Car bodywork

A slick paint job sprayed over an arrow-straight body is a key element to a car that will make people stop and say, "sweet ride." Sadly, it can also be one of the most costly things that goes into the build. We have heard stories of guys spending 10 grand or more at a shop to get the body to show condition. Add that to the rest of the money you'll have to shell out for things like a motor or wheel and tire combo and you can start to see why it takes a big wallet to take a muscle car from busted to beautiful.

Since we here at Super Chevy are all about trying to show you how to save cash by doing something yourself, we hooked up with "Slick" Vic Sapien from Seaside Collision in Hermosa Beach, California, to walk us through how to block a car. Vic has 30 plus years of experience and has really earned the nickname Slick Vic.

For the sundries, we ordered everything except the primer from Summit Racing. That is right, Summit has a full selection of body working supplies that are competitively priced and were shipped right to our door. We didn't get the primer from Summit because they didn't offer California-compliant primers at the time of print. Summit has a line that can be shipped into California thanks to a lower VOC rating.

With Vic's knowledge and Summit's products we were able to get a '65 Chevelle fender nice and straight. Since most of the time involved in paint and body is the bodywork, you can save a whole lot of coin doing it yourself. Follow these steps and your car will be one big step closer to being finished.