PPG-Painted Cars and Trucks Shine at Shades of the Past

Cars and trucks bearing PPG finishes earned several key awards at the annual Shades of the Past Hot Rod Roundup in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Car builders Zach Ingram and Alan Johnson took two of the three prestigious honors in the new Street Rodder Triple Crown of Rodding—consisting of Best Street Machine, Best Street Cruiser and Best Street Rod awards—and Kevin Simmons took the noteworthy Best Finish award, while Dustin Foust and Jason Graham each earned Top 25 honors.

Zach Ingram and his shop, ZRodz and Customs in Knox, Indiana, captured the Best Street Machine award with an immaculate 1970 ’Cuda he entered. The car, owned by Casey Hornik and painted by Ingram, sported a radiant white coat achieved with a mix of PPG products: DELTRON® DP90LF Epoxy Primer, DPS3055 V-PRIME Acrylic Urethane Surfacer, DAS3025 V-SEAL Acrylic Urethane Sealer-Gray and DBC 2000 Basecoat, along with VIBRANCE COLLECTION VP2100 Primer and GLOBAL REFINISH SYSTEM D8152 Performance + Glamour Clearcoat.

Alan Johnson, who has been using PPG products in Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop in Gadsden, Alabama, since 1995, came to the show with a remarkable 1953 Studebaker he built for Paul and Betty Gilliam. Johnson and painter Greg Chalcraft used Deltron DBC9700 Basecoat, Global Refinish System D8152 Performance + Glamour Clearcoat, D8115 Matte Clearcoat and D8117 Semi-Gloss Clearcoat to give the Studie its distinctive and rich black finish—a paint scheme that helped the car win the event’s Best Street Cruiser award.

The show’s Best Finish award went to Kevin Simmons of Hiddenite, North Carolina, for his 1964 Chevy truck. Simmons turned to painter Michael Canter, of Muscle Car Accessories in nearby Taylorsville, to give the truck its deep black coat and vibrant, contrasting red stripe. Canter chose Deltron brand DBC 2000 Basecoat, DCC9300 CONCEPT® Acrylic Urethane Single-stage Gloss Black and DCU2002 Concept High Solids Polyurethane Clear to make the truck an award winner.

His 1955 Ford pickup garnered Top 25 honors for Dustin Foust, owner of Classic Restorations of Southern Indiana LLC in Floyds Knobs. Foust acquired the truck when he was just 13 years old, and then he worked on it little by little over 17 years to make it worthy of elite status in the custom builder world. Foust used Deltron coatings by PPG including DP40LF Epoxy Primer, K36 PRIMA™ Acrylic Urethane Primer Surfacer and DCC9300 Concept Acrylic Urethane Single-stage Gloss Black to give the Ford its gleaming black finish.

Jason Graham also earned a Top 25 award. His entry, a 1940 Mercury out of his shop, Jason Graham Hot Rods & Cool Customs in Portland, Tennessee, easily caught the judges’ attention. Graham built and painted the car himself, giving it a bold custom yellow finish with Vibrance Collection VP2050 DTM High Build Primer and Deltron brand DBC 2000 Basecoat, DBC500 Color Blender and DCU2002 Concept High Solids Polyurethane Clear that made for an award-winning combination.

The Shades of the Past show, now in its 34th year, includes hot rods, street rods, classics and customs up to 1972. Many of the vehicles are original, well-preserved models while others have been turned into customized automotive art by imaginative builders and painters. PPG is a strong supporter of the event and its participants.