Projects Back in 1963......

...what were the popular colors for hot rods? I've parused Hot Rod magazines of that vintage and have some little pages from around '59, but I cant get a great feel for the time. I like black , but there are too many black '46 Chevy trucks. Not knocking blues, but not my favorite color group. I like the metallic coppers and oranges used recently, but that's just it, it's popular now, and I don't really want to jump on that bandwagon.

Originally it was Omaha Orange with black fenders, but I'm not after the "fleet" look. The truck, since I've owned it, has always been a forest green of '74 Pontiac vintage. I'm still leaning toward green, but not BRIGHT green!

Then there's dark red metallic. Not burgundy or wine, but a true dark red. Or a variation of gray....or brown....or dark gold.....or

My goal is to build an early '60s feel, show-n-go-type truck. It'll run a 283 with 6 94's, Muncie, '54 car dash (comng along nicely, I might add), and early alumunum TorqThrusts in 15x6 and 15x7.

Any positive comments are welcome. I know the general thinking is that trucks were not the most popular thing in the early '60's, but there are several examples in the aforementioned Hot Rod's that witness to their existence.

OK, I'll shut up now and wait with baited breath...that reminds me...did I brush my theeth this morning?

 

Brett,
Take a look at Honduras Maroon, an early 60's Corvette color. A lot of hot rods & customs used it in the early 60's. On your other question -

"OK, I'll shut up now and wait with baited breath...that reminds me...did I brush my theeth this morning?"

--- Uh guess not, you've got an "h" hanging in there.

Terry

 

Thanks Terry! I'll go get the floss!

 

About any color you can imagine. Cany red was or is always good. But that stuff that house of color sells isn't candy red by a long shot. I don't know how you would match what was available in '63 but I dan't sure that you could paint one and rub the hell ou of it and it would look like a candy apple.

Flakes and metalics were real big as well as pearls and fades.

 

Yep, I was kinda leaning toward a metallic color, or maybe a small flake.

My opinion (and we all know opinions are like*****holes...everybody's got one and half of them stink!) is fades work great on post-48 cars and post-54 trucks. Don't really think it would go over too well on my ol' fat-round truck!

Any other opinions...I'll let you know if they stink or not!

 

+1 on the Pontiac Honduras Maroon. That color was hell for popular the minute it came out.

Green = 57 Pontiac Lime fire green was the hot lick for years. Not as bright as the lime green metallic on the newer VW bugs.

I think you can find early 60's color chip charts on line that will show what the new cars had at the time and a lot of guys painted their cars with the new year model color because it was the latest available that looked good.
Around here at least custom colors were rare as rooster teeth unless the painter mixed it.
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Watson style Scallops?

Nick.

 

If you like the coppers and oranges, there's a '56 Chevy color that is in that color range. I think it's called Sierra Gold, but I'm not sure. I saw it quite a bit in the early 60's. I even had a '50 Ford Club Coupe painted that color in that time frame. On the Chevys it was two-toned with a cream color. I don't think I ever saw one all that color in stock form.

 

How would they look on a '46 truck?

 

Brett, applied right they would look KILLER!But I'm a big fan of Watson style paint jbs so maybe I would say that!Man, its your truck and I'm sure you'll as we say here in the U.k. ''make a top hole job of it''

Nick.

 

Dig a little and look up the Early Times cars. They were THE "look" of the early 60s IMO. A lot of gold/brown/bronze cars. I think that would look sharp on your pickup. You'll need to run a set of Mags to pull it off. Steel wheels will make a brown color look like an old man's truck...

 

There's a Motorbooks publication called "Hot Rods and Customs of the 60s" By
Andy Southard, Jr. It's FULL of great color pictures based on slides. Lots of car show pics. Seems like reds a coppers where big colors. mint green, white and pearl colors. White interiors and fire walls. Purples and oranges too. Metal flakes candy paint as stated.
Fogged accents.****ymetrical styling was the rage too. Not everyones cup of tea but big in the early 60s.

 

Metallic orange is a bandwagon??? Dammit! I love that color. Oh well. I hope the bandwagon stops by my place.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble!

Actually, I have some pics from the HAMB of a dark orangs/copper metallic '46 GMC half ton. Really looks good! It's just that I am always trying to be just a little different than the other guy. Maybe just by adding pinstriping or subtle scallops, I can be that "different" guy!

 

Yes, it WILL run early TorqThrusts, so that is a definite possibility!

Should they be full polished, polished rim, or all raw?

 

Those guys generally ran the wheels with cast spokes and polished rims. Like Jake's Truck. Take a look at all that Early Times stuff, you'll find your early 60s inspriation.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=176415

 

What color is Jake's truck?!?!? I likey! Dunno if it would look right on an art-deco commercial.

 

Check out this thread for some color inspiration

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=354724&highlight=ryan+color+magazine

Enjoy!

 

Cadillac had a whole range of extra cost, "Firemist" colors in the late 60's. Very fine metallic which should be in the style you leaning.

 

In '63 i was out of the Army and flush with money. I traded in my Cream and lovely metalic green '54 Olds hardtop for a new silver Pontiac. I liked orange for hot rods. 57 Willys Atztec Orange was the a Very Brite Orange that I liked, but my Altered Bantem was rattel can primer.

 

Look at the new V.W. Bug colors. All good retro colors. I haven't seen one I didn't like. I used Isotope Green on my 48 Plymouth. Audi calls it Lemon Lime. Might be too bright for you. It's a color you either love or hate. The other colors are easier to live with though.

 

I think a gold (more of a red gold) would look great, and add the cast wheels, it should definately have a '60s feeling.

 

Tahition Red was nice . A medium red metallic not sure if gm or Crysler.

 

Sierra Gold was very popular (almost a bronze hue) lotta drag cars & hot rods were painted Chrome Yellow, and Competition Orange...at least in the Seattle/Tacoma area in the early to mid 60's.

 

Or '59 Edsel Velvet Maroon. My dad painted a few motorcycles with it back then.

-Dave

 

In 1963 I had a 50' merc painted with a baby blue metalflake. Two tonesw were still in from the 50's.

 

Thanks everyone for the great opinions! All sound right on!

As far as Watson Scallops....were these used more on customs or hot rods? My truck will be much more of a show-n-go, but with an in-the-weeds nose-down rake.

 

Bump for the morning crowd! (I promise, this is the only bump!)

 

Kaiser blue or Packard yellow