2012 Fleet build.

[DNA RACING]

hey guys, I am getting started on the new fleet, and have decided to make them all ultra wedges with the stainless tops.
a lot of you have asked about the way i get the pearl OMG!! thats deep effect, so i will document the build and paint work. here is the first of many pics to come. i used a common scissors to cut the outline of the body. here is a tip that is kinda important. try to give yourself about 1/32 - 1/16 of wood all the way around the steel. oh ya, the stainless is .003 thick, any less like a .001 is WAY to thin and will not lay down right.
it is stainless steel shim stock.
more after pic.

my next step is to use 400 grit paper on the BOTTOM of the stainless AND the top of the car. i found out the hard way, if you skip this step the stainless will peel off and leave you with a glossy coat of epoxy. USE 2 part epoxy, i use this stuff.

more to come in a few hours.

 

[DNA RACING]

just got done with the first top, here is a pic of the stainless after i scuffed it with the 400 grit, make sure you get the edges very good, pay attention to the corners.

set aside and scuff the wood with 400 also, just to rough it up. CLEAN with alcohol, you just need to wipe it down good, i also lightly swipe the wood one time, better safe than sorry. here are my 3 cars laying on 2 sheets of printer paper folded in half. if you get any on the table your wife will impale you with the car.

now, mix more epoxy than you think you need as you dont want to have to stop and mix more. i spread it out evenly across the whole top. then using a craft stick i carefully scrape off most of it. BE CAREFULL of your axle holes !!! i can not stress that enough. here is a bad pic of the epoxy on the car.

now, make sure you put the scuff side down and gently push from the center out, and keep a eye on the placement on the wood. you will need to work it till the epoxy starts to set up. as it sets up, dont worry about the middle, consentrate on the edges as they will need to be pushed down non stop. WATCH the corners and just keep pushing them down. here is another bad shot of the edge.

make sure the stainless is centered left to right and front to back. here is the strange part, get a wash cloth or thick shop rag and put the car on it upside down. place something heavy on each end, i use the big cans of whatever is handy. now forget about the car till tomorrow morning. yes, there will be string stuck to it, deal with it later. here is a pic of the car under the cans.

i must go finish the other 2, more later, feel free to ask any questions.

 

[Flamethrower]

looking forward to seeing more of this.

Where are you buying the stainless at?

 

[Quicktimederby]

Looks like flapjack is going to have some kids. They will be top notch for sure. At least team X will have some good looking cars, may not be fast, but good looking!

 

[DNA RACING]

looking forward to seeing more of this.

Where are you buying the stainless at?

MSC industrial supply

 

[DNA RACING]

Looks like flapjack is going to have some kids. They will be top notch for sure. At least team X will have some good looking cars, may not be fast, but good looking!

ya, speed should be there this year too, the ole FlapJack mated with a Viper in the off season......

 

[DNA RACING]

speaking of FlapJack, guess I should post a pic of it for the folks who have not seen it before.
This is what the stainless top with the krylon x-metal paint looks like.

 

[derby freak]

Looks like flapjack is going to have some kids. They will be top notch for sure. At least team X will have some good looking cars, may not be fast, but good looking!

That's the way to keep your hopes up QT.

Unfortunately for you that it is just your dream and not a reality. When X-team opens up a 55 gal. drum of whoop butt on you this year people won't be calling you Quicktime, they will be calling you SLOW MOTION.

 

[Kinser Racing]

How did you get my table?

That is an awesome method.

 

[DNA RACING]

more pics coming later tonight.

 

[DNA RACING]

i just got done painting the first car, It is the Eliminator named WHIPLASH.
first pic is of the edges after i unstuck the washcloth from the body. be careful when taking it off.
you can see the edges look bad.

next is using 400 grit i angle the body and PULL it to me. when the edges look good move on.

you can see i already scuffed the stainless with 1000 grit. here is everything i am painting on the car. and the flame template.

i lightly hit the backend sides with a bit of the blue to give it some fade into the red.

here is the red , looks good so far, as a side note, this paint is very hard to get a good pic of.

without the flame template but no clear yet.

and with the clear, i hope the ghost effect comes in as it dry's, it looks bad now, but in the morning i will see what it really looks like.

 

[DNA RACING]

here is the car with the paint dry, did not turn out as good as i hoped, but not too bad either.