Hot Rod Newsletter

            What do you get when you take the same basic technology as the bottom side of the space shuttle and insulate your street machine with it?     LizardSkin!   What the heck is LizardSkin? Funny you should ask… it’s actually a ceramic insulation that was developed by and old school hot rodder named Bob Call several years ago.  He wanted to invent the proverbial “automotive thermos” and figure out a way to keep all the hot stuff out of the cool zones in his own custom cars.  What is available today is an amazing product that reflects heat and absorbs sound, making it a great product for anyone’s restoration, restomod, or street machine.   It’s economical, can be sanded, primed and painted, cleans up with water, and is non- toxic to apply, biodegradable, and remains extremely flexible even when fully cured. In truth it sounds too good to be true, but Chris Bridges from KFEi made a believer out of me when he skinned our project ’66 Ranchero.   We’re nearly at the painting stages of the beast, and by the time this hits the stands it should be wearing its new colors. It was time to prime and paint the floors and underbelly while it was still up on the rotisserie, so it was a perfect opportunity to give our ‘Cheto a healthy dose of Shut-up! What really piqued my interest with this coating was the many duties it performs while all wrapped up into one very reasonably priced system.  One of the pitfalls of modern paint and undercoat systems is the toxic nature of catalyzed systems, making them downright dangerous to use without the proper safety equipment.  This stuff only demands the most basic safety gear, and is fast and efficient to use.   The “chero while suspended by it’s  bumper mount points closely resembled a Calypso steel drum set, depending on where you smacked it before this undercoating, and afterwards it sounds like it’s wrapped in a soft blanket. With the panels we coated we should see a significant reduction in road noise (as much as 20db.)  and operating temperature (15-30 degrees), as well as enhancing the sound of the rockin’ sound system that Editor Ford plans to install in this tub!   Read on and find out how simple it is to convert a tin can into a tight drum!
 

	1.  LizardSkin needs to be applied over a clean, dry, rust free surface, so we dealt with any oxidation in and around the bodywork, followed by a coating of Eastwood’s Rust Encapsulator to seal out any moisture.
	2. The blasting session did away with all of the old factory seam sealer. We decided to go with a high quality two part seam sealer from Norton on our unibody.
	3.  It’s important to  purge the tubes to make sure that equal parts of sealer are mixing in the tip, so I ran a few inches out on some scrap cardboard just to be safe.  We’re using a 10 min. set time, although it comes in a wide variety of application times.
	4.  Although the sealer will bond to clean rust free metal, our surfaces are primed with epoxy or High-build primer surfacer to ensure that we’ve got a factory looking, permanent seam sealer.
	5.  Sealing the balloon assembly inside and out will make sure Editor Ford’s seekers stay dry in any future road trips on rainy days!
	6.  While the sealer is still wet, use a throw away paint brush to force the sealer into the seamed joints give a factory looking appearance.
	7.  Although there is very little overspray, and the residue cleans up easily with warm water, I wanted to mask off the sheet metal panels to keep things tidy and prevent any unwanted sanding and prep.
	8.  You can still use LizardSkin without a rotisserie, a lift or even jack stands will help with access.  For a full scale restomodding like we’re doing here, the rotisserie has paid for itself many times over in convenience, as well as the quality of work I’m able to perform due to the unlimited access to all areas of our project.
	9.  Any machined surfaces or threaded captive nuts need to be covered from overspray. These nylon plugs from Eastwood’s powder coating kit work great and are reusable.
	10.  Chris Bridges from KFEI opens the sealed top of the LizardSkin two gallon bucket.  If your entire product is not used during your session, it has a shelf life of up to a year for future use.
	11.  Chris uses a slow speed electric drill and a paint agitator to stir the pasty insulation up. It has a tendency to skin over on the top, so “potato mash” the top before mixing to get a better blend.  Make sure you don’t whip the contents too fast, only about 300 RPM.
	12.  The application gun is a huge orifice siphon feed system.  You can purchase the gun for a moderate price, but loan arrangements are also an option.
	13.  The metal siphon tube is pushed into the top of the bucket, attached to a ¾ inch rubber hose that is clamped to the siphon end of the gun, and you’re ready to rock!
	14.  An air regulator is mandatory, as you’ll need a constant 65-70 LBS of clean dry air to apply the coating.  This takes a high output compressor, so check your CFM ratings before you start.  You should have at least 15 CFM @ 90 PSI available.
	15.  The first coat goes down in a medium wet coat. This is to make sure that the material doesn’t sag or run with the second coating.  In painting we call this a “setup coat” 16.  The transmission tunnel and driveshaft hump is a major source of unwanted heat to the interior of a vehicle, so Chris paid a little extra attention to these areas. LizardSkin is ASME tested and class A rated for fire. 17.  The second coat is hosed on pretty heavily; a nice textured look is the result of that as well.  This coating could be a stand-alone undercoat, but we’re going to shoot ours later with a semi-gloss urethane to give it a tidy finished look as well as a bit of added strength.  LizardSkin can be sanded, blocked, primed and painted so that it resembles exterior panels.  This could be very handy on outer firewalls or aprons.
	18.  A special attachment makes it easy to get into tight recesses such as doors, tailgates, and other boxed in areas.  This should contribute greatly to a quality “thud” when our doors are closed.
	19.  Cleanup is a breeze with warm water, but don’t leave it alone too long! It’s impervious to most solvents when cured so make sure you clean your equipment immediately after use. Since the waste is biodegradable,   hazardous disposal is not an issue.
	20.  The coatings dry in about 15 minutes, and are cured and ready to sand or paint in 24 hours if necessary. The dirty side of the chero now looks like a million bucks with new floors, and an insulating heat resistant coating that will reduce interior noise, virtually eliminate heat transfer from engine and exhaust, and greatly contribute to the overall feel of quality and Jeff puts is size 12 to the metal!