I did do a search, and the last time a similar topic came up, it was 2003, and it was just a red oxide vs. black color decision so I'm going to ask specifically: Why black primer? Even "back when" they made primer in red oxide, white and grey, Why so many black primer cars now? I've seen cars destined for light color gloss paint later painted with black primer. Why? I'm not talking about black basecoat or epoxy primer over finished bodywork, I'm talking about Rustoleum-over-bugs-and-rust black primer. I would think plain old Rustoleum gloss paint would protect better than primer, it'll shed water for a little while, primer holds the moisture to the metal. I guess what I am asking is what was your rationale when you decided paint your car black primer? P.S. I haven't even started the bodywork on mine, I just hit it with Ace Hardware navy blue spray bomb enamel, it's all gotta come off via media blast for final bodywork, so why not protect it a little AND be all one color. That was my rationale for what I did. That, and I'm po'.
I liked the satin black look of 53-54 chevies, and I bought a already black car with back oxidation and burn though, so I figured what the hell. $8 paint job until I can get the holes filled, rust fixed, dents popped, etc. I will paint it pearl white/pearl light blue this winter, hopefully.
Back in the late sixties and early seventys it seemed like everyone painted their cars metallic blue Why? The same with primer it is just what is popular at any given time. I have a half dozen in primer at this time. Only Our wrecker is red oxide the rest are black. We primer them to make them one color as they were put together with parts from several different vehicles. Primer does not protect metal from the elements. Primer is porus if it wasnt it wouldnt be a good primer.I dont sand on the original paint just wash it and prime. I take a wire brush on a drill to the surface rust then use a rust converter. on top of the rust converter i spray some sealer or enamel and prime over that. the fastest way to turn your car into surface rust is to sand or stripp the paint then pirmer it. Do that and it will surface rust in the garage. It will surface rust even faster under a car cover. OldWolf
could it be the hooker effect? cheap , fast and easy! i did this myself with black primer just for the simple reason to make it all one color , but the primer will eventually all have to come off , i quess i just made more work for myself..
My reasoning behind my use is simple,,I am not nor have I ever claimed to be a body and paint man. Even my Hamb name proclaims,,,,HOTRODPRIMER I have been accused of using primer for years,,,yeah,,gray,red and yes,,,, even black,,,, HRP
Black, or any dark color, looks mean and sinister. Everyone wants to be a little bit of a rebel or a "Bad Boy".
Cause it looks EVIL! Goes with all the skulls, spiderwebs, devil heads, monsters, etc. that belong on Rods and Kustoms.
I think that flat black hides imperfections better... You can make all the little things you don't like and are too lazy to fix go away rather eaisly.
Black primer is plain, cheap and easy. any time your primered car gets a ding or a scratch, you run down to the local auto parts store and you buy primer for bout a buck o five . Plain cheap and easy .
Ive got a buddy of mine thats in his mid 60s, and the first time I went to his place to see his toys it blew me away that they were all in primer. 32 ford 3 window in black primer built in the 60s. 34 ford tudor in black primer built in the 60s. 1918 steel t-bucket in black primer built in the 60s. 34 ford p.u. in gray primer built in the seventies. 58 Impala convert in black primer that he bought in 61. His joke when I commented on them being in primer was "hell yeah! You young guys didnt invent this shit!" He also backed up the point that black just looks good.
Also black or dark colors make the car body appear smaller and light colors make them appear bigger. Just something to consider when picking a color so you get the "look" you want. overspray
I just did my 55 Chevy in primer yesterday. It was left over industrial primer from doing my frame and kind of a ugly blue green tint. So, the paint shop guys added tint to get it as dark as possible - for free! The car already had a metal etching primer applied after media blasting. And I don't want to wait for fancy body work and paint anyway. Besides, bondo won't make it any quicker. It turned out to have a charchol color with a slight blue tint. Very bad ass with simple chrome steelies. Cost - Zero. And every dent is right where I planned them. Ready for graphics and the drags.
Pretty much right on. Black primer isn't something new! Hotrods have been black and/or primer forever, just comes and goes a bit. It's just been a bit excessive as of late... like flames!
The original plan for my roadster was a tealish / aquaish body and chassis with a white interior, but the money was tight and the Rustoleum gloss black chassis and flat black body was cheaper, easier and quicker. That was 10 years ago now. LOL Funny how the time is flyin by. Anyway... It'll probably never get that "final paint job" I had planned just because I don't think I would wanna change what I did back when I knew it all at the ripe old age of 23. Part of me would like to blow it all back apart and redo some of things that I'm not very proud of, but part of me wants to keep it just the way I originally did it just for memories sake. And... I've been told the black makes it look tuff and the teal / aqua & white would make it look like a streetrod... less of hotrod I guess. Either way, I have too many other projects to take up my time than going back to redo a "finished" one. So, black she will stay until I die and then someone else will get to decide what she should look like.
I had my car in black primer for Billetproof Detroit last year, but that was only to get it one color for the show. Since then I've got the body work done and decided to go with red oxide and I don't regret the decision one bit. Its some old laquer primer and I actually get about the same amount of compliments on the color and "When you gonna paint it?" questions. Here's a before and after.
cause it hides my fuck-ups! haha well, mine was in DP90 when I got it... I stripped it down to metal, started doing my repairs and low and behold, life got in the way and it's driving season and I'm still not done... so I'm shooting it in black again this weekend so I can at least drive it while I work on it....
It's a fad. I've been in the paint biz since '72. If you watch the car hobby, things change every few years, and most people follow whatever is currently popular. I shot my first flat black jobs about 10 years ago, so this trend has held on longer than most. It is probably a result of the young people coming into the hobby on a limited budget, the trend toward nostalgic cars, and black is a masculine and sinister color. Gloss black has always been a solid choice for rods, for exactly that reason. The big difference is that gloss black requires an exceptional prep job, which many painters are not capable of. It is also hard to care for. Switching to a flat makes it inexpensive, easy care, and still has that "mean" look. The trend away from it is already starting, but it will probably still be popular for 5 more years, making it one of the longest trends I've seen, since I got interested in '58! If you want to stand out from the crowd, this is the worst choice of all, since it has become almost "generic", but if a person wanted to sell a rod, I would recommend this color for it's broad popularity. Your car, your choice.
Finally someone who's been around said it. I've been researching old photos, and just got this book: Not one primered car in it.
Richard,,,I had a red primered strip down model A in back the 60's,,,,Primered cars NEVER got press,, The magazines showed finished cars for the most part,,,and cars that were done to the standards of their time. Granted,, flat black is in vouge mainly because of lashback against the over use of easter egg street rod ugly crap. and the nasty Rat Rod in your face attitude! HRP
It is obviously a fact that primered rods have always been a part of the hobby. Since I got personally involved in building in '65, I have always seen them around. The big differences I see are that, black was a rarity in my region, (it was usually gray or red), they were only a small percentage of cars, at any given time, and they were not done to make a statement, but rather a part of the building process. You won't see them in old magazines, because builders did not think of them as being worthy of being publicly showcased, until finished.
While I'm sharing some observations of the rod evolution..... I lost everything about 1990, due to the fact that I ran my business like everything was going to stay the same. That was about the time "resto rods" were popular, and kit cars and Corvette restos were huge. I made decisions based on following only the most popular current choices in cars.....until they quickly faded, and I could not recover fast enough to stay afloat. After that, I started to pay more attention to shrinking and emerging trends. I now see that the hot rod hobby goes though periods of change, when many builders are looking for something new and different....then it goes through periods of "status quo" when they like the current definition of what a "correct build" is, and everyone resisits change. These periods of stability are usually at least 5 years long, with at least 5 years of "readjustment" to the next established style. That is why I am surprised at the length of "flat black" being the most popular color, because usually, the more popular a trend, the faster it burns out. I'll get my crystal ball out again, and predict that late '50s and early sixties styles are the next big thing. You can see it in the flake jobs, nice custom body work, and chrome wheels that are showing up here in larger numbers.
I hope you are right. I've always prefered glittery and shiney over dull and flat. No knock on anyones elses preference. Just noting mine. Metalflake gives me wood. I can also now afford to get a car painted where that wasn't always the case. Finances have also played a role as noted.
I will tell you why so many Black Primer jobs its Affordable! <br> back in the 50's the Money was tight and Building a Rod was going to the Junk Yard <br> and scrounging for parts to go on your Rod <br> and it cost 15 dollars to shoot a whole Car ( 50 Merc ) and you asked the guy to put a little Black paint in the Primer <br> since it was Gray Light Gray or Red Primer <br> just my 3 cents!
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