Customs '56 Chevy 3100 project - hard time choosing paint color... See RENDERING:

I am ready to pick a color for my '56 pickup and it turns out that I'm indecisive and conflicted. I've been going back and forth for about a month now...and that doesn't count all the ideas and casually thinking it over for the last year or so.

My dilemma: I don't want this truck to look like every other truck. I don't have good enough old patina to just leave it alone (all the pieces are different colors) and I don't have the time or even really the desire to spend a lot of time and money to create fauxtina. I've gone through the main colors:

Yellow: I personally wouldn't own a yellow vehicle
Red: cliche and run of the mill but a possibility
Black: too hard to maintain
Flat black: about as original as college ruled paper AND doesn't hold up
Blue: about 8 different 55-59 trucks in my town are already blue
Orange: a possibility, but pretty loud
Green: blends in with my surroundings (live in the mtns) but the right hue looks good IMO

Here's a rendering of what I've come up with. I originally didn't want gloss paint, but I'm finding out that flattening base colors actually ruins the paint by making it porous, and I don't want to have all the time I've spent to be wasted on paint that will become chalky and look like crap.

I'm trying to find two hues of green that are in the yellow range (not bluish) that are about 3 to 4 shades away from each other. Brand isn't a big concern, except that I don't want to spray garbage on this truck.

What do you guys think of the rendering and any ideas on color and paint systems?

 

Have you considered a slippery and deep glossy gunmetal gray? Not silver, not gray, but gunmetal, maybe with a slight pearl so it almost looks oily? The lines of that particular truck are so distinct and the chrome would offset it just right so that it looked bad to the bone without the flames.
I am away from home right now so I can't throw together a photoshop for you, but that's what I think I'd go for.

 

I've considered it, but it has to be just the right color or it looks muddy, or plain. There are two in town wearing a similar color. It's so damned hard to be unique when practically everything has been done. I figured that the green with flames was unique enough that I wouldn't see myself going down the road or at a carshow.

I was TRYING to do pearl clearcoated flames over flat green, but the flat green is proving to be difficult to find in the right color.

 

GAWD AMIGHTY! You have got to do that double green flamed layout! No one will ever not remember that beautiful combination.

 

for this arrangement with this wheel treatment, i don't like the paneled roof.

as a striper, i much prefer the green. keeps it subtle.

as a painter, i use Auto Air Colors.

i would however just finish the flames up top and leave the fades alone on the lower (unless thats the by product of a shop job and unintentional). OR continue the fade theme throughout the lower batch. THAT would leave a pretty killer impression IF the sprayer has good control.

i like where you're going. spend some more time thinking about it.
you'll do the right thing.

Gloss. Gloss. Gloss. Gloss. Gloss.

i like the dark green idea, light metallic or pearlescent. micro flake and pearl in the flames.

 

I think that looks good, just add some flames on the rear fenders. Not so bright though.

 

I want to, it took me about a weeks worth of rendering and about 12 ideas before I came up with it. I wanted to go flat green on the body with pearl green front (pearl flop going to gold) but it's looking like I need to go gloss front and rear.

I have poured over swatches of PPG, Lessonal (which is also Nason), Akzo, Gennex tinting system, and even HOK and just can't find two greens in the same family that compliment each other. I want greens in the yellow family, not blue family. I still need to look at DuPont and Valspar, but I'm not too optimistic. I may need to make custom colors, which can be a major pain.

 

I agree with not paneling the roof. The truck also looks lower without the lighter color on top. The side panels are the same green as the hood...photoshop wouldn't allow the blending of colors to come through correctly when the side went to black as opposed to green. After seeing how the rendering came out I was toying with the idea of doing a fade, but it may become too complicated and could get expensive. And if my painter doesn't have the right touch, it could be a disaster. I think the paneled flames probably make enough of a statement as it is.

Thanks for the compliments guys.

 

I like the green with flames. If you decide on going that route I personally would go all gloss, but I like shiny paint.

 

yes sir the green looks killer gloss no panel on the roof i really like scallops on these also

 

If you're looking for complimentary greens, you should see if you can find a graphic designer's color book. They are pretty common, you might be able to find one at a bookstore. You might even have a designer friend who will let you pour over their copy for a bit.
The book contains thousands of colors and suggests compatible combinations. You might be able to use it to help you nail down the greens (and any other colors) you want to go with.

 

Actually, I'm a graphic designer. I have PMS color charts, but all 3 of the paint stores I have gone into told me that matching PMS (Pantone charts) is near impossible. I really need to find a paint store employee or painter who will allow me to sit down with them and mix colors. I may need to offer a case of beer or a few bucks, but it's probably my only way of getting what I want.

 

Try going to a paint jobber,they have books with "fleet colors" it is a stack of paint chips that are all the colors together,it would have 20 or more different shades of every color,in Dupont it is called Spectramaster,i think all the major companies should have the same type of chart,or try a larger bodyshop,they sometimes have the charts too. 37caddy

 

If you've got a REALLY good painter, you can do a Candy Green over a silver-white pearl base for the flames, and an Orion silver, with a touch of Galaxy Gray base for the body!

 

Outstanding truck. Two thoughts: You are right about black being a pia, but my 40 has been on the road for 5 months now, black PPG Concept and the looks are worth the effort; if you considered patina or older look, check out some of GM or Fords 50s-60s commercial paints. I recall several Greens which might look great with your truck's trim and stance. Best of luck with your decision.

 

x2.......

 

I don't even like Green and I think it looks awesome!

 

Even Ray Charles could pick out a nice color pickup from all of these.

http://www.google.com/search?q=56+p...UPH0H8Tm0QHyx4BY&ved=0CDQQsAQ&biw=853&bih=381

 

First of all, I think the layout is very interesting and has tremendous potential to be a real winner.

I like what you have done. I also agree with staying away from bluish greens leaning towards any sort of turquoise. The concern I have is that greens have a way of being trendy and that trend changes dramatically through automotive cycles. I know you are doing a custom, not a new car, but take a look at what greens have looked good to most people 5 years at a time over the last 25 years or more. Look at the green shades that looked popular or cool in 1975, 1985, 1995, etc, all the way up to the antifreeze greens of today (Think new Camaro...) I would want to make sure I did something that I would like as much in 10 years and that bright green would not be it.

I completely get your dilemma. Had the same problem when the 55 was painted 8 years ago. I liked the ice blues, deep blues, pearl oranges, golds, black, candy green, maroon and all sorts of great colors, but none of them came across as THE ONE. I ended up going with a rich deep Mercedes Magma Red with Bone White Tuck and Roll as a concession because I knew it would remain timeless and attractive, albeit not as unique as I would have liked (Compare the blood Mercedes Red to the more common Viper/Corvette/Porsche poppy red on the street rod in the background...)

Some people are completely cool with the cost and effort of re-shooting a car every few years, but I could only afford to do it once, do a decent job and hope it would hold up for a long time. So far, so good.

All that being said, I really like some of the unique but subtle combinations that are out their right now. There are some great tones that play on the classic colors of the 30's and 40's that will always hold through. The cool thing is that the pearl and metallics available today take those early colors and add a POW factor that was unavailable back then. If I painted my car again today I would struggle with a whole new set of hues that weren't available even several years ago when I had to pick.

I love the layout on your truck, but would consider more of a deep metallic olive color and way more subtle on the flame color, including blending of several tones maybe starting with the body color towards the front back to a much different tone toward the rear of the flames. Or, I do like the idea of a deep gunmetal metallic with maybe more of a silver color on the flames. If you went gunmetal, you would get a black type appearance/impact without as much upkeep. You could lay down red pinstriping around the flames and create a pretty cool look.

I guess I actually like the sort of green you have on the main body, but the bright green on the flames just seems too much. Well, just one opinion anyway. It will be very cool to see where you go with this one because the truck has a ton of potential to be one neat ride.

 

Be careful with your chose of a flopping metallic. Some flop from great looking to BUTT UGLY! I saw a color on a Harley that is green, but flops to brown in the shade, real ugly.

~Alden

 

One of my favorite greens has to be Cadillac Polo Green....

 

I like the Polo Green too. My brother had a Cad in that color with creme leather. Mmmm.

If I were doing it again, I might consider one of the orange/copper colors like below. As much as I like to stand and stare at that bright Tangelo Orange in the sun, on my personal car, I would definitely head more subtle towards shimmery deep orange copper like the other two photos. In fact, some careful selection of a variation of those bronze/copper oranges might look great for body color and flame combo together (with maybe a solid orange One Shot stripe around the flames for accent).

Probably not helping much, eh?

 

Wow, you put time and effort into this, not just a question out of left field with no thought or research. I applaud you sir!
This is highly subjective, so the following is just my 2 cents, take it for what it's worth.
I also think that the rendering without the roof panel is a better layout.

I have seen the flats come into style and think that they have reached the point of defining the 2000s. It will be just as dated in 5-10 years as Peach with Aqua stripes is now. For the time and effort to properly apply, and the maintaince after, I'd strongly sugest gloss, no matter what the color.

Finding the right shade for the main color will be a matter of taste. For the fade in the flames, you are going to have to trust the painter (or yourself) to be able to lay it out during the process so the final result matches your vision. Test panels are the only way. Gather up some fenders and flat sheets and start prepping! Those little rectangles will not be able to show you what it will look like in real life unless you are very gifted with being able to spot the exact shades on full size cars.
While there aren't many shades of Green, look at nail polishes. They have an amazing array of colors and various levels of metallics.

Most stripers will tell you to go with a contrasting color for the outlines, although sometimes they go with a complementary color like this. The Yellow looks nice in the rendering, but since you are leaning away from Blue toward Yellow in the main colors, this will pull it even more toward that. Have you tried other stripe colors? I'd imagine that once the paint is laid out, you will want to have the stripes custom mixed to really pull the flames to the final shade. This is where those panels will really help.
Maybe a Tan or a Silver with some Red in it to make the Green pop?

 

I think it's too busy with the outlines

But what do I know...when it was time to buy paint for my 55 Belair a couple years ago, I looked at the number on the cowl tag, phoned the paint store, then a few hours later I picked up the cans and took them over to the painter and he sprayed it on.

 

I agree with squirrel on the outlines. Here are the ghost flames on my Willys without outlines....

 

you are probably going to have to have the color custom mixed. my paint supplier will do it if i provide him with a spray out he can match. i have done spray outs with house paint from color chips from the hardware store but with the mettalics it will be tougher.
if you do go custom, have him keep track of the formula, buy extra, and keep a spray out in storage.
1 formula
2 extra paint
3 spray out to match to in the future if something happens to the above.

 

Have you checked the "I just painted my car for $50.00 with Rustoleum" thread?

Don't hate me , couldn't resist.

 

Well if you want to do something different, that hasn't been done since the 70's , go Root Beer Brown. All those colors are coming back. I'll see If i can find the pic of my buddies 57. I wish I knew how to do that paint thingy to my Olds on my Laptop, Any quick pointers?

 

THAT would be killer, but being able to afford that and having the right painter do it are both going to be issues. The buddy of mine who will remain nameless said he would shoot it for me. His work is top notch...many awards including Bailons Candy Apple and the Riddler, but his life has become complicated and I am having a hard time holding him to this...I'm afraid to ask just knowing how much time and effort it could take. If I don't have him pain it, I'm looking at coming up with a few grand or trying it myself. If I do it myself, candy is completely out of the question.

 

To me the flop is just as important as the color itself. The greens I'm looking at flop to either a silverish or lighter green or a rich gold tone.