Elvin Alvino, Jr. is a painter by trade so there is no wonder why he has such an eye-catching paint job on his latest lowride. Elvin first found the ride at a used car lot in the San Francisco Bay Area. An elderly woman had traded it in for a Cadillac and when Elvin came along, initially looking for a Buick Regal, the Luxury Sport model Chevy Monte Carlo caught his attention and right away, he knew that he had to have it. Get it he did, and shortly afterwards a set of spoke rims and some nice pinstriping were added to give it that lowrider look.
Elvin was happy with it at that point and that particular appearance stayed with the car for quite some time. A couple years later, Elvin decided to show his car at the Portland, Oregon, Lowrider Magazine car show with his fellow Uce Car Club members from that area. When he saw the customized quality rides that they were sporting there, an overwhelming inspiration came over him to go all-out with his Monte and make it into a show car.
Elvin had previously been working with a couple of guys named Brian and Quentin. It turned out that this duo went on to open up their own shop in Stockton, California, called Accurate Auto Body. With his ex-co-workers' help, they laid down the candy for Elvin, only after he did all of the prep work, including the sanding, shaving and masking. After they did their part, Elvin sent the ride over to Allen at Allen Signs in Salinas, California, where some elegant graphic pinstriping was laid down around the body of the Monte. When the car was returned back to Elvin, he proceeded to spray another three or four coats of clear and then bring the finish to a mirror-like appearance with some major buffing.
Elvin is very happy with the outcome of his '87, known as "After Hours," and says that he has a few more cool tricks coming soon. He sends special thanks to Brian and Quentin for their talent, and his friend William Walden who helped in a lot of different ways to get this car complete. Elvin also thanks his mother for putting up with making the Monte, and his girlfriend Michelle, who put up with his late-night, after-hours work. For now, Elvin has no plans to sell After Hours, but he would like his next project to be a chopper. Well, with Elvin's painter's skills, there is no doubt that his next project will be just as eye-catching!
| After Hours |
| Owner: | Elvin Alvino, Jr. |
| Vehicle: | '87 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Luxury Sport |
| City/State: | Castro Valley, California |
| Club: | Uce C.C.- Alameda County chapter |
| Engine/Drivetrain: | 305-c.i.d. with Edelbrock carburetor and intake manifold |
| Body/Paint: | Elvin, with help of Brian Grosse and Quentin Torres of Accurate Auto Body in Stockton, California, did all of the paint and bodywork. The firewall, door handles, keyholes, antennae and shaved vinyl top were just some of the major mods on the smooth body. The paint job consists of a silver base (PPG) with House of Kolor candy magenta and candy apple red fading. Allen of Allen Signs in Salinas, California, added the artwork and graphics. |
| Interior: | Premier Auto Upholstery in Newark, California, took care of all of the upholstery needs on the stock neutral gray velour. |
| Sound System: | An Alpine CDA-9807 head unit is the source of a system consisting of a Soundstream amplifier, Alpine tweeters and midrange speakers, and Soundstream 12-inch subs. William Walden of Fremont, California, was the man in charge of the installation.. |
| Setup: | Elvin and fellow Uce Car Club members installed a hydraulic suspension. A chrome two-pump ShowTime setup with two Waterman dumps and one Adel dump are powered by six batteries. Extended and molded upper A-arms sit above 6-inch cylinders in the front while 8-inchers in the back buddy-up with 2-ton springs. Four switches control the desired height of the ride. Almost the entire undercarriage was given some luster with chrome plating by Delta Plating in Stockton. |
| Tires: | P155/80-R30 Winston whitewall |
| Wheels: | All-chrome spoke Sinister |