Today was finally the big day. Hundreds of hours of body and prep work to get to this point but I got the job done. Big BIG thanx to the good painter at my shop for being a pal and partaking in the highs and lows of the day with me. Also an honerable mention to the "other" painter who phoned in his help via text messages with true gems like "IS THAT THING PAINTED YET?", "I'M NOT YELLING I'M JUST OLD", and "WHAT? CAN YOU TEXT LOUDER I CAN'T READ YOUR TYPE."

It all started off at the crack of 6:45 a.m. with a shower and a little news. The sun was out and by 7:25 I was out the door. I hit up the local Speedway for a 44 oz of Mnt. Dew wake-me-up and was at the shop by 7:40. 7:52 and there is no boss to unlock the shop and I begin to get anxious. I hit up facebook to let world know that my house was empty to be robbed and then waited some more. At 8:00 on the nose the big man with the key arrived and the doors were open for my evil painting challenge. I guess the late start is just a little payback for me always being not early on an average work day. Before I could pull my van around to the back of the shop and walk in the boss had already left leaving me to focus on what the skeptics said couldn't be done.

I started off by gathering the 17 pieces together that was going to go through the transformation today. I stood back gazing upon them all wondering what in the hell am I thinking? I am about to paint a 30 year old car and I still don't know what color I am going to be spraying? Keep in mind it is about 8:25 at this point. Like a man I ignored the problem knowing I had to get the remaining parts ready to be painted before color would be an issue. At 9:17 the "good" painter showed up and to my surprise he was in his black SS Chevy truck with his Arab Money wheels in the bed. He helps me tag team the parts getting everything wet scuffed and in the booth by 11:00. I pre-cleaned the tub and the 16 parts and following Bryces instructions I began to mix 3 quarts of my Nissan Daytona Blue base coat. I decided on the blue for two reasons. First off it came in number one in the poll on this site and second it wasn't a tri-coat color like the pretty white I was thinking about.

11:18 a.m. I receive a text from the no show painter and it reads word for word "IS THAT F@$KING 1 DOLLAR Z PAINTED YET?" and I reply, "Almost... I decided on Lime Time Green." He dismissed my claim and accused the good painter of doing the spray work for me. So ignoring Doug's texts I finished my first qt. of base and got ready for the next. I mixed all the tint colors spot on and went to reduce the mix. I pored the remainer of the gallon can and went to the stock to get a new one and yah... there was no back-ups. So I have a car and 16 pieces to transform into a blue monster and all I have enough reducer for is 1 quart correct and one quart a little thick. I panic, walk out side, and trow a temper tantrum my two year old son would be astonished by. I search everywhere hoping to find a can lost or hidden but nadda. I text the other painter asking, hoping, begging that he might have a stash or possibly hid the key to painting this car. Not love there so I called an old friend in the paint business and heard the answer I had already considered myself.

12:15 p.m. I began to layout out the base coat on the 280zx. I have 4 quarts of color and all is well. I lay-down a light "tack" coat of color on all 17 pieces of the car and 3/4 of the way through I used up my first quart of color. "No big deal" I thought to myself and grabbed the next qt. and finished the rest of booth number 1. (BTW booth number one is the booth belonging to the painter #1 because he is the one that showed up today.)

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