Paint job done on a Factory Five MK4 Cobra replica

*** Please note, I closed the Attitude Custom Painting business after me and my wife of 37 years owned it for 21 years
She passed away 9/4/23 of GBM brain cancer :(
Smooth sailing until all hell broke lose this Jan when she was diagnosed but goes back to the middle of last year.
I took three months off and I am now working at Bert's Barracuda Harley-Davidson (Clearwater, Fl) opening a 3000' body shop for them. I did their work along with Bert's H-D Black Widow in Port Charlotte.
I'll still be doing cars and motorcycles.
****
A recent paint job we did on a Factory Five ( FF ) MK4 Cobra replica
Ford 427 motor
Video showing the paint process including tips and tricks for the layout of the stripes.
Bodywork included smoothing all the seams along with fitting the doors, deck and hood
Stripes were laid out using Cobra specs
White stripes with a coat of Harley-Davidson Big Blue Pearl over the white.
Customer from Parrish, Fl
Source for diagram (thanks Eldon)
www.erareplicas...
See “progress pics” of this job (and MANY other pics of other jobs on our website)
www.attitudecu...
We’re located in Pinellas Park, Fl
Any questions, please ask below
1/8" orange tape used in the video
amzn.to/3kGlqAa
1/4" 3M blue fineline tape
amzn.to/2RLT3np
#factoryfive #cobra #FFMK4 #MK4

[@ScotWithOnet]

Absolutely gorgeous color. Blue with white stripes is the best combo for Cobras.

[@TAZattitude]

I agree, definitely stunning in person. Some good pics of that Cobra in the sun in our Gallery www.attitudecustompainting.com/gallery4/index/search/257

[@bryanpadilla2879]

The more videos I watch from ya the more I dig your style bro. Looks cool and. The paint seems like a cool guy

[@TAZattitude]

Thanks Bryan! Appreciate the compliment!

[@philtucker1224]

Wonderful! Beyond the dreams of 99% of the people on the planet, so very exclusive! 😊👍

[@TAZattitude]

Thank you Phil...I appreciate the compliment.

[@dieselyeti]

Except for all the other Cobras driving around?

[@damoncash5773]

Awesome paint job...

[@TAZattitude]

Thank you so much 😀

[@alant5757]

Absolutely beautiful paint job.

[@TAZattitude]

Thank you Alan!

[@COBRATV427]

Great job ! 😍

[@TAZattitude]

Thank you!! 😊 Appreciate the compliment

[@MikeyB_1972]

Very nice. Impressive.

[@TAZattitude]

Thank you Mike!

[@paulenriquez8772]

Do you remember the color codes? Your outside photos are absolutely dripping wet and glowing.

[@TAZattitude]

Thanks Paul. Definitely a VERY nice rich blue. I don't remember the code, but I do have it listed in my 'gallery' www.attitudecustompainting.com/gallery4/index/category/2964-factory_five_roadster_1965_cobra_replica as a 2016 color.

[@TAZattitude]

As far as the white, I believe I just used a bright white I had in stock, then I coated with Harley "Big Blue Pearl"

[@matiasaloha]

BEST WORK CONGRATS !!!!! SALUDOS DESDE ARGENTINA

[@TAZattitude]

Thank you Matias

[@Musclecar67]

Awesome job!

[@TAZattitude]

Thank you!

[@franmalatesta3314]

Hey did you do the doors hood and trunk lid all at the same time meaning no tape line on doors not a good body line to tape off or did you roll edge and paint the inner door first and paint and clear bottom first

[@TAZattitude]

You can check out the video or links I have in the description. You'll see I painted the doors, hood and deck off the car. I did not spray them at the same time though as the body.

[@mooosestang]

How has the paint held up? I see so many videos of 10k+ paint jobs with cracks.

[@TAZattitude]

I don't see any reason why a good paint job would crack if you use a good base and good clear. Don't forget, a small portion of the $10K cost is the actual 'paint job'. You have paint materials (in this case, approx $2000), bodywork, fitting and trimming, prep and body materials, stripes, wetsand and buff, putting the body on taking it off, along with other misc. The only reason I'd see a paint job crack, whether it's a $1000 paint job or a $5000 paint job is the underlying surface the paint job was painted over. -Fiberglass cracking -bodywork cracking -Use of lacquer paint which was always prone to cracking -painting over old paint or bodywork -use of hacker (lacquer) primer Please be sure to reply back with some links to the vids so I can check it out.

[@mooosestang]

@@TAZattitude Because of the flex in the fiberglass body i assume. seems to be pretty common with cobras. At least factory five cobras.

[@TAZattitude]

@@mooosestang They definitely are very thin

[@Accost2u]

Will you see the remaining inner red once the body is put back on?

[@TAZattitude]

All areas that were smooth red gelcoat were painted the same blue. The rest of the inside body is raw fiberglass strands. Keep in mind, the 'red' that you see was not paint, it was raw gelcoat

[@253speedgarage]

No 99% of the red inside you won’t see. I painted bedliner paint on inner fender wells.

[@TAZattitude]

@@253speedgarage That's a good idea just to be save. It's all rough on the inside. Even a black spray can should work fine for any areas you see. Thanks for adding your reply to Chris

[@tomwelch5302]

Beautiful work!. I've watched it quite a few times. I'm going to paint my MKIV at home. A couple questions. What brand of paint do you use? I'm looking for a water-based paint with as low a VOC component as possible. Any recommendations?

[@TAZattitude]

Thanks Tom, I've always just used solvent paints. Never sprayed water base. Good luck on your project

[@tomwelch5302]

@@TAZattitude Another questions. How did you paint the underside of the scoop, hood and trunk deck? Did you seal the underside of them as well and paint with the same blue color then flip them over when they were dry?

[@TAZattitude]

@@tomwelch5302 Been awhile since I did this job. But most of the time I will do the underside of hood, decks complete including clearcoat, then I will mask them up. Flip them over, then do the other side. I'm sure I did this on the scoop as well

[@dadokrstic]

When you say you fitted the panels, does that mean you did the trimming of doors/trunk/hood to sit properly in their respective openings?

[@TAZattitude]

Yes, to start all panels would not fit into the openings so you had to lay it on the opening and basically guess, then slowly trim away and keep removing, trim the edges,then check again, quite a few times. Doors were installed. We just laid the hood and deck lid in it's opening to get the gap best as possible

[@dadokrstic]

@@TAZattitude Awesome! I ask because I just got my Factory Five kit delivered and I’ll be contacting you for the the body/paint work down the line. I’m in So Fla, btw, so it would be a fun drive to bring the car to you when it’s time!

[@TAZattitude]

@@dadokrstic Sounds great...looking forward to it!

[@OscillatingLightBulb]

I've always been told to paint parts in the orientation they'll be installed on the car. ie. You shouldn't paint doors laying flat cuz they won't match the sheen of the rest of the car, instead, you should hang them and spray them that way. Does anyone know whether that's just for metallic paints or for all paints?

[@TAZattitude]

If you are doing a restoration, yes, it's a good idea to do them in the order that you will be working on. body, doors, then the fenders, then the hood and deck. It wouldn't be the sheen. It would be the amount of orange peel on panels spraying vertical versus panels laying horizontal when painting. If you are wetsand and buffing all panels, then it won't matter if you lay the doors, hood and deck flat. The orange peel will match if you do a good job.

[@tedd7028]

Why not use a laser for taping out the stripes?

[@TAZattitude]

I guess you could

[@shortattentionspangarage1312]

Beautiful work, and local too! Quick question; what, if any, prep did you do to the surface between coats?

[@scottf4249]

Thank you...Assuming you meant prep between coats of primer. I primed the body after bodywork, blocked the areas where the bodywork was. Then reprimed again. I use a guide coat to help find highs and lows

[@BKMDano17]

Wonder what the cost would be for Black no stripes????

[@TAZattitude]

I'd need more info. Feel free to contact us through our website

[@chancecoleman4418]

Wow! This is absolutely stunning. Did y’all do all the bodywork before painting as well? We may have to pay you guys a visit in the future if so.

[@TAZattitude]

Thanks Chance...yes, the hood and doors have to be fitted and the seems on the tops of the fenders and 1/4's along with the front and rear have to be smoothed in. Overall nice quality from Factory 5. The red that you see in the picture is simply a colored gelcoat from the factory. That is not paint. I'm guessing they do that for 'wow' appeal when you mock up the body on the car instead of your typical white gelcoat. We are in the Tampa, Fl area (Attitude Custom Painting...look us up on Facebook or Website)

[@choicemojave6655]

Ditto 😂 may have to do the same 👍🏼

[@ridiculousness7477]

Cost of this job please? Thank you

[@TAZattitude]

contact me through the website and let me know all the details I'll be glad to discuss it with you

[@dougallen3253]

Awesome work man,if you can remember,how many man hours did you guys have on the body and paint and buff as well,a shop told me somewhere around 290 hrs but to their credit,my kit wasnt a very good kit,even i can understand what they pointed out,it would be a huge help if u could remember the man hours,just want to make sure im not being taken advantage of,thanks brother

[@aurktman1106]

Here is a link to the stripe layout. www.erareplicas.com/427man/stripes/stripes.pdf

[@TAZattitude]

Thanks Eldon. The only thing I saw different was the grill openings on the diagram and the MK4 are not the same. Close though

[@aurktman1106]

@@TAZattitude I think that link I posted may just be for the ERA bodies. I will keep looking though.

[@robj2704]

No engine has the thump like a big-block.

[@TAZattitude]

Yes, I agree