In This Article
Most paint companies show their colors on a speedshape. Tommy Nelson, owner of The Spray Source, put his on a 1960 Chevrolet El Camino and rolled it into the TSS / Alpha Automotive Paint booth at SEMA 2024. The finish is Zenith over Mist Green: a solid Mist Green basecoat with Zenith Super Colorshift Midcoat on top, paired with a Wicked White roof.
Straight on, it reads as a clean, misty green. Walk along the body and ghosted pink, gold, and copper tones slide across the panels. It is the same Alpha Custom Colors system any customer can order, and everything you need to spray the color comes in one vehicle paint kit. Here is how the color is built and how to put it on your own project.
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Download the Free PDF →Meet the Builder: Tommy Nelson
Tommy Nelson owns The Spray Source, and he painted this El Camino himself in a home garage. It was a speed build for SEMA 2024: Tommy gave it a full custom interior, new floors, new wiring, a 2JZ-GTE swap, fresh suspension, and new wheels and tires, then sprayed the exterior and under the hood.
The goal, in Tommy's words, was "to show what TSS paint can do." All of the paint and body supplies on the car came from The Spray Source, in the same Alpha Custom Colors sold to customers. The Zenith over Mist Green Vehicle Paint Kit packages the color with DTM Primer-Sealer, HS Glamour clearcoat, Alpha urethane reducer, and AH-7100 activator, so you can order the whole system in one place.
The Color: Why Zenith over Mist Green?
Mist Green is a solid basecoat with no metallic or pearl, a misty green that holds up on its own. Zenith Super Colorshift Midcoat is a strong color-changing pearl with green, gold, rose, pink, copper, and bronze tones. It is a white-particle pearl rather than a colored pearl, so over a lighter solid it gives a ghost or interference effect. That is why Tommy's El Camino stays green while the shift drifts across it as the light moves.
The layers run white sealer, then Mist Green, then Zenith, then clear. Mist Green is rated for good coverage and recommended over a white sealer, which delivers its true hue and gives Zenith a bright foundation to play against. Zenith can also be sprayed over black for a full color change, but this lighter stack is what creates the ghost effect you see on Tommy's car.
Want to spray a Zenith over Mist Green sample yourself?
This color doesn't have a pre-sprayed sample yet, but you can build your own DIY sample if you have spray equipment:
Every Way to Get Zenith over Mist Green
Whether you're painting a full vehicle, a motorcycle, a guitar, or just touching up with a spray can — Zenith over Mist Green is available for every project size. Each kit includes matched products sized for the job.
Zenith over Mist Green Vehicle Paint Kit
$784.93 USD
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Mist Green Paint Basecoat
From$13.99 USD
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Zenith Super Colorshift Paint Basecoat Midcoat
From$22.99 USD
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Mist Green Spray Can Midcoat
$55.00 USD
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Zenith Super Colorshift Spray Can Midcoat
$54.99 USD
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Wicked White Paint Basecoat
From$22.99 USD
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Wicked White Vehicle Paint Kit
$854.93 USD
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Judge Zenith in direct sunlight before you commit to clear. A ghost-style midcoat looks subtle under shop lights and comes alive when the panel moves through the sun. Spray a test panel over your Mist Green first so you know how much effect you want.
What's Inside the Vehicle Paint Kit
These are all the products included in the Zenith over Mist Green Full Vehicle Paint Kit. Every product is already matched and compatible — no hunting across brands, no guessing on ratios.
DTM Primer-Sealer (AP-7541) — Direct-to-metal primer-sealer, tinted white. Seals the bodywork and lays the bright foundation Mist Green was designed to sit on. Mixes 4:1:2 with activator and reducer.
Mist Green Basecoat and Zenith Midcoat — The two color layers of this tri-stage: solid Mist Green basecoat under Zenith Super Colorshift Midcoat, a pearl with green, gold, rose, pink, copper, and bronze tones. Each mixes 1:1 with reducer.
HS Glamour Clear (AC-4521) — High-solids clearcoat that protects the midcoat and gives the shift its depth. Mixes 2:1 with AH-7100 activator.
Alpha Urethane Reducer (AR-3000 Series) — Temperature-matched urethane reducer for the sealer, basecoat, midcoat, and clear. Choose the grade that matches your conditions the day you spray.
HS Activator (AH-7100 Series) — Activator for DTM Primer-Sealer and HS Glamour Clear. Matched to the Alpha system so your ratios stay consistent across every step of the job.
TSS Cheat Sheet — Every mix ratio and flash window in the Alpha system on a single sheet. Tape it up where you spray instead of scrolling a phone with paint on your gloves.
Optional Add-Ons
The vehicle paint kit has everything you need to go from prepped surface to finished paint. But depending on where your project is starting, these add-on bundles can save time and money on the prep and masking side:
Bodywork Bundle
$175.00
Body filler, abrasives, and everything for panel repair. Ideal if your project needs dent or rust repair before paint.
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Light Bodywork Bundle
From $92.99
Dolphin Glaze finishing putty and OptiGrit sanding abrasives. Perfect for filling pinholes, minor scratches, and light surface imperfections.
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Mask & Mix Bundle
$75.00
Mixing cups, strainers, masking tape, and masking paper. Everything you need for clean, precise masking and easy paint mixing.
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Linear Blocking Tools Starter Set
From $236.50
CNC-cut polycarbonate sanding blocks with lifetime warranty. Produces perfectly flat, straight panels for a professional finish.
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OptiGrit PSA Sandpaper Bundle
$64.99
Complete PSA sandpaper set in 80, 180, 220, and 320 grit. The full grit progression for blocking and prep, sized for long boards.
Shop NowThe Complete DIY Process
Step 1: Get the Body Straight
A solid light color with a pearl on top shows every wave in the panel, so the bodywork carries this job. Strip or scuff the old finish, repair what needs repairing, and block until a guide coat wipes off clean. Work up through OptiGrit abrasives and finish at a scratch your sealer can fill. The Bodywork Bundle covers filler and blocks if you are starting bare, and the Vehicle Mask & Mix Bundle handles the tape, paper, and mixing cups.
Step 2: Seal It White
Shoot DTM Primer-Sealer (AP-7541) tinted white across the whole car. White is the ground coat Mist Green is recommended over, and it delivers the true hue and the best spraying experience. Mix 4:1:2 with AH-7100 activator and Alpha urethane reducer, then follow the data sheet for flash and recoat timing.
Step 3: Lay Down Mist Green
Mist Green basecoat mixes 1:1 with urethane reducer. Spray until the color is even across every panel, because this is the layer you will be looking through. If you are copying the two-tone, Wicked White basecoat is what went on the roof. Keep a Mist Green spray can around for touch-ups later.
Step 4: Float the Zenith
Zenith Super Colorshift Midcoat also mixes 1:1 with reducer, and it goes on as an effect, not for coverage. Keep your distance, overlap, and speed the same on every pass so the pearl lands evenly, and do every panel in the same session. How much you apply sets how strong the ghost effect reads, which is why a test panel is worth doing first. A Zenith spray can handles small repairs down the road.
View Basecoat and Midcoat TDS →
Step 5: Clear and Finish
HS Glamour Clear (AC-4521) mixes 2:1 with AH-7100 activator, with reducer only if your conditions call for it. Build enough film that you can flat-sand later without cutting into the Zenith layer. Once the clear has cured, sand out the texture and polish up through the fine OptiGrit grades. Every ratio in the system is on the TSS Cheat Sheet, so keep it on the wall rather than working from memory.
Watch the Build
Build footage from the shop — process, transitions, and the finish in motion.
From Bodywork to Finished Paint
Mist Green Basecoat and Zenith Midcoat in the Can
Zenith over Mist Green Walkaround
Ready to Paint Your Own Build?
The color from Tommy's El Camino in one kit: DTM primer-sealer (your white ground coat), Mist Green basecoat, Zenith Super Colorshift midcoat, HS Glamour clearcoat, reducer, activator, and cheat sheet.
Build Your Zenith over Mist Green Kit — $784.93 USDLooking for a different color or kit size? Browse all car kits →
See It in Action
Watch Tommy Nelson's Zenith over Mist Green build below, plus TSS painting tutorials and explainers — swipe through.
"I built this El Camino to show what TSS paint can do." — Tommy Nelson
Frequently Asked Questions
You will see it written both ways, including in the captions on this page, but the spray order is what matters: white sealer, then Mist Green, then Zenith on top, then clear. Zenith is the pearl layer that sits over the solid green. The Zenith over Mist Green Vehicle Paint Kit is set up for that order.
Over black, Zenith works as a full color change. Over a lighter solid like Mist Green, it is a ghost or interference effect, so the car stays green and the pink, gold, and copper tones show up as the light moves. Neither is more correct. Tommy chose the lighter stack for this El Camino.
Not of the full stack yet. The Mist Green painted sample shows the green over white, and the Zenith painted sample shows the pearl over black. To see them together, spray a test panel with Mist Green basecoat and Zenith midcoat before you start on the car.
Every Product Used in This Build
Zenith over Mist Green Vehicle Paint Kit
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Mist Green Paint Basecoat
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Zenith Super Colorshift Paint Basecoat Midcoat
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DTM Primer-Sealer AP-7541 Kit | Alpha Automotive Paint
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HS Glamour Clearcoat AC-4521 Kit | Alpha Automotive Paint
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Urethane Reducer AR-3000 Series | Alpha Automotive Paint
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HS Activator AH-7100 | Alpha Automotive Paint
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Limited Time Deals
Clearance & Flash Sales
Discounted kits, closeout colors, and flash deals — check back often, these move fast.
Shop Current Sales →This one is the boss's own build, so credit goes to Tommy Nelson for putting the color where everyone could see it at SEMA 2024. Follow Tommy on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for more builds and paint talk. If you want the same look on your project, the Zenith over Mist Green Vehicle Paint Kit is the place to start.
Want to be featured? Tag @thespraysource or email sales@thespraysource.com.
