The inevitable had to be done. After over a year of procrastination/exuses on my behalf… Hooman and I finally got our li’l eight-six one step closer to how we planned it. The car’s original 1986 panda red/black combo needed a refresher of sorts… and she finally got it! $65: 11 kans of krylon, two rolls of painters tape, one fine-grit sanding block, one sunday paper, and two 5-hr day’s work… and I present to you – Atlanta’s ONLY white/black panda eight-six!

Step 1: Wash her down & remove excess drrrt.

Step 2: Wet sand any problematic areas (such as the Jesus fish a previous owner applied.

Step 3: Rattle-can the wheels ultra-flat black.

Step 4: Begin masking off windows, tail lights, & trim with painter’s tape & newspaper.

Step 5: Bust out the Krylon.

Step 6 (not really illustrated): Mask & paint lower half of car & hood satin black.

Step 7: Leave her sit overnight & start the next day with a fresh head clear of Krylon dust.

Step 8: Tape & mask the black portions of the car to prepare for the white. Use the sunday paper to aid in covering the black portions you already sprayed.

Step 9: Start the white paint application.

Step 10: With the white paint applied, give her some time to dry & cure.

Step 11: Take dorky picture of self with gas mask on. (BTW, I highly recommend one of these – especially if you’re doing this in a poorly ventilated locale.)

Step 12: Unwrap your work carefully and slowly… the paint still hasn’t completely cured, and you don’t want to destroy hours upon hours of work.

Step 13: Bask in the glory as the fruits of your labor are fully unveiled.

Step 14: More post-completion poses.

Step 15: Bring her to the surface & back into the real world!

Hooman and I are the biggest dorks on the planet, and we love every minute of it. We had to Initial D the thing. This was a team effort for sure. I was primary masking technician, since I’m so damn picky about detail… and Hooman was primary paint general, since he’s the rattle-can master. We could not have done it so well individually. I thank him for putting up with my time-consuming mask techniques… I think it turned out AMAZING!