Paint color opinions.....pure '50's car.

I am thinking primer, but REALLY don't want the black hot rod primer that is so popular. I want more of a dark grey primer, but am told regular primer will not hold up to the sun. I have considered using it and sealing it with a flat clear. Don't know if that will work or not.
The other option is actual paint. But what colors were popular in the '50's? ( I thought most hot rods of the day were primed)

Give me opinions....
Thanks

 

Not all of them were primered...you primered it until you were ready to paint. Maroon was popular, gold was good...blues and white were popular as well as purple...there were some great two-tones back then too...almost any combination was used.

R-

 

Pink

 

Popular colors changed throughout the fifties. Mostly solid colors early in '50s, not many two tones early on. Lots of fast fading red cars are in my memory. Primer was usually on parts of a car, in repair or customization areas until a car was ready for paint. Cars were usually driven while they were being built, and were built over a somewhat extended period of time as money was available. Cars with full primer did not last too long before the car was painted in my area. I remember some dark reds and blues on rods. ...not many greens, and I don't remember any tan, yellow, or gray rods in northern CA. Metallics were more popular in the late '50s, iirc. Candies and pearls were starting to be used on the higher end cars in the late '50s.

 

Well that's the first mistake. But easily fixed!

 

Royal blue

 

The misconception on the HAMB that "most hotrods of the day were primed" I believe comes from the crappy paper used in the original "little books" and by the equipment used to take the photographs, and transfer them to the pages of a magazine. If you don't believe me, look at them through a magnifying glass. All the cars appear to have a dull sheen, and now you see a lot of guys (who should know better) painting their cars like that. The overwhelmingly vast majority of those cars were shiny. A very, very small percentage were not.

Paint your "50's" car a shiny solid color. That is traditional...

 

To incorrectly quote something Henry Ford apparently never actually said;

"you can have any colour you like as long as it's shiny"

why not post up a picture of the car in question to give us a little inspiration?
Good luck
Paul

 

Besides the above comments, I'll add two-tone...

A neutral color (black, white or gray) combined with a pastel color (coral, robin's egg blue, or toothpaste green) was stock on many mid-50's cars and would be VERY period correct.

 

Primer was only between start of build and the shiny,very few stayed primer and then only cus of no $ or losted the drive,here in south Fla. in the 50's in to the 60's we had " Jonny & Mack by the RR Track" paint & body shop that would put shiny on for $19.95 [black,blue,forist green,to $29.95 red,yellow,white.
They did very good if you preped it your self.. point is shiny was liked and primer was not thought of as a finish,just a way to get to shiny.

 

How about dark grey (or other color your like) with a flattening agent in it......

 

titian red

 

No way...as one who went to many shows in the 50's, I can tell you that I can't remember one that was a "finished" car that was primered.
I also remember all shows at the time would not even let a car like that into a show.
Back then, the shows here in SoCal were events that were indoors, usually three days, and you had to apply to be enter.
Nobody just drove in (in anything they wanted) and were let into a show.
These shows were pretty classy events.
I remember back in the 60's when a bunch of guys showed up as spectators, not car owners, and they were wearing the boots and chained wallets, the whole "costume" and were kind of loud....and I remember how out of place they all looked.
Everyone else was wearing shirts and sweaters and the hot car club would even wear skinny ties and white short-sleeved shirts.
Well, it wasn't 15 minutes until these biker-boot wearing greaseballs were escorted, rather quickly, out the back door.
The perception of many guys of "back in the day" is not reality based, just an attempt to make it more to their liking....

 

By the time you paint your car with a flat finish that is weather proof, whether you start with primer/flattened clear or use one of the dedicated flat finishes, you've spent the same amount of money for materials and exactly the same amount of time and effort as you would to obtain a nice, simple one color A/E job...
Sooo....what's the point

Particularly, as most everyone else has already said, it's in no way an accurate representation of how things were during any time period that I remember.

Paint you car any solid or pastel color you like in a second line material from any of the paint manufacturers and you'll be much closer to your goal and you'll still have money in your pocket.

 

I have a '69 Ford truck Maroon, on my '30 Roadster. Factory non-metallic color, Tan interior. Looks very '50s.

 

take a look at my belair. It's horizon blue and india ivory. Stock color. It is pictured in the straykat shindig posts. I'm n school s no pics here.

 

Yes stay away from metallic, look @ stock 50's car colors, you might get some ideas.

 

Salmon pink and grey is a good era specific combo.

 

Sounds like the Eric VonZipper gang from the Frankie and Annette movies- and what was the gang name? Yep- RATZ

 

And do we know what the car is? Did I miss that?

Popular colors were maroon metallics (yuk, I hate maroons!), various shades of blue with darker colors on bigger cars, and the gratuitous white or black. 2 tones are always a hit with the right colors. The best gig would be to look at car color charts from the right era. Also, go to the nearest museum that has some really correct or original cars. I get it with regard to what you wanna do but think of your favorite overall color for any car, new or old, exotic or mundane, then move your choice in that direction. You can't miss.

 

i dont know if its still the case but i remember back a few years ago you couldnt get into some big show even just to display if you had primer on your car

when i think of primer i think late 60's -mid 70's street strip car (muscle:Ocar )

until recently when i guy was building his rod unless it came out just for a quick around the block shake down it didnt come out of the garage until it was DONE up to the best level his pockets could afford


but to answer your question minty green, pastel pink, grafiteish gray, brown , black, white , cream if you do go with a metallic color it should be very very fine flake if you want the 50's look

the technogoly back in the fifties wasnt very high as far as paint pigments and the like so they mainly stayed with basey pastelly type colors
which i happen to think look really good on alot of cars

if i keep my shoebox long enough it will most likely be paint a minty green color

 

I'm not into Metallics BUT they were becoming popular in this area in the late 50's.
Painted my girlfriends 51 Chevy Metallic Blue. My 51 Merc we shot with a dark red metallic. Martin Senoir from NAPA. Lot a hot rods ,40 coupes, 32's etc were Ice
Box white. pale yellow etc.Titian Red was big on mild customs etc. Of course
Black and base colors always popular.In 57 painted my coupe light grey so the flames would show up good.

 

I think Chevrolet called it Charcoal and Coral. A buddy of mine had a big brother that had a 55 Chevy painted those colors. He showed up at his senior prom with a grey suit and pink shirt to match his car. Also had a FINE looking cheerleader on his arm, but that's a different story.
Larry T

 

Thanks for all of the responce.....i'll get some photos up shortly....still in construction.

 

Dead on the mark

 

Just take a look at factory paint chips from the era you are building. For instance, if you are building a car as it would have appeared in the late fifties, look at chips from say '54-'57, and pick something you like. I also suggest taking a look at some of the Andy Southard books, lots of NICE period color shots

 

Started with a '29 Ford 4 door sedan leather back. Now a 2 seater. In July it was a bare frame, today, I should be finished with mock up by Thanksgiving. My cousin and I have been working almost everyday on this project. This last photo is his car that I used to borrow back in the mid '60's when I was just 16. Of course he sold it and wishes he had not. I wanted to buy it at the time but was building a street rod I had hopped to get in Hot Rod Magazine. I did, actually twice Aug. '89 Page 40 and Jan. '90 double page spread pages 86 & 87....and yes I'm proud. So at 61 and him at 71, I decided to build a car very similar to his old car with his help. Much more refined as his would be considered rough by todays standards. Nothing on this car will be billet, modern, electric fans, alternator, etc. Trying my best to remain pure as possible......except tires...can't handle those skinney rear tires. I will run a generator, '51 Olds, 3x2 Holleys on a (New..yes New) Edelbrock manifold, lakes headers from '35 Ford drive shaft, Schiefer aluminum flywheel, approx. a 3/4 solid lifter cam not yet purchased, adjustable rockers, Mallory dual point conversion, old style Mallory coil, '39 Ford trans, '39 peddles, '40 Ford front and rear, home made radius bars, origional boxed '29 Ford frame, glass fuses, cloth wire, vintage Sun tach, '49 Olds speedo/gauge cluster and F-1 steering. Home made bed and skirts except bought new tailgate and header plate for '29 Model A, (all I could find at swap meets were junk) '40 Ford gas filler neck on home made tank, home made s.s. battery box. Body is channeled 4" over the frame and windshield is chopped 1 1/2", will run the origional vaccum wiper (mostly for looks) in Ohio I may need it more than I think. No plans for a top at this time. The roll bar will have a back bar brace mounted into the bed. I plan a cover over the bed to match the interior to cover the gas tank and battery. That's about it.

After reading this thread, and thanks again to all, I plan to use a '29 Ford creme color, with a dark grey rolled and pleat interior.

 

By the way, my cousin still runs the shop in the photo (done this for 55 years here) my uncle opened it in the early '50s. Shop is open everyday, and customers come first....then we work on the car. Without him this car would not exist.

 

Dad always called that combo, "tity pink, and asshole grey". Sometimes I wish he would have kept that to himself.

 

I like your project, especially the fact that your recreating a specific car for a specific purpose.