History What was the color of choice in the 60's on deuce frames?

I am trying to decide on a period correct frame color. This is on a 30 A, no fenders coupe. I have seen a few show cars that were body color but what was the norm for the street cars/drag cars of the era? I was leaning towards a gloss black but I am undecided. The body color would be a different color.

 

Take this as a guess but I think you are talking about the early '60's? The last great era of making your car or motorcycle as "un stock" as possible. That would in my opinion be a matching colored frame to body. I know in motorcycles a matching colored frame to tank and fenders automatically put you one step above a stripped stocker. If you have any molded or ground fillets and rounds I would think painting the frame black would hide all that nice detail. I think the ultimate would be a chromed frame for that era.

 

Actually this car screams 1965-66 era.

 

Anything before 1967 I would call the "early era". Let me check my library for Andy's book for the sixties and I will get back to you.

In Southard's book, lots of the street cars had matching color frames and bodys. Also interesting though, is a 2 tone (for lack of a better term) effect. One color for the body, then a different color for the engine block and frame. That made a nice effect. especially if the shock towers, shocks, block, and frame all had the same color. Then maybe pinstriping on the frame the color of the body.

 

I just looked and was surprised...
Andy's books show mostly indoor "show cars"
and 90% have body color or body color coordinated frames.
Remember though, those are just the cars Andy liked and took pics of.

 

I was leaning towards a silver with red engine and red upholstery and maybe the black frame.

I am afraid it may change the flow of the body if it is a stark contrast.

 

I don't think a black frame would look good with silver body and red engine/interior....

 

Too many colors?

I don't wanna look like the stockyards pimp......

 

Yea, might be. Depends on the car though. I was just studying the Tognotti coupe, you almost don't see the frame because of the exhausts and the channel job.

 

That's what I'm planning for my next project.....having the frame a slightly darker color than the body (or same color with candy/pearl fogging and/or some metalflake), and possibly pinstriping the entire frame before dropping the body on....

I think for a late 50's and up build...a black frame (Model A, '32, whatever) looks outta place, unless it's a purpose-built drag car only.

 

This car will definately have a drag car flare.

 

red

 

I am shooting for a late 60's flavor with my fordor and am going with a black frame for a couple of reasons. The car is going to be a daily driver and powdering the frame black will be a durable finish, and my wife and I are still quibbling over the color. As an aside, I like the look of a black framed hi-boy, most of the hi-boys I see have body/frame match and black seemed a little more out of the norm.

The car in the pic is one I found and Photoshopped to show my wife the color, style, wheels. etc. before building.

 

red what? frame?

 

My frame was Black in the 60's

 

All the cool kids painted them bright green, On any color of car

 

My Pops said all the cool kids painted their frames and running gear red in his area. This would be early 60s in Southern Connecticut.

 

That may be a bit loud for my taste. I'll ponder it.

 

Can you post a bigger pic of your avatar? That car looks like it has a silver body and red block. Might be helpful.

 

I went for a black frame on my sedan as well. I like the way it looks, not to mention that I have changed my mind so many times on the final body colour, it seemed the only way I would ever get it finished !

 

Haha, that is my car. It is silver with a black frame and an orange engine.....

but it has a frame built on the model a style.

I know, I'm shallow.

 

Here's some other examples I found when I was trying to get an idea how it would look ...

 

Black has always been the standard,however some hot rodders went with matching body paint colors.A lot of red frames in late 50s and 60s. I thought they stood out.Pretty wild times in 60s as we had money and went to wild colors.

 

That 'champagne' in the center looks nice with the black.

Nice tudor too, Simon.

 

Same dilema for my late 50s 32 highboy...what colors where..

I thought about dark navy blue body with somewhat lighter blue for chassis and lighter yet on the engine block...BUT when does it start to look like a Martha Stewart build?? ... supposed to be a hotrod..

 

that travel on coupe above is the stuff.... when in doubt ...chrome it... nothing says 60's like chrome.... brandon

 

imho ...

60s color for a 32 frame is shadow, as in its channeled over it ;0) smoeones gotta be the smart ass

 

I have a small stack of old Hot Rod magazines from the '50s and early '60s and I don't think there's a model A coupe in any of them. It seems they were even more fixated on '32s than people are today. Didn't anyone get tired of seeing a '32 grill shell on everything for the last 50 years?

 

Back in NY, if it was a driver, a black frame was much easier to keep considering the lousey weather

 

My cousin had a 32 5 window coupe in the late 50's through the end of the 60's. It went through several incarnations, but I recall that the frame was panted with the same dark blue paint as the body.