Repaint Reporter

PPG GALLERY Photo provided courtesy of The Buffalo News. Staying true to the original palette, Carubba worked from old photos and recreated the boats' vibrant reds, yellows and greens using PPG Envirobase High Performance basecoat and Deltron DCU2042 Low VOC Speed Clear. In the paint booth, the boats were masked, painted, dried and the process was then repeated for the second color. Lastly, the boats were pinstriped and the museum graphics were applied. In total, the 10-man Carubba Collision crew spent 300 hours on the boats before delivery to the carrousel museum. "The restoration work is exceptional," related Proefrock. "As we like to remind visitors, with Allan Herschell rides, once around is never enough." PHANTOM REBIRTH This F-4C Phantom jet's flying days may be over, but it's never looked better than today with its fresh PPG camouflage paint scheme. You'll find this legendary aircraft at the Yankee Air Museum in Belleville, Mich., on permanent loan from the U. S. Air Force, and part of a historical Vietnam War exhibit. The museum had the jet—in disrepair— for several years. In late 2013, PPG got involved and worked with distributor FinishMaster of Farmington Hills, Mich., to help refurbish the Phantom. With hands- on guidance from the training experts at the PPG Business Development Center in nearby Wixom, a team of volunteers used DELFLEET ESSENTIAL ® ESU460 Epoxy Primer and low-gloss ESSS Single-Stage Polyurethane Enamel in black, brown, olive drab and desert tan colors to restore the jet to its former glory. As museum conservator Julie Osborne says, "PPG helped us with this project, and once the Air Force saw the finished jet, they were incredibly pleased with the end result, and happy to see the aircraft in pristine condition." The F-4 was America's leading combat jet during the Vietnam era. Its record-setting speed and ability to carry a heavy weapon and bomb load made it so effective that it was used by the Air Force, Marines and Navy. The Phantom's airborne agility also made it the top choice for the Air Force's Thunderbirds and Navy's Blue Angels renowned flight teams. The restored Phantom was proudly introduced to the public at a gala museum fund- raising event. Joe Carubba, President and CEO of Carubba Collision, a multiple-shop operation based in Buffalo, N.Y., usually works on cars and trucks. Recently, however, his 140-employee shop took on something completely different: six early-20th-century kiddie boats in desperate need of repair. Built in nearby North Tonawanda by the Allan Herschell Factory, best known for manufacturing carousels, the pint-size boats were part of the kiddie rides at Page's Whistle Pig Restaurant, Niagara, N.Y. After Page's closed, the rides became a distant memory. Then in 2012, an appeal went out to the region to restore the rides and place them on display at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum. Carubba was eager to lend a hand. "I love being involved," says Carubba. "I believe I have a responsibility to support the communities we work and live in. I remember taking my children to the Whistle Pig and how much they loved the rides. Donating our time and expertise is a way for me and my employees to take pride in the community." Carubba and PPG distributor Paul Ertel of Urban Paint met with museum director Rae Proefrock who explained the museum's vision: to make the boats part of the larger Kiddieland Testing Park. The boats were dented, rusted and rotted after decades of neglect. Setting out to pick up the half dozen kiddie boats was certainly a first for the collision shop's flatbed driver. Before they could be painted, the boats underwent a complete sandblasting. They were stripped of old paint and rust, and then sent to the body shop for straightening, body filler and meticulous surface prep and priming. KIDDIE BOAT REVIVAL 34

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