It's just about that time. Bodywork is as done as it's gonna get, and once I get the new hood hinge on my '53 Customline (this week), I'll be ready for paint. Now I've got to figure out what color I want. Thank God it's taken me this long, or else it would be flat black with red steelies. Nothing against that, but I've seen so damn much of it, I'm kinda bored. I'm just about settled on a color combo, but I thought I'd solicit some advice from the H.A.M.B. I like the color of my wife's Scion. It's a super-dark blue, almost looks black unless the sun's on it. Sorta Superman-hair black. There was a car (Olds?) with just about the perfect paint on it at the Strangers' show last weekend (a couple spaces down from that fly-*** Turnpike Cruiser if you were there.) So I'm thinking metallic blue-black body with a silver roof (just roof- drip rails on up) I'm looking for a REALLY silver color, not like metallic grey. With the biggest metallic without going 'flake. Any thoughts? Will the body color seem dated after a couple years? I know Ford had a dark blue metallic in/around '53. I've just never seen it in person, and I know I can get the Scion paint codes pretty easily. The car is not chopped, just shaved, nosed and decked, and I'll be running skirts. I'm open to other suggestions as well. Man, this is really turning out to be a tougher call than I ever figured.
Take a few good shots or car. Turn the pics into black and whites on your computer, save it and now you can try different paint layouts. Just use ms paint. It just for you to get an idea, everything is different in person.
Look into the house of kolor Glamour Metallic basecoats (I think that's the name, I don't have my books handy), that's the heaviest metallic basecoats I can think of. If you don't have HOK stuff handy, ask the paint store to let you look at the book with the airplane paint chips in it, some of those also have a crazy amount of metallic in them.
The Scion dark blue has pearl and mica toners in the formula. The 53 Ford color only had small aluminum flake. The mica gives the color the visual pop that the original wont have. Larry
I went with the Scion 8P8 color. I really dig it. It's going to look nice when it's cut. It's not a flip-flop or anything, but man the color varies from "Is that black?" to black with intense blue highlights to cop-car blue. Guy at the paint store told me there was almost as much red or orange (don't remember) pearl mixed in with the blue. You don't ever notice it, but I'm sure it's all part of the effect. To me, it doesn't seem out of place on the '53 at all. I'm still surprised I went with shiny paint, after years of digging the suede look. I guess I just wanted something different, and while the car's not perfect by any stretch, after all the time I've got into it this far, I wanted to see how a "nice" paint job would look. I did still flake the roof (ehhh... not so hot.)
House of Color Orion Silver is the flakiest silver.....I would use a late model fine silver as a groundcoat first as the Orion isn't the best at covering, but the late model OEM fine silvers are pretty good
I used a Honda silver, with Roth Surfite Silver fine flake. Roof pretty much looks white, and I don't think I've ever seen a ****tier 'flake job. Oh well... I still like the body.