Hot Rods What's yer thoughts on Earth tone colors on cars

describe "earth tone". colors found in nature? colors of dirt? colors found on earth? is it a shade or a tone? who made the list and why should anyone have to give there opinion of them as a whole?

 

...and then there is the option of "earning" earth tones.

 

I love Black hot rods and I own one, a coupe. My other one (a roadster) is a weird Tan color that looks like original Ford but that is only until it is near an original color, then it is obvious that it is not even close.
I have to say I love the color. I do like the straight color paint jobs I see. But you can never go wrong with black if you have a straight body. My earth colored Roadster!

 

I guess they're OK?

 

"Muddy colors" are awful.

 

I used to be narrow minded & thought hot rods needed to be red. Or black. Maybe yellow, purple, or some bright color. Flames, of course. Now, those browns, tans & grays are looking pretty good to me. There are several good looking colors on new cars. Saw a lot of grays I liked lately. But, the car has to tell you what color it wants to be. So, listen...

 

Navajo Tan

 

I really like them, but dont have the balls to use them personally.

If I prep a car for paint or pay for a paint job, I want a color deep rich color, maroon or darker red, dark blue metallic, black.

Id consider a a single stage earthtone on a quick respray of a beater truck or jeep, but it would be to downplay less than perfect bodywork.

Maybe these earthtones are for guys that have had a few dozen cars and just cant stand another red or black one

 

Never paid much mind to it but my '27 is currently an "earth tone"
Although it was only meant to be temporary

 

In general I like the "earth tones"..reminicent of the stock fat fender Fords OE colors.
I don't "get" that some would consider it a today "fad" color..they've only been used for 80+ years.
Agreed some new cars are coming out with similar colors..but they are always trying to be the latest and greatest every year in designs, and colors, even if the latest and greatest turns out to be from the past. The majority of the new car buying public is clueless as to what a stock color on a '40 Ford was, nor could they even identify a '40 Ford.
Paint colors, wheel choices, engine choices, etc. will always spark discussion, and hopefully everyone stays true to their choice rather be swayed by the general opinion of the masses'.

 

Your car your choice! If you like it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Not only with paint but everything else. That’s what hot rodding is all about.

 

'Earth' colors are those that resemble earth, i.e. dirt or things that are returning to their organic components ('returning to the earth'). On a color wheel, these would be mixes of red/yellow (shades of orange) with gray/black mixed in to dull the color to brown. Add a noticeable amount of brown to green, that can be considered a earth color also. It's also the color of decay. 'Dirt' is basically fine sand with decayed organics mixed in. When vegetation dies it turns brown. Foods (those without artificial colors or preservatives) turn brown when decaying. Poop is universally a earth color. The color on that '37 Ford I've seen in baby diapers (and 'other' places you don't want to get close to), the '32 sedan color I've seen on fresh cowflop. The lighter yellow-based colors like tan or beige mimic the end-of-life cycles of grasses or plain sand. Again, these have had small amounts of black/gray added to dull the color.

Red, white, and blue aren't 'earth tones', or green if no brown has been added. You'll rarely see 'earth' colors used on national flags. Freud could probably make something out of why some people like these 'earth' colors, but I'm not going there...

 

I listen...but most everything I build tells me the same thing...semi gloss/semi flat black...

 

I’ve kinda been liking that Toyota Tacoma color, not sure what’s it’s called. Would like to use it for my ‘36 Ford PU with some striping on it to kinda break it up some.

That’s the thing with painting a vehicle that you want to sell, metallic green might appeal to some, midnight blue to others, etc. if the plan is to keep it just please yourself, otherwise go safe with primer/flat/satin and let the potential new owner look at a somewhat blank canvas.

 

no, but Hot Wheels were developed for not fully matured impressionable young minds. There kitch color schemes fit their intended audience…….

Ray

 

They worked for me. My sister would get a dollar and I’d get a dollar when we went to “Jean’s Variety Store”. She’d by two 45’s and I’d get a HotWheel.

 

Is gray primer an earth tone?

 

Yes it is.....

 

When I see a car that catches my eye my 1st thought is normally not the color . But I do like earth tones on most 30s40s50s cars . Like most grays, tans, greens, least favorite color blue ! Who'd a thunk it !!!

 

I've said nearly the same thing about homes and other projects.

I really struggled with my own car because there are a few colors I really love but I couldn't envision them looking "right" (because they weren't). Guardsman Blue, Nassua Blue, 1960 Cadillac Champagne Metallic, a couple late 60s greens and so on... none of them would complete the car's "vibe" like black would.

At one point I felt like painting it black was quitting for a 60s era build but the more I thought it over and sat with the car, the more I knew it's "right" (in my head).

 

Every car in this thread started out with a good or great looking car to begin with. An earth tone won't change that, the car will look fantastic, usually regardless of what color it is, with certain exceptions. But a car that is somewhat homely isn't going to be saved by an earth tone. And of course, high quality body work and paint prep is going to lead to a great looking paint job

 

The best ones are on a dealership lot, FAR BETTER than those one inch squares in the paint chip books. There are some great, stop you dead in your tracks colors on some crap cars you wouldn't be cough sitting in.

Bob

 

Some kinda greenish monkey shit brown paint does not scream “hot rod” in most circles

 

Well before I looked at this thread I answered "yes" right away. After seeing all these pictures I'm going to say no, I don't like the varying stages of brown/green at all. Sorry @da34guy , still a killer hot rod you have there.

 

I'm seldom in tone, or tune, with anybody else.
Kind of a free spirit I guess, I tend to go away from the popular and the fads. I like to be different from the herd, but not so far out that I look like a clown.

I guess what I'm saying is, I'm a simple man.
Flashy reds and yellows and oranges look good on some rides, on others they don't. Some rides look better in "respectable" colors, lighter golds, tans, whites, blues, etc. Brighter colors are more sporty, the less bright, the more reserved and stately looking. Imagine a 30's Packard or Caddy, they would look awful in bright Corvette chrome yellow, but stunning in a golden brown. That golden brown would work on a Tudor sedan, but would look drab on a roadster.
Just my 2.5 cents, your mileage may vary, not legal where restricted...

 

To my eye, a lot of these '40s - '50s cars in earth tone green and tan look like something out of a military base motor pool. But woe unto anyone why paints their car purely to suit my eye.

 

Earth tones, make sure to airbrush the worm's in...
A good street rod would have a earth tone interior...

 

If you like earth tone colors just go join the Army or Marine they have plenty.

 

A remarkable degree of strong opinions and intolerance for another person’s choice about something that does not affect anyone except the owner.

Ironically, those with the strongest expressed opinions would not for a second tolerate someone else imposing their preference on them. Save your rage for something that matters.

What happened to live and let live?

Ray

 

You can paint your car any damn color you want. But if you want to reduce the potential buyers pool to the lowest possible number, painting the car a color that resembles shit would rank way up there.