For custom car builders today, one of the biggest expenses--and a make-or-break features of the build--is the paint job. Now, with the expert help of one of the country's top custom painters, readers can learn to custom paint their own cars, from design to finishing touches. With the attention to detail and keen sense of style that have made her the most sought-after custom painter working today, JoAnn Bortles offers step-by-step instructions for achieving that professional look at home. Her book provides detailed advice on every step from basecoating to artwork and airbrushing to clearcoating and troubleshooting, with special emphasis on designing and executing elaborate paint schemes such as flames, skulls, murals, and pin striping. Clearly written and amply illustrated, this is the ultimate how-to-custom-paint guide. Also contains an excellent chapter on realistic flames as featured on the book's cover.

Bortles covers everything from basic prep work to advanced finishing techniques. The techniques and processes can be used on any type of motorcycle from a production road bike to a custom chopper with extravagant bodywork. Among the topics covered are bodywork preparation, paint selection and preparation, a variety of painting techniques, and post-application follow-up techniques to put the best finish on a great paint job.

Clear, step-by-step lessons from the master in the technology and techniques of airbrush art for any vehicle or surface.

If your car needs new paint, or even just a touch-up, the cost involved in hiring a professional can be more than you bargained for. Fortunately, there are less expensive alternatives---you can even paint your car at home! In How to Paint Your Car On A Budget, author and veteran DIY hot rodder Pat Ganahl unveils dozens of secrets that will help anyone paint their own car. From simple scuff-and-squirt jobs to fullon, door-jambs-and-everything paint jobs, Ganahl covers everything you need to know to get a great looking coat of paint on your car and save lots of money in the process. This book covers painting equipment, the ins and outs of prep, masking, painting and sanding products and techniques, and real-world advice on how to budget wisely when painting your own car. It's the most practical automotive painting book ever written!

As cool as classic muscle cars might be, they're only as good as the automotive technology of their era. That's where this book comes in. With clear, easy-to-follow instructions, this guide shows how to give your car all the muscle of today while preserving the classic styling of your muscle car. In this updated and fully illustrated edition of his popular handbook, veteran overhauler and automotive writer Jason Scott takes readers through the step-by-step improvements that will add more power, style, and handling capability to any classic muscle car. Full-color photos accompany Scott's detailed instructions, covering bodywork and interior restoration, engine enhancements, transmission and axle swaps, suspension, steering, chassis and brake upgrades as well as many other changes that will restore-or maintain-a muscle cars identity while making it perform as if it were built only yesterday.

Billy Lane is the fastest-rising star among the high-profile custom chopper builders, and in this book he offers many of his secrets for building a chopper that will stand out in a crowd. This is the ultimate resource for any chopper builder-a book designed as a step-by-step guide to building any type of custom motorcycle. This book also covers custom-building beyond the chopper genre, including the building of "bobbers," an old-school style of custom that has been revived as a hot trend. Predating choppers, they are on the cutting edge of current biker "cool", for real riding, and are much safer and more functional than choppers. Billy Lane has been featured several times on the Discovery Channel's top rated series Biker Build-Off and the Monster Garage premiere episode. Plus, He was Easyriders Builder of the Year, and winner of numerous national Best in Show awards. This book shows Billy's inside secrets of constructing a complete motorcycle, from hand fabricating metalwork to adding the detail parts that will make your bike your own creation and stand out from the crowd. Hundreds of color photographs will lead the builder through the construction process.