How Did You Decide On The Color For Your Hotrod ?

?????????? What ????????

 

When my neighbor (who owns a body shop) came over to the garage and said...

"I have a can of HOK black primer/sealer, and I can shoot it for you this weekend!"

I just couldn't resist that offer!

 

A funny thing about color. I don't think any one thing on a car can become so date-able as color. Every year I go to the Nats in Louisville and the GG Nats in Columbus. It's funny to look at the sea of cars at both events. You can look at that wash of colors and pretty much tell what year each car was painted. There are exceptions, but for the most part, it's true. Especially if the car has its share of billet. That's a fact.

Last year I went to the GG with a guy whose bike I painted earlier that spring. He wanted to paint it HOK Tangerine. I suggested he choose a different color as that was the new 'it' color. He didn't like being told to change his mind, but he thought, long and hard. He lamented over this for weeks. He finally came to me and said that he decided on HOK Sunset Orange. I told him that it was awful close to the Tangerine and he might be sorry. He insisted and I shot it. Like I said, late that summer, we were at the GG and got tired so we took the overhead tram across the grounds. It was halfway through the trip that he turned to me and asked when I could paint his bike. I asked, ’Didn't I just paint it?' He said yes, but he wants to paint it something other than orange. As he said this, he slowly passed his hand over the crowd of cars below like Vanna White does when displaying the letters on Wheel of Fortune. It was funny and sad all at the same time.

For anyone choosing a color, go with what you really want. But be careful not to choose something that will pigeonhole you into any group you don’t want to be in. My brother was looking into Ford Mandarin Copper a several years ago. Thanks God he was draggin his feet on actually painting the car. That very year, the copper trend took off in overdrive and he felt pretty relieved he missed the bus.

My wife is supposed to be choosing the color for my coupe. She’s waiting until the last minute and I want to paint it as soon as the body is ready. I told her that if she hasn’t decided by the time I’m ready, the car goes black. With flames.

Someone earlier said that he used what he had available. Should I use the gallon of paint I have available? I walked into my local paint store one day when the boss was out and the two kids that worked there were pissin and moanin about a gallon of miss-mixed paint that they needed to get rid of before the boss came back. I told them I’d take it and they were pretty hesitant about giving it to me. When they opened it I saw why. I walked out of there with a free gallon of Mystery Machine Green! I threaten my wife that’s what I’m gonna use if she doesn’t decide soon enough…

My $0.02...

Vance

 

This was going to be gray but I didn't have enough so every paint can in the garage got dumped in a 5 gallon bucket. It was composed of gray, satin black, hunter green, & almond. I ended up with a great color AND I cleaned my shevles of all that old paint.

I called it "Dump Green".

JH

 

I got so spun around trying to decide on a color that I am just leaving it Brookville red oxide. I think I will just drive it for awhile and think about color, of course actually driving it is a ways off, so I may decide on a color yet.

 

I'm a fag.....I just bought a vintage candy dish I liked the color on. Eww but even worse then that? Dirty T liked my green eyeshadow. Can never be too sure of those GMB's.

 

Detonator's link to the old paint chip site is a great reference. I also have access to the arty-designer Pantone books, which are full of a million variations you might not think of.

I start with the Pantone chips, cut out the intial things that catch my eye, tape 'em to my inspiration board in the garage. The board has pictures of cars, things that inspire me, things that look cool - so I look at it all of the time. Over time, the color chips start to sort themselves out. By keeping them around as I build, the right color seems to make itself apparent.

I am an ex-art school dork though, that is just my process.

Your car seems to be focused on function, as others have pointed out. To me simple colors would suit it best. Machine colors, not flakes or fancy stuff, are what would work in my opinion. It looks like a car from the days when drag racing was dirty and purposeful, but what do I know...

 

Gee, how about rattle can black with red wheels? KIDDING! With the WHOLE rainbow available, I think Black/red is worn out to DEATH. If i see another shitbox that's black and red i'll scream. You can start from there. LOL

 

Look at old picts of customs (of your model of car)and thier colors...and take a pick...there is nothing like a deep maroon/burgundy color....

 

I got grey hair trying to figure out what color combo to go with, and then gave up and let Bass figure it out. I could not be happier..

 

i USED A COMPUTER PAINT PROGRAM AND PAINT A PICTURE OF MY CAR IN ABOUT 50 COLORS AND COMBINATIONS 2 TONE.......TAPED UP THE PICTURES ON THE GARAGE WALL AND TOOK ONE DOWN EACH WEEK TILL I GOT DONE WITH THE BODY WORK.......ITS NOW RED AND SILVER 2 TONE.....HEY....IT WORKED FOR ME.......STAN

 

I use Roots same mentality. Neutral Colors, or nothing faddish is the way to go. I painted my last Truck a Charchol Metallic Blue (think Metallic Blue, with grey to tone it down). The paint still looked good 10 years later, even after my sister wrecked it and it was parted out and cut up for scrap. I painted my Puller Tractor a Light Metallic Jade (think Metallic Silver with green tint). It still looks good too.

 

My car talks to me. The conversation usually begins with something like, "Judy doesn't really need those new shoes as bad as I need new valve covers." LOL
Seriously, I agree with you. I must had a thousand different directions while considering paint during the build, but during the final stages, the car dictated the final choice. We will see if it stands the test of time.

 

I wish I were near the end of my project, however I'm still trying to make my way through the staging lanes towards the water box. One the fisrt things I thought about while designing in my head was color. Gray frame and suspension, orange body and maybe red 35 Ford wire wheels.

The other day I was mixing some paint for a customer.... I'm your helpless hardware man... and I wondered if I could paint my car with flat house paint. Hell there're a hundred or more colors to pick from and it'd be cheap.

 

I agree with roothawg, what era/look are you after? I like your ride, if it were mine it would be black or gold.

 

Thanks allot folks for your inputte and stories. AS to the era of this car, that would be the 1959-1963. It is a all business type of machine, complete with what will be a nasty 407 CID Nailhead and a square roll bar.

I'm beginning to narrow it down at least in my mind to Black, Gold, Marroon & Cream, but in a sick way, I like that Aluminum color too.

So, keep your stories and ideas coming ..... I'm reading them.

 

1959-1963 is the immediate post-Sputnik era. Pre-Kennedy Assasination.

Telemetry
Khruschev
Early Nixon
Fidel
Nasser
NASA
The Opposite of Whatever Detroit Is Doing
Viet Mihn
Madam Nhu
Jayne Mansfield
Mike Mansfield
Johnny Unitis
Formica With Sparkletone
Nike Missle
Darvon

You will find all of these in the Big Book of Color Chips.

 

It was not hard for me I seen the color of 5 of my Hot Rods in my sleep, BLACK.

 

I go thru the toy section at the local Wallyworld. Those toy designers have some great colors on the little cars and some other toys have unusual combinations. Several times I have gotton ideas there.

 

There's only two worth having, flip a coin, heads it's Satin Black Rattle Can, Tails - it's Matt black rattle can...

 

My sick bodyman painted it primer yellow.

I didnt know what color I was gonna paint it. Until I read the anti-pink car post in Ole Skool Rods about a year and some ago.

WHen rods were new, and gas was cheap. Rodders painted thier rods bright colors as to stand out from the mondanes.

It seems that some think only ass holes would paint there rods pink these days.

I knew I had to be the brightest ass hole around.

 

Here I sprayed it aluminum

 

Colour really is a difficult decision if you get away from the traditional choices. I work at the Design Center at GM, and they have these old colour archives from the 50s and 60s with the colour swatches they chose for particular years. I wish I could have enough cars to put those on. But it does a great job depicting how a darker tone affects its presence or a little metallic will "pop" the highlights.

 

Coyote-piss poly huh?? Thats just the color I was looking for !!

 

My '34 Ford, I painted 25yrs ago. Vinyard Grn body with black fenders (stock colors) I restored it minus a few changes. Through the yrs, dropped axel, full flat, 4 spd toploader, 9" axels in colombia rear with closed drive. The color looks good on a perfect resto rod.
Try those original colors.

Cdan34

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (with the o's voice getting further and further away). Tell me it isnt so Root! I love the color of your 36. It is a great color.

So, ummmm, how close to the same color as your dad's 36 are we talking here?

 

I was looking at those colors last night.......