Veil Paint Job

Walt Prey applying his distinctive signature to Howard Gribble's 1966 Buick Riviera in March of 1969. The "T" in "Walt" was crossed with a minuscule hand holding a striping brush. Walt had previously striped Howard’s 1967 Chevrolet Impala and reunited with him at Bill Carter’s Van Nuys shop for the Riviera project. The fuchsia and silver Metalflake paint job with black veiling was applied by Bill Carter, with Walt adding his signature striping to finish off one of Carter’s best paint jobs. Photo from The Howard Gribble Collection.

Ralph Prey's 1963 Chevrolet Impala of Inglewood, California. Known as the Cherry Heering, photos taken in 1968 show it running a custom paint job by Dave Kent and Walt Prey of Kent's Customs. By 1969, it had been dressed up with a veil paint job by Walt. Photo from The Howard Gribble Collection.

Howard Gribble's 1966 Buick Riviera of Torrance, California. Built as a purpose-built show car, Howard's Riviera, dubbed The Uneasy Rider, featured shaved handles, hydraulics by Dick Saller, and a custom Fuschia and Silver Metalflake and veil paint job by Bill Carter and Walt Prey. Around December of 68, Howard brought the primered Riviera to Bill Carter at Carter Pro Paint in Van Nuys for a custom paint job. Howard had been in touch with Walt Prey ever since he pinstriped the Impala. Back then, Walt was working with Dave Kent. He had now moved on and was working with Carter, so that’s how the Riviera ended up in his shop. Howard and Carter talked about the design, and Carter had an idea about what he wanted to do. He suggested a Fuschia and Silver Metalflake paint job with black veilings over the silver. Howard liked the idea, but he wasn’t sure about how the veiling would turn out. “I had seen other cars with veiling on it, but I think I thought that we didn’t really need the veiling over the silver. Carter seemed to wanna do it, and it turned out that he was right. It looked better that way. It was really distinctive.” Veiling is more or less random swirls applied with a special spray gun. A decorative technique said to have been borrowed from manufacturers of household furnishings and first used on cars by Larry Watson. The paint job was completed around March of 1969, and Howard recalled that Carter charged 400 for the job. He also had to pay Walt a little extra for the pinstriping. “They were working out of the same shop, but their businesses were separate.” Satisfied with the result, Howard believes that the paint job Carter laid on his Rivie was one of his best paint jobs. The car made a splash on the indoor show scene when it was completed early in 1969. Though plagued by mechanical issues, the Riviera left a lasting impression before Howard sold it around 1971. He last saw the car at a show shortly after it was traded for Allen Duke's Bloody Mary.

Custom Cars Featuring Veil Paint Jobs

Ralph Prey's 1963 Chevrolet Impala - Cherry Heering
Howard Gribble's 1966 Buick Riviera - Uneasy Rider