Last issue, we left our '09 Suzuki Equator a little lower and sporting some new wheels and tires, which made a huge improvement over its factory appearance. The next step in the process to get the midsize hauler ready for the show circuit was to apply some fresh paint and bolt on a few accessories to bring our North Face Graphix rendering to life. We began this leg of the build the same place we left off - L&G Enterprises in San Dimas, California, which is an extension of the Custom Truck Shop, the party responsible for lowering the Equator. With the truck's factory finish scuffed and prepped, we looked to Summit Racing's new paint products to add the color and protection to our Equator. The Summit Racing paint products feature a high-quality single-stage acrylic urethane and we were eager to get going in order to see the new pigments on the all-black truck. L&G's Theresa Contreras was ready to apply the Street Shark's razor sharp, fin-shaped graphics.
Since the rendering called for a large black palette, we were able to use the factory GunPowder Black paint as the background for the two-tone designs, which are comprised of Summit's Ultra Pearl Blue and Gray Metallic hues. Check out how a little color from Summit Racing turned our mild mannered Suzuki Equator into a sleek and stylish predator.
The first step to any quality...
The first step to any quality paint project is in the prep work. While at L&G Enterprises in San Dimas, California, the Equator had its factory finish taken down a bit, cleaned, and masked for spraying.
Theresa Contreras, from L&G...
Theresa Contreras, from L&G Enterprises, began taping off the area that would receive the Street Shark's sharp side fin designs.
Theresa utilized a pounce...
Theresa utilized a pounce pattern technique on the hood that first required her to create one side of the graphic...
...which was then traced onto...
...which was then traced onto a sheet of masking paper.
Next, the traced line was...
Next, the traced line was followed by a pounce wheel, which created a series of small holes along the curvature.
The pounce pattern was then...
The pounce pattern was then lined up with the taped line on the hood. Powdered chalk was then applied to the pattern...