The premiere issue of Rumble (February '02) featured Spray Kats in the Company Spotlight. Back then, Spray Kats told Rumble they have plans to move into a larger facility. Less than a year later, the Kats are in their new home. The new location consists of three separate bays at 2500 square feet each, a substantial increase from their previous facility.

The first bay holds the reception area/lobby designed as a lounge where customers can relax, browse catalogs and decide on the perfect custom paint job. Spray Kats has always taken advantage of computer rendered graphics allowing customers to see artwork before the piece enters the production phase. Plans for the lounge also include a computer workstation where customers can view artwork online rather than seeing a printed copy or being dragged back to the office. In addition to the lounge, the first bay includes four production stations where artists perform design, layout and small-scale air brushing tasks.

All body work takes place in the second bay. This includes prepping the raw sheet metal by cleaning any wax and oil from the piece, sandblasting welds and grinding down rivets. After being prepped, the actual body work takes place. Body work includes removing any dents and using filler to smooth any ripples or other minor imperfections. Finally, the piece is primed and sanded.

The third bay houses the paint shop where the mixing room is located. Of course the paint shop would be incomplete without a downdraft booth. Spray Kats has two. Each large enough to paint a full-size, dually pickup. For very large jobs, a 68-foot downdraft booth is also available.

Spray Kats offers retail custom paint and also provides services for a number of custom cycle manufacturers including Carefree Custom Cycles, Swift Motorcycles and Wild West Motor Company located in Poway, California, but Spray Kats is planning to grow. In the past year, Spray Kats has doubled both its staff and production. The new location provides at least enough room to double again according to Dan Grumeretz one of the original founders of Spray Kats.

Though production is currently business as usual at the time of this writing, remodeling remains in progress. Grumeretz plans to have everything complete by April and will hold an Open House following Arizona Bikeweek. Anyone who wants to learn more about Spray Kats, check out some amazing custom paint or simply hang out in the customer lounge is invited to stop by. An exact date has not been set so contact Spray Kats for more information. The new location is 3846 W. Clarendon Drive, Phoenix, AZ. You can also reach Spray Kats by phone 602-272-8808, email dan@spraykats.com or visit them online at http://www.spraykats.com.

Ride safe, ride often...hell, just ride! - dpc