, and set the bar for this annual tradition higher than it has ever been. Some people just said that the car was too cool to give away. Who among you wouldn't say that deep down inside, they wanted that car? Others, like Bret Voelkel of Air Ride Technologies, saw this as an opportunity to set the bar even higher for some lucky winner-which is why he volunteered to build this '70 Chevelle. So Brett called on World Products for the 540-inch big-block, making 600 horses with 605 lb-ft of torque, Bowler Transmissions for the 4L80E tranny, Alston Chassisworks for the FAB 9 rearend, and Precision Coachworks to handle the bodywork and the stripes. Some of you guys and gals may not know the cast and crew of Precision Coachworks in person, but you know their work. These are the guys who do all of the bodywork for Air Ride. The reason for this is that Brett owns the shop. This car had to be different; something had to set this car apart from all the others. The idea for some really cool stripes was kicked around and it stuck.

Racing stripes have been around a while. Across the pond a few years back, stripes were used to let the rest of the racers in the field know who the rookies were. I personally think the Romans had them on their chariots. This was the first real left-turn racing. Then, stripes were adopted by car manufacturers because they were cool. That's where Precision Coachworks comes in, with bare-metal stripes. Hot Hues has developed a way to preserve your metalworking chops without covering it up with paint. And the Goodguys giveaway Chevelle is getting a set. (Thankfully, I'm not going to do the bodywork this time around!) John Hemmer, the manager of Precision, told us, "This job was fun! Just make sure that you have a lot of time to spend on it."

It all starts with a good foundation; namely, the right tools, the right supplies, and a cleanly work ethic from the word go. Also, the interior was taken out, which makes the job of painting the car much easier. Then, the Chevelle was media-blasted and blown apart. Both quarters were replaced and new doorskins were installed. In this story, I will tell everybody out there the secret for getting your stripes nice and straight. Some of the other trade secrets could be real tough to get out of these guys. Remember, these stripes are bare-metal, so the work has to be spot on. That's where the rubber meets the road, to turn a phrase. So let's get naked.

Tools YOU'LL Need:
*Body hammers
*Dollies
*Various sanding blocks
*Primer gun
*Paint gun

How They Did It
Whenever you're working with bare metal, it has to be clean. It is best to use etching primer, so the other chemicals have something to grab onto. If you don't, the paint will peel right off. The original decklid and hood were in really good condition, but a lot of time was still spent making sure the metal was flat and straight. When the clear is put on, the bare metal will make any imperfection really stand out. Pre-cleaner is used to thoroughly clean the metal, to make sure all contaminates are removed. Eighty-grit sandpaper is the paper of choice. "We tried a lot of different test panels before we were happy," says John Hemmer.

Straight-line sanding was done for the '70 Chevelle, but feel free to express yourself with other designs. A precise, repeated round swirl, for instance, will give your stripes an engine-turned look. The metal is then treated with DuPont MetaLok PN 230S, metal-etched, and immediately rinsed with de-ionized water. This will give the clear something to bite onto. The panels are cleared after the metal is completely dry. The panels are then sanded with 600-, then 800-grit sandpaper. Tape off the body, and it's paint time. After the base is dry, the complete panels are cleared with six coats of Hot Clear. The panels are wet-sanded, and all the tapelines are buried under the clear.

There you have it: bare-naked stripes. It is one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. So if you decide to get naked anytime soon, get a hold of your local DuPont rep and start peeling off the painted stripes.

How To Win This Chevelle!
This Chevelle could be yours, which would save you a bunch of time doing your own stripes-among other things. We wondered what the deal was, so we took a peek at the Goodguys Web site to see how to win this bad boy. Here's what we found online: "There are two ways. First, become a Goodguys member (for $30 per year) and your name is automatically entered into the drawing. Second, participate in any of the Goodguys Show 'n' Shine events and place your Sunday Lucky Ticket in the blue barrel on Sunday after 1:30 p.m. At the end of the 2:22 p.m. awards ceremony, we will draw one lucky winner from that event to become a qualifier for the giveaway car. You must be present at the time of the drawing to qualify."