Projects Black paint, let’s discuss

First, I will preface this with I have never owned a shiny black car, so bare with me.

I have been watching Bandit Billy working on his pickup and he and I have been conversing a little offline.

I am waffling on my original color choice for my next build. The more I travel for work, the more my mind wanders….lots of hotel time and airport time.

I guess my question is this. Once all of the labor for bodywork and paint is complete. How hard is it to keep a black car up? Does it require constant maintenance or the same as any other color? I worry about road rash and scuffs. What’s the tricks to keeping them looking like new?

Just curious.

Thanks,
Root

 

It's all in the placement of the comma.......

 

One big advantage is that Black is an easy color to match if repairs are required.

 

Black cars show the dirt, but if you keep your car clean, they are no different than any other color. Any dark color acts just like black, except black is very easy to match and do repairs on.

 

Lots to discuss here...
My '55 F100 wants to be black, but I have so much goin' on at the moment I just can't find the time to dedicate to each panel when it's all apart. LOTS of prep, (it's a 'truck', so they weren't perfect stampings)
My '27 roadster has to be black, it's a highboy.
The others are all different colors, but BLACK will demand care, inside parking, wax, dutiful wife to help pet the finish... Then park defensively.
But it DOES match easily, if repairs are necessary, as Dave & Jim stated.

 

I am looking at bc/cc. I have shot my cars in the past for other people, but never had to maintain them. Buffer swirls a biotch to deal with?

 

There is a big difference to having a black car that is your daily driver and then having a black car for weekend use. I had a black Camaro right out of high school and it was my daily driver. You would just turn around after washing it and it would be dirty again. At the same time my grandpa had a black 34 Ford and drove it on weekends and to shows and it was that much more keeping it clean, but it would show any scratch, dent, ding like you put an arrow and sign saying "look here!"

 

The 32 fordor took a lot of upkeep to stay looking nice.



My old beater is still sporting the black paint, or what's left of it that was applied in 1962, the fenders have primer after being repaired, It gets washed every now and then, which suits me as the passing years has mane me lazy.



That brings us to the old 32 pickup. the paint wasn't shiny and I liked it that way, it wasn't flat ether, it had a semi-gloss finish that was super easy to wash and it never streaked or got blotchy.



If I ever do anything to the old beater I might spray a coat of Kirker sg black on it. HRP

 

Bottom line, I love 'em, but they are are pain in the ass.

 

Big, Bad, and Black... EXPENSIVE.....Needs perfect panel prep, extreme care to maintain but well worth it for a few!

 

Well.. I have an OT black car and plan on painting my Model A coupe black as well. Black is my favorite color but it really comes down to how much imperfection you can live with. Black shows absolutely everything. Poor body work really shows up as well as dust and dirt. Your always going to get scuffs and stone chips no matter what. There are paint protection films that help but depending on the product have their own issues. Aside from road debris, washing the car with dirty cloths, rags or towels degrades the finish over time but can be restored by buffing and polishing. The trick is to remove dust and dirt with out grinding it into the paint. A good coat of wax or polish will help with this. This really applies to any color. In the end black is a pain in the A$$ but to me on certain cars nothing looks better.

 

My ot truck and sports car are both shiny black, and as we all know, are pointless to try and keep clean. Is flat black as bad?

 

I agree. Early Fords always look good black. Henry’s favorite color.

 

Black cars look better in the shade!
Also a Gino Vanelli song from the 80's

 

Mine is a pain in the ass.

wash with only micro fiber and dry with micro fiber or you’ll get swirl marks.

Use black ice spray wax after every wash.

California water blade also helps

I do agree. Easiest to paint and match. Hardest to make straight.

 

I think it might be easier to keep it matching, since I will piece paint this one.

 

View attachment 5526809

I use alot of Griots products.. The ceramic 3 in 1 works great... View attachment 5526809

 

I used to think so but never had to do it until my 57 Ford project came along. A year after Black paint job #2 was done there was some issues with the paint and it needed some repair. Try as hard as he could and it always showed a shadow at the blend line or just a tad off in match color. Now mind you it was the same painter and paint out of the same can. This resulted in paint job #3. 2 more years down the road (car has not been assembled yet) and an in shop incident required a Quarter panel repair. Once again, same brand but different paint shop and painter and exact color match could not be achieved. Now paint job #4 and I have no interest in doing the final build. I have now done a total Mo-Jo change and a different Witch Doctor for advice and just maybe will drag it out again to try to get it together and then just Sell it off.
So this was trying to get the spot job not to show. Paint the full quarter and blend paint to fog and then color sand stopping in the middle of the of door and polish blend stopping at the fender with the last paint. It didn't work.

Paint job #4 is just sitting. My Dog says "I don't see anything wrong" well that's the other side of the car silly.

Yes paint job #4 is steller. I have to wear Cotton gloves any time I handle painted parts due to rough skin on my hands from working for a life time. I have to be careful dragging any kind of electric or air lines in the body to work. I can't imagine this car as a daily out in the real world. Repairing black paint seems to be a no go for me. Maybe I'm just being to anil, but I feel a painted vehicle should look the same no matter where you look at it. I point out cars that have had doors or fenders replaced by paint mismatch while driving down the road all the time. I don't want to be one of those guys, especially in a car like this one.

 

I had a 69 Lincoln that was black and a low rider blazer .

they would both draw a crowd and looked like rolling art . ( nothing looks classier then black and chrome accents on an arrow straight body .


The blazer was acrylic enamel and looked great


The Lincoln was base / clear the paint looked a mile deep on that slab sided behemoth!!!

it was a chore keeping it clean and shiny , but worth it as well .


Shiny black requires more upkeep as water spots , finger prints , dust etc simply show more on black then most colours .

 

I work hard at keeping my car spotless, but for the most part, I just drive it dusty..
Every time I sell a black car, I tell myself, no more black cars. But then, I end up with another black car... The Pro products are the best I've used for keeping it shiny and swirl free

 

Single stage is an option. It’s just easier with bc/cc when painting at home. The base dries within 15 minutes, so WHEN I get a kamikaze June bug that wants to cartwheel land across the hood, I just have clear to contend with.

 

While I love my car being black. Its gets dirty alot here in AZ with dust and stuff. I am glad I did it but it will be the last black car I do. My car is base clear and now that I have been driving it alot its time for some touch ups which will be really easy with base clear. One point I will make it my black is a true black. No blue black or green black etc. I just used black toner and then cleared. Hope that helps. Here is a link to the build.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/227-bullet-coupe.1178986/

 

I've had 2 black paint daily drivers, have to accept they'll look good for 1-2 days after clean up, then look a little grungy every other day.

BC/CC black always looks hazy / plasticy. High quality single stage is the way to go, in my opinion, for a mirror deep true color black paint job.
Need to ensure good toners either way, black based toners, many are blue based black, worse yet brown based black.

 

Turtle wax Jet black keeps mine shiny and swirl free. Best thing I ever used on a black car. It's no longer available here in the UK . Time to look for something else.

 

my black 40 looks as good today as when painted in 2012. I have found when washing I use a "super-absorber" in one hand & follow up with a white cotton bath towel in the other hand. the shot with the blonde was shot 2 weeks ago.

 

I would only buy black cars for awhile, the reason being is that you can see how good or bad
the body work and lines are immediately.. When clean, there is nothing like a black car for looking
great. You take care of them just like any other color car. But that body work has to be perfect or
you will live with it forever.

 

I wonder how black affects the temperature of the interior of a vehicle .... I have heard a black car will be hotter inside ..... I wonder if it is a old wives tale or it is really a noticeable difference?

My truck was black original color so am just going back with it.
Living in Texas, I am considering two tone red with black just to help with temperature control.

To Be honest, I prefer a solid black color .... two tone looks great on some trucks.
Would a red top make it cooler to drive?

 

As it was already said.
Black is great when clean.