September 2012 The Paint Spot Newsletter

Did ya ll get the kids off to school? Isn t it funny how we've become accustomed to measuring time that way? Let's talk about some things that were mentioned in last month s issue: Staining: Brian Lynch (Matrix) is currently trying to duplicate this problem in an effort to nail down the facts. I also talked to the tech department at SEM . Those guys are awesome! That company just amazes me in that since they are a relatively small company, they're not spoiled by the corporate bull shit you would find in companies such as 3M. They assured me that they would do what Brian is doing, and furthermore, wanted feed back to compare findings. It is for this exact reason that The Paint Spot wants nothing to do with the 3M s and the PPG s of the world. Do you even think any of us would stand a chance in hell of getting this kind of proactive treatment from the (so called) big boys ? I will NOT let this problem lie. I promise to get the truth and with that, a solution. Short term Slix no longer uses polyester putty of any kind. We have gone back in time to when we took a little bit of fiberglass resin and mixed it with body filler to make putty. Another solution is the use of MP-1000 over the area prior to paint. The all s well that ends well segment: OMG! I was not going to write that piece last month as I thought it a bit too philosophical. As it turns out I got calls and e-mails from all over the country on that part of the newsletter. It seems that it struck a chord with lots of people, and virtually all responses were a hats off to you Rick for not only standing up for your son, but dealing with a situation that all of us has been confronted with at one time or another. Now since that topic really has to do with integrity, honesty, and ethics, why wouldn't it fit with a Paint Spot newsletter .that's exactly what separates us from them . With that said, it provides a perfect segway to the next piece.

During the month of August I was asked to go out to a shop that was not one of our customers. They were told by one of their painters that Matrix and The Paint Spot would eliminate problems that they were having and increase profits as well. I made an appointment and went to the shop in question (I ll leave the name out for the time being). This shop was set up on PPG s waterborne paint and the problems related to lack of production and a lack of quality refinishing, I ll explain: It was taking forever to paint a vehicle, and when it was done the vehicle had to be cut and buffed to get all the trash out of it. Here are my findings: This shop has two spray booths. One is a cross draft and the other is a down draft. The booth of choice (they were told) is the down draft. The cross draft was therefore primarily used for cut in and trim out, and probably priming. I told them at that point that a down draft is ordinarily the best you can have, but since they were using waterborne paint, the cross draft was actually the better choice. Reason: More air movement across the vehicle. I then checked air humidity and found excessive moisture in both booths. I looked at the plumbing and found that it was not plumbed correctly. I shut myself inside both booths and found that the down draft had NO air movement what so ever. I did notice an expensive upright blower fan that someone sold them to aid in the lack of airflow situation. The exhaust filters were also clogged up and when I mentioned that, the response was yeah, we have to change them all the time. Manometer: This devise is used to measure and maintain the airflow of your booth. The devise needs to be calibrated using a red calibration fluid) then zeroed out. Specs on where you need it set can be found on the instruction sheet that accompanies the devise. Changes to the draw can be made by adjusting a dampener (usually on the exhaust stack). Once the setting is where you like it (should always initially be done with NEW filters) you ll need to maintain that setting with the dampener setting (as your filters get clogged, the setting will need to be changed, until finally, the filters are so clogged you ll run out of adjustment on the dampener). After I completed all my diagnostics I told the manager that no matter if he bought from the Paint Spot or the other supplier, I was gonna give him the facts the truth! I started by telling him that the waterborne paint and the brand name was NOT the problem. I also told him that the owner taking the cheap way out was NOT the problem (this guy had spent chingos of money on really good stuff). What I did say was that some one who obviously didn't know their ass from a hole in the ground not only failed to set things up correctly, but took total advantage of the situation (the bad situation) by selling them things they didn't need in an effort to change the miserable results they were achieving. Again, I won't give the salesman s name or the company he works for, but do the math .the shop is in New Braunfels, there s really only two players (suppliers) in that area ..and I don't sell PPG! Explanation: Excessive moisture in solvent based paint is NOT GOOD! In waterborne paint it's REALLY NOT GOOD! Water dries slower than solvent to begin with, now what do you suppose it's going to do when you add even more water to it? No air movement adds even more insult to injury! The expensive upright blower is what put all the dirt in the wet waterborne paint! The clogged exhaust filters is due to NON MOVEMENT! Remedy: I came back to the store and wrote a full report of findings (took me a couple of hours). I sent it to the manager, and followed up with a call to make sure he received it. One week later I called to check status. Results: I was told by the shop manager that the salesman in question was called out and told about all the findings and asked what would be done about the situation. The salesman denied any and all claims (including actual percentage readings of humidity per booth) and told them that they had no problem what so ever! My comments: What kind of DIP STICK would take all the work I did FOR FREE, and not learn from it? It was a golden opportunity to correct a bunch of little mistakes and look like an honest person, that had made an honest mistake, while not only solidifying a good relationship with a good customer, but making his employer look good. Especially when I openly admitted that although I did not think waterborne was the way to prosperity, it was definitely not the problem either. We will see what the outcome is, and I will report it when it comes, but can you see why the last segment leads to this one? Honesty and integrity is what sets us apart, not paint brands or technology. I think I need to add one more thing while I'm at it EGO . Not that I don't have one, but by God, I wouldn't think of selling some one something they didn't need. I'm much more the type to find the solution, and most of the time I do it at my expense .not yours! Other news: Has any of you seen the new show on the history channel Counting Cars ? It s a spin off of the hit show Pawn Stars starring Danny Koker of Count s Kustoms in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now this guy knows Matrix well and although most of these type reality shows get their supplies handed to them for the exposure, this dude was already using Matrix.

Hats off to you Danny for doing what you do, and requiring nothing less than the best in your paint choices.

.he s AWESOME! Blood sweat and tears: As some of you may know, I have several old cars, some of which I've had for years and years. Each one of my kids (that have expressed an interest) have been told that they could have any one of them they wanted if they were willing to work their ass off to bring them back to life. My son wanted a 1965 Oldsmobile 442 that I bought for $50.00 back in the day. For many years that car was all I had and served me well until it just couldn't do it anymore. During Shawn s years of growing up, that was the car that I drove and our final voyage together was the trip from L.A. California to Texas in 1995. About 6 years ago Shawn tore that thing down completely and when it went back together, it had 22 coats of real candy burple (Matrix of course), a 427 Chevy engine, Muncie 4 spd, and a 3:73 12 bolt posi. That car runs as good as it looks and has been appraised at $70,000.00 (not bad for a $50.00 investment). He is extremely protective of it and claims it's not for sale at any price it was dad s car, I could never sell it . Recently my youngest daughter Cheyenne decided she wanted a 1963 Chevy short wide pick up, that as luck would have it (along with being flat broke from a divorce) was the vehicle I was reduced to when she was younger. I told her the same thing, but Cheyenne just doesn't roll like Shawn! She s the intellectual , Miss Priss , girly girl type .from hell! I'm sure she thought she could bat her cute little eyes at dad, and I would wave the rules .didn't happen! I told her that she wouldn't respect and take care of it unless she got involved with the project. Well, she put up a good fight, but lost, and decided she would forego the sweat and humiliation that Slix was sure to provide, and went for it. The guys are helping with the project but that meant that she was the one who had to do all the crappy work like grinding, cutting, sand blasting, sanding, etc. Her brother decided that since she was getting so involved, he d do some custom stuff to the old truck like a cowl induction hood (made from scraps and the original hood) and modifying the rear cab to accept a new style version of the wide back glass . I customized the bed and made an internal latch system for the tail gate using all late model leftovers. The chassis has been modified to four wheel disc brakes, and adjustable pinion angle (the rear of that truck was just too squirrelly). It has a 383 stroker small block with two 4 barrels on a tunnel ram, B&M 400 hydromatic with a manual valve body, and a 3:73 12 bolt posi. The damn truck will pass up everything except a gas station!

Not what most dads would want their 17 year old daughter to drive (I've never been considered like most dads) but she knows how quick that truck is, and even though she s lil miss priss she s been raised around hot rods from day one. She s also stated that she won't drive the truck to school except on Fridays or special occasions, nor will she let anyone else drive it period! Already getting protective over the truck, and it ain t even done yet. During this exercise in cruelty as I'm sure some would call it, these kids will learn what hard work is all about, and unless it's hard, sweaty, back breaking, and down right torturous, they won't appreciate it. Cheyenne also learned to shoot primer. One of the guys shot a video of it, and we're going to put it on the website.

It will be titled: MP-1000 is so easy to use, even a girly girl kid can do it! Late Entry: The reference at the beginning of this kid/car story where I said the ones that have expressed an interest basically referred to my oldest daughter Lisa. She has never really been into the car thing ..or at least I assumed she wasn't. Turns out, she is and in a conversation prior to the release of this newsletter she tells me that she likes the 1955 Buick Century Riviera. This car is all original and has never been restored. It does run and will drive ( I know, I drove it a couple times) but it's the equivalent of driving the Queen Mary down a highway! When I bought the car (10 years ago for $200.00) it hadn t run in at least 20 years. I pulled out the tank, cleaned it, rebuilt the carburetor and fuel pump, aired up the tires (yes, they all held air) fired it up, and drove that sucker up the highway ..scary! I knew then, that if that car was ever going to see the road on a regular basis, we d definitely have to perform some major surgery ..now I've got a reason!

I decided that we'll take the body off the original chassis, sell the nail head , dynaflo , and all the rest of the chassis and drive train (anybody want this stuff?) We re going to take a 2011 Corvette Grand Sport that I have, shit can the wrecked body, use the chassis and complete drive train , and breath some heavy hitting new age life back into the old Buick. Along with the upgrades will come all the computerized crap (including A/C) that this new age offers. Now as it just so happens, this car is an identical twin to the one my dad bought brand new right before I was borne (in 1956). I remember many times wishing I could have that car when I grew up but my step dad took away any hopes of that when he wrecked it in 1963. It ended up in a junk yard like so many of the real cars of the past. Having my kids interested in these old cars really gives me a sense of peace and serves as a motivator in giving me the best reason I can think of for bringing them back to life . Some would say that the past is gone and it's better off that way. I say bullshit ! The past is not only alive and well in my life, but it's also a familiar friend to me. I choose to learn from it on a daily basis, and I let it serve as a benchmark in time to know without question, where and when Good existed!