D Car — July 2004

“The result depends entirely on the finish you are aiming for,” says NOBORUN. That matters especially for smoothing, which demands precise technique. Up close, you must not see filler shrinkage. “Maybe some shops do rough work, but I never want to. Honestly, I wish customers would allow more time for the job (laughs).” His pride in the work came through clearly to us. NOBORUN’s smoothing is beautifully finished, as you can see in the photo at right.

Finish with polyester filler and primer

Stage 2: shape it with body filler

Step 4

As with the aluminum filler, mix in hardener and work the filler thoroughly.

Apply body filler over the aluminum filler. Build up a smooth, flowing curve.

Fill fine imperfections with polyester filler The final filler stage uses polyester filler. Starting with aluminum filler, then body filler, and gradually moving to softer materials is what creates beautiful, flowing lines.

Fill small surface irregularities with polyester filler

Use polyester filler to spot-fill small dents…

The finish now has more volume than after the aluminum filler, and it is beginning to look like a proper smoothing job.

Polyester filler

…like this.

More filler…

Sheet metal

The harder body filler can leave small dents. Polyester filler is used to correct them.

The second filler stage uses body filler, the type used in body repairs. At this point, work with the final shape in mind. The goal is not simply to make the surface flat, but to shape it.

Aluminum and body filler layers

Finish by spraying primer

Spray on primer, then paint to finish. The Civic Ferio’s curves come through beautifully.

This kind of work involves repeating similar steps many times. The finished custom car may look flashy, but beneath it is a stack of patient, meticulous labor.

Sand the polyester filler smooth, then spray primer as the paint base. Finish by painting the body to complete the job.

Done! Only paint remains!!

Dry it again Use an infrared heater to cure the body filler. Some enthusiasts prefer natural drying, but a working shop has to meet deadlines.

Apply the primer carefully and evenly, since it is the base for the paint.

Sand the surface even more carefully than with the aluminum filler.

Sand smooth to finish

Once the body filler hardens, sand it level again. At this stage it may already be perfect enough for primer. The finish work is that meticulous.

Body filler completes most of the shaping! The same process applies to moldings and side markers.

Summary

Key point

This time it went well, but if any uneven spots remain, the process must be repeated…

The surface is so smooth that it reflects light beautifully.

If bumps remain, repeat the process several times.

If a ridge remains like the one above, reshape it and smooth the surface again…

The same basic process applies to moldings and side markers, even though they were not done here.

…to finish it.

I did the molding smoothing and matte-finish paint myself

Extra feature

Time, effort, and care instead of money!

I did it myself!

The owner chose matte black paint with no gloss at all to mimic a stealth fighter…

This car was built to evoke a stealth fighter and avoid speed-camera detection on the Bayshore Route. It is a hand-painted custom job that used more than 30 cans of spray paint. The owner also did the molding smoothing and metalwork on the fenders himself. It is a labor-of-love, Bayshore Midnight–style build!

Honda Integra [DA6] This DA6 Integra may seem like an old-fashioned base car, but it has been transformed into a serious street build. The goal of its extreme weight reduction is to get the car under one metric ton.

The matte-black paint is inspired by US Air Force stealth fighters and minimizes reflected light. The surface…

…is finished in matte paint, too.

With the weight reduced so drastically, suspension rebound is lower. Even at this ride height, it no longer scrapes underneath. Amazing!

With help from Style Cars, he did the metalwork himself, including smoothing the door moldings and rolling the fenders.

The playful owner’s obsession is a ride height so low people ask if it has air suspension. He blasts around the Bayshore Route at full speed in this machine.

The wheels are ultra-rare Volk CE25N, with only five sets in the world. Mercury Silver—an extremely rare finish.

Even the trim panels, excess bracing, and undercoating have been stripped out, and the bare cabin painted black.

D Car — July 2004

About this issue

Page 67 — English draft translation