BODY SHOP PERFECTION

"A Tribute to Jim Wangers' 1964 GTO 'Test Car' built for Car and Driver March 1964"

CHAPTER 9

Greg Raymond

With the team at San Diego’s JBA Speed Shop transforming the Blue Car’s powerplant into a record‑setting engine, it was time to turn our attention to the body. For that, we entrusted the car to another group of masters: Patterson’s Speed & Kustom in San Diego, California. Their task? Prepare the body for its flawless Nocturne Blue finish.

We were able to pull the drive train and the interior out in short order and with a call to AAA we delivered the car to the Body Shop. The Patterson crew are long time friends and were

fellow co-workers at JBA Speed Shop. They have built some of the greatest show vehicles in

Southern California and have a rich pedigree in American Muscle cars, exotic Imports and custom fabrication.

Down to Bare Steel

Once the car arrived, the Pattersons took it straight down to sheet metal. What they found was remarkable. Thanks to more than 22 years of storage in Terry Saunders’ garage, the body was in exceptional condition. Rust was virtually nonexistent, an almost unheard‑of discovery for a 1964 Pontiac.

What follows is a visual journey through the bodywork process, right up to the moment we rolled the Blue Car into the paint booth, ready for its Nocturne Blue rebirth.

Down to the sheet metal

Primer and Perfection

At one point, I tried to convince them to repair only the affected section of the trunk. Dallas Patterson shut that down immediately.

“This is a 100% rust‑free car,” he insisted. “If the only issue is the trunk, we’re fixing it properly.”

And that was that. The trunk floor was replaced the right way, no shortcuts, no compromises.

Primer!

The only real trouble spot was the trunk floor. At some point in its past, a chemical spill had eaten into the metal. Nothing catastrophic, but enough to demand attention. At one point I tried to stop them from a complete trunk floor, but that Patterson’s wouldn’t hear it. “This is a 100% rust free car” Dallas Paterson scolded! If the only issue is in the trunk we are going to address it.

TRUNK FLOOR

Craftsmanship That Speaks for Itself

I won’t attempt to describe every meticulous step the Patterson team took. The photos tell the story far better than words ever could. Panel by panel, weld by weld, the car was transformed into a flawless foundation for paint.