Mastering Black Paint: Mick Jenkins' Art of Perfecting Classic Car Finishes

Painting a car black? Sounds simple enough, right? Well, not quite. When it comes to automotive finishes, black is the ultimate test of a painter's skill, and nobody knows this better than Mick Jenkins, a British-born Californian who runs Mick’s Paint out of Pomona. His place isn't just any paint shop—it's where classic cars get the equivalent of a luxury spa treatment.

Here’s the scoop: Black paint shows every tiny flaw, making it a real beast to work with. "We always start with black primer," Mick says. This isn't about making the job easier; it’s the opposite. Black primer means you can see every little error that needs fixing before you even think about the final color.

Mick's current project, а 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle, is a perfect exаmple. This car originally rolled off the аssembly line with its fair share of imperfections, but by the time Mick and his teаm are done with it, it's like looking into а deep, flawless mirror. This level of perfection doesn't come cheap. We’re talking a paint job that costs as much as a luxury car—just for the paint and materials!

Now, while Mick might make it sound like all colors get the same level of attention, black is in a league of its own. It’s not just any color; it's "achromatic," which means it’s technically not a color at all. This simplifies the creation process a bit, but mixing those carbon black pigments to perfection? That’s where the real challenge lies.

The paint itself needs to meet tough environmental standards, too. Nowadays, that usually means using waterborne technologies, which have gotten so good you can’t even tell they’re low-VOC. But no matter how good the technology gets, it's the human touch that counts. At Mick’s, they don’t just slap on some primer and call it a day. Each car is stripped down to bare metal, treated with an epoxy sealer, and meticulously sanded and shaped. Sometimes, this preparation phase alone can take over a thousand hours.

And it doesn't stop there. After the color coats are applied, there’s a marathon of sanding that makes sure everything is ultra-smooth. "The color-sanding is more difficult just because you can see everything," Mick admits. That Chevelle he’s working on? Just prepping the body shell for final paint takes about three weeks.

When the car finally makes it to the paint booth, that's when Mick's careful choreography really shines. Several coats of color are applied, each meticulously dried before the next begins. Then comes the clear coat—six layers, no less.

This painstaking process is worlds apart from how new cars get their color. In a factory, robots might do the painting and baking in quick succession, but at Mick’s, everything is done by hand and cured naturally, relying on time and precision rather than heat.

The truth is, achieving the perfect black finish is as much an art as it is a science. It takes a keen eye, a steady hand, and an incredible amount of patience. And for Mick, who starts his days before sunrise and oversees a team of dedicated young painters, it's all about the pride in seeing a classic car transformed into a show-stopping masterpiece.

So the next time you see a glossy black classic car, remember—it’s not just a paint job. It’s a testament to hours of labor, years of skill, and an unyielding commitment to perfection.

Source of images: Road&Track