On the same day that we got to sit down with automotive artist, Steve Stanford, we also had the pleasure of speaking with renowned automotive painter, Pete Santini of Santini Paint & Body. Pete’s shop is located in Westminster, California. It is staffed by just a few of those closest to him, including his son and a long time friend.

We asked Pete to give us an overview of his shop and the jobs that they cater to on a daily basis–he had this to say, “That’s probably what has kept us around for, what will be 40 years in 3 years, is the diversity that this shop produces. We do everything from regular collision work, some restoration work, drag boats, and dragsters, to race cars and helmets.” Pete told us that he’s even gotten requests to restore toilets for the homes of wealthy individuals.

He continued, “We’ve had very few lag times in work because of the diversity and what we can offer.”

One of the misconceptions of Pete’s shop is that he only caters to those who are financially well-off. Though Pete has received a generous amount of press during his career, from painting cars that have appeared in Rod & Custom to churning out more than 20 SEMA Show vehicles at one point, he stresses that there is a disconnect between the quality of his work and the perception that his services are unattainable to the blue collar enthusiast.

From our conversation with Pete we could tell that despite his status in the industry and amongst his colleagues, he is still a man that works very hard to earn his living–and he definitely takes pride in it.

Pete is constantly in the paint booth and going through the tedious process of prepping vehicle bodies for new paint. While he is the owner and a veteran who has earned his stripes countless times over, Pete is not the type to relish in an ivory chair delegating work. He is very much immersed in it, side by side, day after day, next to his fellow co-workers seeing jobs through.

Rod Authority: How did you get into automotive painting?

Pete Santini: “My father, he came to this country in 1950 from Italy without a trade. He married my mom to stay in the country and in 1955 threw us in the back of a 1955 Ford Fairlane–he drove us to California, the land of opportunity, and was a painter’s helper. He ended up being probably one of the best single-stage enamel painters in the south bay area.”

RA: How would you describe your approach to your paint jobs?

PS: “I always tell my customers, if you’re going to own your car for a long time, think about what you’re doing to it. Even with a single color, the color may be teal for the year, you don’t want to walk into your garage three from now and say, ‘My god, why did I do that?’ I’ve always tried to keep longevity in my mind as far as my graphics and even my paintwork.”

We can’t thank Pete enough for his insights and sitting down with us to answer a couple of questions. It was a real pleasure getting to learn more about a living legend and you can bet we’ll be reporting back to Pete and Santini Paint & Body to get the latest scoop on what they’re up to. Be sure to check out his homepage and give his Facebook a Like. Also, be sure to give them a call if you’re in the area and have got some work that needs to be done.