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Fiberglass Headliner Mural on a 2002 Ford F150 - Sick Ceiling
 Stock Removal 1. The Skull...  Stock Removal
1. The Skull King has such a detailed paintjob, the headliner needed more attention than just a simple material cover. But, before we get into the painting, we are going to go over how to get it in and out. For the Ford trucks, you can remove all of the interior trim to expose a bunch of 10mm nuts holding the rear window in. This is the best way to get it in and out without damaging it.  2. The stock board is bendable,...  2. The stock board is bendable, but the new one going in is rigid, so either remove the rear window or unbolt the front seats and console and carefully take it out of the passenger door. Make sure the steering column is tilted all the way up. That will give you a little more clearance.  3. One last thing before we...  3. One last thing before we start with the painting, slide in the headliner and make sure everything fits. There are small variances from truck to truck, so this is your best opportunity to make any adjustments you wouldn't want to mess up all your hard work. Editor's Note: There is no way we could teach you in five pages what took these guys years to perfect. This story highlights the order and what materials are used, as well as some basic settings to complete the job, instead of a traditional how-to story. If you want a full education from priming all the way to the finest airbrushed line, Rich offers a 6-hour video of Terry and himself applying this wicked design. Rich also has a full set of stencils that were used on this project, with an available video showing how to use them properly.  The Painting 4. Rich laid...  The Painting
4. Rich laid down a few coats of poly primer with a SATA HLPV gun with a 1.9 tip, and once it dried, he blocked it smooth. Then, he coated it with clear from a SATA RP Digital gun with a 1.4 tip, set at 33 psi. Terry drew the initial design on a normal size piece of paper, then he took it to a Kinko's and had it blown up to create his pounce pattern.  5. Terry traced around the...  5. Terry traced around the lines with a pounce wheel that basically perforates the paper, which is the first step in transferring the pattern. Instead of using chalk like most people, Terry put some black in his airbrush and blew paint in the little holes left by the pounce wheel. That way, he has less of a chance wiping off the design.  6. Terry started drawing out...  6. Terry started drawing out the design with an Iwata HPC airbrush, House of Kolor White base, and about 21 psi of air. Instead of trying to just fill in the color like you would with a traditional spray gun, outline the design with a medium to heavy line getting lighter toward the middle. This will give you depth to your design if done correctly; try it on a test panel to get the hang of it.  7. Once Terry was happy with...  7. Once Terry was happy with the base, he started highlighting the finer details, by dropping the air pressure to 18 psi and throttling less fluid out of the gun-Terry calls this, "tightening up on the gun."  8. Now for another layer of...  8. Now for another layer of depth, Terry started dusting in-get this-a mixture of HOK White, Molly Orange, Maroon, and Black to make this color. Mix the paint per the manufacturer's specs. But, if your paint spiders (small lines of paint that blow out in different directions), it's too thin, and you need to add a few drops of paint to thicken it up.  9. Terry alternated his light...  9. Terry alternated his light and dark paints to create awesome depth and realism. The dark is the same mix with a little more black and maroon.  10. For the muscle tone, he...  10. For the muscle tone, he sprayed a light coat of Cobalt Blue before covering it with Candy Apple Red. He also went back over with some white to add in some highlights.  11. The chrome is a mixture...  11. The chrome is a mixture of black, blue, and white lines with a little bit of bone at the base to depict the reflection. Terry says the key to painting chrome is to paint the black as a horizon line and the blue to depict the sky.  12. In this image, we have...  12. In this image, we have fast-forwarded a bit, and what you didn't see was Terry covering the completed work with a clear masking tape or a frisket mask. He uses this because it's transparent, allowing him to see the work underneath so every element of the entire job will flow together. He used the HBBW stencil kit to set the pattern of the skulls with basecoat black.  13. Just like on the main...  13. Just like on the main design, white was used to draw in the initial details.  14. Instead of coming in with...  14. Instead of coming in with a bone color, Terry tightened up on the brush and came back with black to add the detail and depth. He says, "This will let the colors on the main design really pop."  15. Again, fast-forwarding...  15. Again, fast-forwarding a bunch here, Terry pulled his frisket mask, revealing the main image. This is where Terry put down his airbrush and let Rich take over to lay down some slick coats of clear.  16. Rich wiped the headliner...  16. Rich wiped the headliner with pre-cleaner then a tack rag, before spraying a few coats of clear to lock in the design. Rich says he put six coats of regular HOK clear on this bad boy, and what you are looking at is gun finish, which means no color-sanding and buffing. Rich has been spraying for a long time and knows just when to stop for a slick finish. Every time we try to get a gun finish this slick we end up big runs and sags, but that's why we don't paint for a living.
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