PPG continued its commitment to custom car restorers with a two-day restoration seminar at the company’s Business Development Center in Wixom, Mich., August 16-17. The class, intended for professional custom builders, hobbyists, OEM representatives and vocational technology students, focused on the challenges involved in the restoration process and highlighted PPG techniques and products for successfully prepping and painting automotive restoration projects.
Attendees received instruction from Jeff Matauch, PPG Business Development Center manager, and Charley Hutton of Charley Hutton’s Color Studio in Nampa, Idaho. Matauch has more than 35 years of professional experience restoring and painting award-winning cars. Hutton is regarded as an elite painter in the custom car world and has accumulated an array of prestigious honors over his career, including three Ridler Awards. The two men led the seminar with interactive classroom instruction as well as practical hands-on training.
“Custom automotive restoration projects can be complex, challenging and puzzling, especially when it comes to the critical stage of prepping and painting a vehicle,” said Randy Cremeans, PPG director of training. “We want to support our customers – Jeff and Charley have so much knowledge and they’re eager to share it. This two-day class is valuable for restorers at all levels.”
The seminars are designed to keep PPG customers at the leading edge of industry developments. Comprehensive instruction covered surface preparation and the selection and proper use of the PPG undercoats, topcoats and clearcoats available for different types of restoration projects.
“There’s so much to be aware of when restoring a car,” said Hutton. “We want people to walk out feeling they’ve learned something and have the ability to apply that knowledge when giving a custom car, classic or street rod a world-class finish.”
According to Mark Lauth, owner of MPB Restorations in Willis, Mich., Hutton and Matauch achieved their objectives.
“The PPG class was beneficial, giving me clear and valuable new information about the restoration process,” said Lauth. “That’s my business, and I’ll be able to use what I learned right away – tomorrow.”
Tom Roth, a proficient paint technician at Impact Collision in Grand Rapids, Mich., agreed. “There’s always something to learn at these classes. I came here to find out about new PPG products and processes. I also wanted to talk to Charley and Jeff and get their insights.”
Attendees received copies of PPG’s Custom Restoration Guide. The manual, created by Cremeans and other industry specialists, offers a real-world look into the restoration process. The guide details standard operating procedures for custom builds and restorations and outlines PPG’s recommended process for successful surface prepping and painting. It documents the techniques involved in all steps of restoration, from stripping a substrate to color identification and paint application. The guide is available online at the PPG website and may be viewed or downloaded free of charge. Also available online is an introductory video of the custom restoration seminar that provides an overview of what is covered in the two-day class.
PPG custom restoration classes are offered at various PPG Business Development Centers and field locations across the country year-round and open to interested individuals. Dates and locations can be found on the custom restoration training page of the PPG Refinish website.
For more information about PPG’s custom restoration class, schedules and locations, visit www.ppgrefinish.com or call (800) 647-6050.
