As a boy this one really grabbed me and still is one of my favorites. That Revell Box Art is one of the best ever created.
Over the years, I've laid out a number of flame jobs for folks...including these 2 on my own rods. Never liked the "seaweed" look and preferred my flames to be a little more "meaty".
Always liked the way these were painted -- they don't overwhelm the car but have some "pop" because they are candy and change color in the sun. These were done in 1974 by Rody Kushnereit of Denver.
Also I think this Chevy is nicely done -- and strangely the flames are pinstriped in green (!) -- but heavy on the sides and then left the hood mostly black. This works well with the lines of the car.
Some how screwed that post up? supposed to be from me, not Dean Lowe, just trying to take the picture he posted that I had never seen
Your Dad bought the truck from my best friend/neighbor, Ted Wigert. We were neighbors in La Verne, Ca. for 40 years. Our buddy, Larry Fator, did the flames. IMO, Larrys flame designs are perfect. Thanks for taking good care of Ted's pick up!
Hi Dean, Thanks for posting that picture, I hadn't seen it before. Is Ted still around? I guess Larry Fator hasn't heard from him in awhile? I had Larry repaint the flames on the rt front fender last year, because I damaged the fender at Bakersfield a couple years ago doing push truck duty, had the front bumper off, and the push bar was on. My Dad Larry and I loved working on it together, going to cruises, Good Guys shows, and especially driving it from Phx area to Bakersfield to do push truck duty! He passed away from cancer in 2013, and now I keep it going enjoying the memories! Thanks
Ted is now in an assisted living place. His mind started leaving him and he got bad enough that his wife had to place him in a place where he could be attended to 24/7. I used to call him, but the last time I tried, he didn't know me. Makes me sad to think about it.
Damn, this one is a hard one. I have to say like a lot of men do about their first loves that the Bob McCoy flames got me good. What I didn't know at the time, and only found out years later when I was hanging out at Pete Eastwood's, when Dennis Ricklefs came by to stripe a T for him, and got into a story about Von Dutch, was that those who did flames 'back in the day' (that means a lot of the Old School Flame jobs we pretty much take for granted) didn't have the same tool kit as those today have. The smooth transitions that come with air-brushes weren't used and to do the transitions between say the yellow to orange, or red required wet sanding. At the time I was more focused on the cursing Von Dutch was supposed to have used, and his gnarly attitude, than the information I've just discussed, in the story Dennis told us. But, with hindsight, as with much that we learn from the constant reviewing of what we've heard, I have a deeper appreciation for the Old School flames (as I think of them) as opposed to what I've heard called the 'Lobster Claw School' with their almost too perfect geometrical perfection, not because of the amount of work or skill it took but because of the genius that those who did them possessed. Even though, when something is as good as the flames on Barry Lobeck's Forty, I have to say when something is spot on, it's in a class all by itself. Otherwise, folks, as with fine art, there are those who know what they're looking at, and those who like what they see, Beauty being, indeed, in the eye of the beholder. But, then again, the eye is connected to the brain bone, and so on. Education helps us form our tastes; and, this site is the biggest classroom I've ever been in.
35mm Ektachrome color slide film, Pentax 1.4mm fast lens, no flash. Hello, We must have gone to similar So Cal car shows back in those popular times. The black 55 Nomad was one that stood out from all the way across the arena and no one could miss the highly contrasting colorful flames. At the time, we thought the wheel and tire choice was a little off. It should have been custom chromed reversed wheels with mini Moons. But, we can’t count out the deep dish effect of the 5 spoke shiny rims. These flames are the early 1959-60 version of the crab claw flames as instead of going out and away, the ends are curved inward like crab claws. But, anyone that looks at this 55 Nomad sees only bright yellow/red flames as an exercise in artistry. To the common car show attending person, flames are flames. I took this photo at one of the numerous Northern California’s Andy’s Picnics in Castro Valley. It drew me like a moth to fire. The Chevy sedan was unusual as it was sectioned, had one of the best paint on the body and the flames with striping was pretty outstanding. Come to find out, the Chevy sedan belonged to SF Bay Area painter/pinstriper, Rod Powell. We were extremely impressed at that point. Jnaki PERFECT FLAMES? For a style conscious, teenage girl in the throes of high school, during this pandemic… 2012 PRADA FLAME HEELS Obviously, she cannot wear these shoes to drive, when she gets her driver’s license, but she might want me to install a back up beeper!!! Ha! With these flame heels, she would now be the tallest person in our current family. Geez… this old guy lost the pinnacle. (Besides, we knew the tall gene is sitting around somewhere...her other, late, grandfather was 6'4") https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-rodding-wife-do-today.1106922/#post-12691161 previous post: 1955 NOMAD CAR SHOW PHOTO Hello, Well, I love flames on hot rods and just about everything, within reason. Flames for the general public were/are not well accepted, mostly because they are a little garish. Some hot rods show well and others, it is just not right. When I saw my first flames on an old hot rod as a little kid, I have been trying to duplicate those flames when drawing. It is an on-going thing that kept me sane in high school classes and throughout college. When the lectures started flying out one ear, the flames started appearing on my notebooks or scratch papers. On drawings, it is fun to just create a pattern on corners, flying across the top or in a self- contained flame not connected to any edge. Let’s give kudos, to the artists, who can paint those wild flames on real objects. But, not all flames look good on a car. For some reason, to the hot rod enthusiast, this flame design just goes with the roadster. But, put it on another coupe or sedan delivery and it looks awful. Pinstripe flames would look better, IMHO. When I first started, they would have been called scallops. Then, as the lines got crooked, they began to look like very early flames. A friend told me to draw big swoopy “S” letter in a row until you get the swoop down pat. Pretty soon, it looked like a snake or a row of “s” slanted for effects. Most of the time, pencil flames on a drawing look OK, but try adding in color and fine line pencil outlining makes it look awful. I once purchased an air brush paint compressor, hopefully allowing me to shade in fine lines and colors to make it look nice. The airbrush was not for me. So, I sold the set to a friend for his art paintings. Years later, I finally realized that inside clear plastic, Lexan R/C cars allowed my flames to look somewhat good. The shiny Lexan made it look like some pro painter sprayed the colorful flames on the body of the little car/truck. Despite what it looked like underneath, the outer surface looked finished. The problem then, was having to draw the flames upside down from right to left, inside of the clear Lexan body. For some reason, I am a “left to right” drawing person, for just about any type of drawing. Jnaki Friday Art thread A great looking flame design by Philly the Greek… A perfect setting for attractive flames, especially made for grand kids. (white tennis shoe designs from back in 1962-63) When our precocious, little toddler of a granddaughter was hanging out with us 3-4 days a week, she liked my flame drawings. So, when we bought some white tennies for her, I wanted to paint a small flame pattern on the side or bottom rubber edge. NO!!! was the word from her parents…aaaawww... They are/were not hot rodders or have any respect for “classy” shoes. These days, Vans Shoes has pre-made, flame, slip-on shoes for those little toddlers. Now, just because they are made by a big name So Cal company, those little shoes could have been on our granddaughter’s feet back then. (parents: very brand conscious)
I love flames, but not a whole bunch. It’s easy to overdo it with flames. Flames should only be yellowish! Period.“ Joeyesmen” got it right! Just my opinion. Bones
Those Prada Flamed High Heels were based off my Merc. They used my Mercury for their ad in Vogue magazine. Still trying to find a pair....$1600.!
The Jalopy Journal
