I recently picked up a 1953 Hudson Super Wasp. Im currently doing body work and thinking about paint color. The major problem I have is the bumpers and grille are very rusty. Not rotted just surface rust. Im not really a fan of painted bumpers but I am on a very tight budget with this car and cant afford to rechrome or replace and the rust is way to bad to leave. Is it possible to make this car look good with painted bumpers and grille? Any colors or ideas are welcome! I did a couple photoshops but Im open to any color suggestions.
the light blue looks good, but the painted bumpers make it look like a large mouth bass! spray on chrome of even just silver paint would look good til you get the money for the real mccoy.
I was thinking the silver would make it look cheesy, you know like I was trying for chrome but failed. I agree the white is not great but I think it would be better than silver. Any idea what the spray chrome costs?
Strip the chrome off and shoot 'em in light gray primer? It looks like you have a lot more to deal with before you worry about that, though.
Thought of the primer too. The car looks a lot worse than it really is. The paint is an older respray that is flaking and just has surface rust.
is the bumper/grill chrome gone? as you stated painted grill/bumper are less than idea. if their still kinda 'savable' with just surface rust you might try this:: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=693523
Unfortunately, almost all of the chrome has flaked off. I think the car was restored back in the 70's or 80's and they painted the car and rechromed the bumpers/grille. The little chrome that is left flakes off and seems really thin. Doesnt appear to be factory to me.
have you thought about powder coatings? my guy has some 'dirty' chrome looking stuff.just an idea--chuck
painted bumpers looks like total lame ass hillbilly shit,do it right and chrome them,the way they are supposed to be.Painted bumpers make the car look cheap and unfinished.
i don't but when i googled it,this popped up.. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=458904
Im not made of money! I know they dont look as great but I dont have the money to rechrome. Damagedduck, thank you very much! Very helpful!
& there's plenty of Hudson guy with extra parts! i belong to classiccar.com 's hudson club & there is some great guys there to & NOT to forget the Hudson club here either, i plan on swapping my stock twisted up bumper to a 1951 Olds bumper when i get back to work on it,--chuck
I sprayed some aluminum/chrome type paint on my motorcycle exhaust, I think it looks ok from a "temporary placeholder until I get the money to chrome" perspective, especially since the bike's style is kinda rough anyway. I can try and snap a pic, not sure how it would translate to a grill though.
Aluminum foil and coke on chrome bumpers works amazing... I realize those bumpers are very far gone but I think it will remove a good majority of the rust... it's worth a shot? 62 Galaxie A.Foil+Coke right side done
Me, I think doing something creative on a low budget is what trad 'rodding & customs was originally about. I'd suggest something that's a compromise between trad custom and some of the contemporary touches you see HAMBers doing now. In the first place, I think you're getting hung up on the bumpers. For now, why not rethink your vision and paint the brightwork the same color as the car? One paint job, saves money until you can afford to rechrome (if you really want to change it after you live with it a while). Myself, Hudson bumpers and grille presented THE most challenging aspect for a customizer. If you paint it all the same color (whatEVER that may be, wild, whatever?), you put the emphasis on the car "as a whole." See my point? 'Bout thinking a bit outside the box. You might also be really surprised what you'd find if you take your "problem" to the "Photoshop Thread to End All Photoshop Threads." JamesD is a master. Plus, LOOK what other HAMB "Hudsonados" have done with their cars. If the budget is limited, I'd think about it quite a while before starting to spend what dough you have.
I do see your point! Instead of making the bumpers and grille a focal point by painting them a different color (which is probably not going to look good), Paint them like the rest of the car and put the attention on the car. This is the kind of feedback I was looking for, ideas and suggestions that make sense! Thank you!
Does anyone know if a 51-52 grille will fit? I know the angle bars are exposed on those years but are the outside dimensions the same? Also do the Wasp, Pacemaker, and hornet use the same grille? Or are they different sizes?
In florida bare metal will just about flash rust over night. I had some rust spots on my truck that needed to be neutralized. Knowing I wasn't going to paint the whole truck for many years and I didn't feel like waxing it or applying ospho every so very often, I cleared it. Do use some metal prep first because it will rust under clear if it's not clean and neutralized before clear. Been years now and it look like bare metal in those spots. You can always just da the clear off it you hate it and you aren't out much. Chrome is best, but clear over clean metal would be better then painting chrome pieces, IMO.
I'll second the motion of just painting the grille and bumper body color. It is not as good looking as chrome, but it is better looking than any color you might paint them as a contrast! (Works best with dark color on the car and chrome parts.) Then you can take your time scouring eBay and swap meets for good used or rechromed parts to install as time and budget allow.
Black w/white streaks (flat or gloss is up to you), moon disks on the wheels, paint the grill and bumpers a brushed aluminum color (like a new car silver) the same color as the moon disks.
i for one don't mind painted bumpers on some cars, especially in the name of just getting something on the road to start enjoying it. chrome always looks better, obviously, but i think a nicely applied light gloss color, contrasting with the body color, sometimes looks just fine. for example, i remember seeing a 50 chevy coupe a few years back that had dark brown paint and a very cleanly sprayed khaki color on the bumpers and grille, and that looked pretty good. powdercoat is not a bad idea either, if you don't see chrome in your near future. whatever you do, don't just paint everything body color, unless you're going for an 80s street rod vibe.
If the paint is flaking off polish the metal and protect with 3 or 4 coats of car wax. You will have to repolish 2 or 3 times a year to keep it looking like chrome. Do it first with a buffer, after you wax it and reinstall you can rewax by hand.
How 'bout shooting them with silver flake? It would look custom and not like you are trying to fool anyone with spray bomb silver.
Yes, they all swap 51-53, same size (53 is missing angled bars). There are tons of front grills out there for little money, as most Hudson people are hoarders....I probably have at least 6 spares sitting on a shelf. The Hudson National meet is in a couple weeks in Pennsylvania. I am sure you could find everything you need in one trip for not alot of dough.
Ya know.......theres a header coating called "almost chrome" I've been wondering who has tried it on bumpers, etc. It looks good.
Thanks for all the ideas guys! Im going to go a little more custom on this. I really dont care for painted bumpers or grilles so I decided to use a complete new grill out of a 53 Chevy. This Thread by THEKID49 is the look Im going for. I found a 53 Chevy grille locally for short money and will be picking it up and starting the cutting and chopping tomorrow! I will also be using a front bumper off a 54 Desoto. I'll post pictures as I go along. Again, thanks for all the help!
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