Up front, and before we go deeper into this update on Project Boss 340, we'd like you to take a second and think back to our last report on the project ride-the story that details fitment of our 'Stang's front fascia and hood.
The article, "Fit and Trim" (Oct. '09, p. 114), basically kicked off our '90 LX hatchback's cosmetic odyssey, which is being led by our friends at Raceskinz of Van Nuys, California, who have taken on the monumental task of whipping our drag-race Pony into eye-pleasing shape. With Boss 340 being such a special Mustang, we want it to have an equally special paint and graphics package.
Templates serve as canvasses...
Templates serve as canvasses on which automotive artists can experiment with different paint and graphics concepts until they come up with a final design. We found this '87-'93 template through an Internet search.
Regular readers already know this, but for the newcomers, the heart-and-soul of our project whip is its engine, the Boss 340, which basically is a 343ci EFI engine built by Probe Industries. It's founded on a Ford Racing Performance Parts Boss 302 block, and features aluminum Cleveland-style [canted intake/exhaust-valve layout] cylinder heads from Air Flow Dynamics, a solid-roller camshaft, and a unique Boss 302 intake manifold from Wilson Manifolds.
With black and gold established...
With black and gold established as primary colors for Boss 340, as well as white, red, and light/dark silver incorporated in the 'Stang's paint scheme, this is one of the first concepts that Cochise came up with using Adobe Illustrator. "Using Photoshop is the easy way to develop a rendering," says Cochise. "However, a Photoshop-generated rendering cannot be taken down into an adhesive paint mask or graphic package, like the type we'll need for Boss 340. Illustrator is a much more powerful tool for the type of work we have with this project." Obviously, at this point, the rendering doesn't quite have a race-car appearance, but this basic sample allows us to make infinite changes in the graphics layout, without committing to something we ultimately may not like on the car itself.
Building our Boss 'Stang has been A.R.E. Performance & Machine's primary task, but designing its exterior/interior appointments is where Raceskinz now steps to the forefront. Raceskinz is a car-customizing firm owned by Mike Smith and his brother, Tirrell "Cochise" Lazada-Smith. Enhancing the appearance of stone-stock S197 Mustangs, as well as Shelby 'Stangs (GTs, GT500s, KRs, and Super Snakes), through its lineup of unique carbon-fiber stripe kits and easily installed trim pieces (fuel-filler door, rear mud guards, and more) is what the company does best, so asking Raceskinz for assistance with our Mustang's visual flavor was sort of a no-brainer.
"The Fox-body Mustang has...
"The Fox-body Mustang has sharp, squared, and pronounced edges, unlike today's S197s," says Cochise. "I wanted to make Boss 340 look like it's moving even when it's parked at a standstill. The ghosting of silver over the gold and the base color (black), combined with the Mustang's sharpness, gives us that movement."
Our original thought was to completely wrap Boss 340 with a custom-designed vinyl graphics skin, similar to those that have long been popular in all facets of motorsports. For race cars, full- and partial wraps are cost-effective. However, according to Mike, "The lifecycle on a wrap-ours or anybody's-is much less than that of a good paint job, by far."
"When deciding between the two forms of refinishing a Mustang, the best thing to do first, is determine what the primary purpose for the car is," Mike says. "If sponsors and such are going to frequently change, a wrap definitely is the best way to go.
Project Boss 340: front v...
Project Boss 340: front view
"Wrapping a vehicle is somewhat limited to specifically using solid colors, as solids are the only type of ink colors that work with large-format printers used for vinyl wraps. The type of inks applied to vinyl wraps are not available in pearls or metallics," Cochise adds. "The paint and graphics we've developed for Boss 340 feature pearl colors that will pop under bright sunlight or even a track's nighttime lighting. Since we really want 5.0&SF's race Mustang to look like it was dipped into the colors, painting the car is a better move."
Project Boss 340: rear vi...
Project Boss 340: rear view
Despite having a game plan and a rendering to work from, the actual process of painting our 'Stang is still a bit of a ways off,as Raceskinz is also rejuvenating the inner surroundings of the Boss Mustang, with some custom treatments that include carbon fiber (of course).
The exciting climax to our body and interior beautification mini-series comes in an upcoming issue. For now, check out the radical artwork and details on the prep that goes into painting our project car in the following photos and captions.
Sponsor and contingency decals...
Sponsor and contingency decals are a major part of a race car's appearance-it's important to give those who support your effort their due acknowledgement. Working with Encapsulated PostScript files, Cochise is able to lay the Boss' signage (which will be vinyl, not paint) in an even, uniform manner that flows well with our Pony's colors and other graphics. Notice that while ride height in the rendering still requires adjustment (lowering), examples of Boss 340's trick Weldstar wheels have been added to the profile. "I love the Weldstar wheels. They're not boring like some drag wheels, and they're really easy to design with. The black centers will play off of (complement) the graphics very well," says Cochise.
Armed with a blown-up printout...
Armed with a blown-up printout of the final rendering (and after consultation with Mark Northrup of BASF), we headed over to Modern Paint & Body Supply in Canoga Park, California, to select the actual colors for Boss 340's paint job. Modern's owner, Danny Calgary, recommends we use BASF's R-M Series paints (in Black, White, Gold, Silver, and Viper Red) for the Boss' colorizing.
There literally are hundreds...
There literally are hundreds of variations of just about any color imaginable, as evidenced by this huge sample of silvers that we browsed through. Boss 340's graphics concept includes both light and dark silver stripes that will be laid over its black basecoat and gold stripe.
Showing an artist's rendering...
Showing an artist's rendering of a project vehicle to a paint supplier is extremely helpful for ensuring you get the colors you want for your 'Stang. We laid several examples of golds and slivers against the drawing of Boss 340, and made notes of which chips were closest to the colors we want for the car. In the unlikely event "shelf" paint isn't available in the hue you desire, experts like Danny are able to custom-blend products until an exact match is achieved.
Before any paintwork (including...
Before any paintwork (including primer) is done, the crew from A.R.E. Performance & Machine sets up the Boss' Schoneck Composites fiberglass hood with Dzus fasteners and installs its LateModel Restoration Supply Ultra Clear headlight assembly (six pieces) on both sides of the front fascia. As a rule of thumb, it's best to pre-install any pieces that require drilling the body before sending it for final bodywork and paint.