Hello, I have an old '65 Ford Econoline 8 door van that I want to have paint lettered for my auto repair shop, but really love the old school look and need some help on selecting a style. The van is original including dings and scratches, but no rust)) I have an older gentleman that has been doing this for like 70 years, but he will not come up with a design on paper for me to see, he just does it the way he does it) Thank you in advance. Glenn
Best thing is to hunt down photos of similar rigs from the time frame you are thinking about. Old school to a lot of guys means the gothic lettering that the lowrider brigade favors.
Try google , truck door sign images https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=t...roDABw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=645&dpr=1 browse untill you find what you like
A sign painter that will not come up with a design? Find another one. You shouldn't have to come up with the ideas.
Mashed.....have you ever had a vehicle painted and let the painter pick the color? I do understand this 68 year veteran of striping and lettering by not wanting to do the graphic design on his own..it's not his vehicle! I was looking to find some pics of period correct vehicles to reference too for MY idea.
You might look at these signs and get a idea of the styles and colors that trip your trigger. Finding a older sign guy is a plus,,you can show him what you want and he can make you happy,,they are few and far between today.HRP https://www.google.com/search?q=vin...HABA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1120&bih=580&dpr=1.5
There were some great ideas in the above search. As to the idea that the sign painter should do the design... A good sign painter or pinstriper wants you to come up with the general idea as to what it should look like and colors. That way you will prob like the job better. That way he will know if you see the world in black and white or if you see all the colors.
^^^^ These are the kinds of posts the HAMB does not need. The huge door lettering thread has many styles/fonts to make your decision harder or easier? Having the right font is what makes a great lettering job.
Great job! Kudos to the gentleman that did the work.Like the fact that he doesn't even use a mahl stick.
That picture of the old gentleman in his collared shirt and sweater lettering your van is PRICELESS! Shake his hand for me and tell him what a treasure he is.
This gentleman has been free hand lettering for many..many years, so in the beginning of this thread when I said I was just gonna let him wing it with his own idea, and would not come up with a design, I then knew he had his own style all alone. I had all the faith in the world that no matter what he painted....I was gonna love it, so there it is ! Thank you sir, and I have gained a friend for life!
I'm confused, the first pic is clearly a 8 door van, but the completed project appears to be a six door. Did he use "vanishing paint"?
I know...I was gonna do my 8 door first, but opted to do my HD extended van 1st, more side exposure to paint for my auto repair shop . I have a bunch of these old econos...including pick ups! Its an addiction I guess!
Finding the right font is probably the hardest part of the job. I have way over 12,000 font styles and many times deciding which one to use is hard to agave the right look. Try and look at as many old truck photo's with lettering until you see something you like first. The problem with just letting a sign painter choose something they think would look good is you may not like it once you see it painted on the side of your truck. For a sign painter doing it this way can lead to trouble and cost you more money in the end. Jimbo
I hear 'ya! My dad always had them when I was growing up. I still have burn marks on my *** from sitting on the engine cowl for years on end! I love 'em!
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