Art & Inspiration I see a red door and I want it painted black

I am well aware that black is a no brainier when it comes to paint with a traditional Hot Rod and I'm guessing many Custom Cars as well.

And we all have heard the cliches, "black is the absence of color" &" black is not a color" along with the "black has been done to death" but If you were to paint your next car tomorrow would you say " Damn the torpedoes" and PAINT IT BLACK?

If not black what what are you thinking? HRP

 

I see the girls go by dressed in their summer clothes, I have to turn my head until my darkness goes.

 

Hell no. Do something different.

 

Ok, The red scallops highlight the black. My Riley 4Port I restored in 1975. Bob

 

HRP, not all black cars are created equal. There are numerous if not hundreds of different shades of black as colored tints are usually added to the basic black pigment. Different shades of primer can effect the shading as well. My neighbor has a 63 black Corvette that appears to me to have a brownish tint. I prefer using black pigment with no tint added. My 60 Pontiac blackest black Bubbletop is an example. The pigment only paint is a 1978 Jaguar color.

Gary

 

Your poncho is spot on. Car and color just go together.

 

Personally I like a bronze/black or a bronze with a hint of orange similar to a later Kia Soul color with engine same paint with a metallic. Any pearl with a bunch of flake in it eg. Blue, Orange or a yellowish heavy flake gold pearl.

 

Black is not a color...Black is a JOB!
Nothing looks better than a flawlessly black painted polished vehicle.

 

With primer I don't have to stress about stone chips , so there is that. Seen my neighbor stress out taking his 64 Biscayne out to Good Guys shows. He ended up selling it and bought a later Vette. Rain or shine he got back the enjoyment of driving. Only way o could afford any nice paint is to do it myself.

 

I have a question for you HRP. Is your enjoyment level appreciably at a different level when comparing driving your 32 to the wagon ?

 

Up until the early '80's, black on an automobile was just that, black. The first tinted "black" I can recall was on IROC Z's, and it had a hint of blue, which makes that color dark blue, in my mind, not black. Likewise, the "brownish" one is dark brown. Black is a ton of work, both in prep, and maintenance, and nothing beats it in appearance, unless it is a monchromatic deal, with blacked out everything.

 

I am still a big fan of black cars & trucks, I've had several and I am contemplating shooting the '50 Coupe the same semi-gloss hot rod black I used on my old '32 pickup. HRP

 

All I would be able to think about would be what could happen next. My luck with black cars :
'39 Chev sedan delivery given away by mom while I was in the Navy …
'56 Olds K-88 3 speed stolen by ex-shipmate …
'50 Olds hardtop nearly totaled by drunk ***** *******s …
I'd try again, though !

 

When applied well to a perfectly straight body, there is nothing, no color that can compare to black. I have seen some cars so nice that its like looking into a clear mirror, without a hint of black in it. I have 2 black vehicles but neither one has a perfect body and flaws show in places. But my 34 truck ended up being black because thats the "color" I always envisioned it to be even before I bought it.
But there is something to be said about driving a car with bright colors. Driving a bright yellow vehicle just uplifts my spirits, red doesn't do that for me. Turquoise does a little.

 

Don, Red cars and I just do not seem to have staying power, you got the red 5 window, the red 3 window went to the lower part of the State and when I painted my Model A pick up red I hated it, I originally wanted to paint it yellow and should have, I sold it less than 3 weeks after I painted it. HRP

 

1967, Paint It Black, The Rolling Stones.
One of the first records this teenager bought, actually a cassette.

 

I built my 34 coupe with all intentions of painting it black. Then I realized if it was black I'd have to install A/C. After having about 10 black cars I know how hard it is to keep them looking clean. With all that, I think I'll just keep my car gray. It's in epoxy primer right now but even if I paint it, I'll chose Ford dove gray paint. I guess I'm finally over black.

 

Are you sure it wasn't 8 track? HRP

 

but, it will not let you sit by when it gets dirty

 

Like my wife told me when we special ordered our new ( now 12 year old OT suv), she wanted it black and I asked why. She said just look at almost any other colour on a vehicle after its four or five years old and they don't look anywhere near as good as a black vehicle, the same age. I had to agree.

 

You know Danny I was thinking about that as I was typing my post, I actually had a portable cassette player as a young teen, not sure why but I got an 8 track tape deck for my 57 Chevy when I was about 16 or 17.

 

I agree with 41rodderz. I've had several cars that were too nice to drive. Theres a lot to be said for primered cars. Same goes for satin black. No worries makes for a lot of enjoyment. You don't have to have shiney paint to have fun. On the other hand rock chips, dents and dings can also be repaired. It is also my opinion every car from DD's to rods look better in black.

Gary

 

I did 4 perfect shiny black cars in a row that started with basket cases, mostly to prove to myself that I could do it. Now I have done it, I never need to do it again. Never, ever, ever, ever.



Good luck with all that... -Abone.

 

flamedabone, just tried to picture your car in red. It wouldn't be near the same. Looks great just the way it is.

Gary

 

I love black! But I also like to add a little white, yellow, orange and red, with a splash of chrome! lol Larry

 

I have a great amount of respect for anybody that can pull of the perfect gloss black paint job but I personally don't want any more shiny paint period. I'm too lazy to keep it clean and polished I guess but I also think a real hot rod should look like it's been rode hard and put away wet. My '32 pickup I'm building now will be satin black, I might even spray bomb it. That way no worries about scratches or keeping it clean. Gloss black, flat black, matte black, satin black, as long as it's black it looks like a hot rod IMHO.

 

I agree with Slopok! Black is a JOB! Nothing looks better than black on a Hot Rod. First time out with my Roadster a photographer said (I would like to do a photo shot but it's just another BLACK car.) I am OK with that because I can't imagine it any other color!

 

First, Black has to be Black! No metallic , colors, flake or whatever. Second, Yes black would be my first consideration if I were to do another car. Don't get me wrong, I also like straight colors, again no metallic.
I do love the color of my roadster. It is late 40's Kaiser (doeskin). But it is hard to beat BLACK

 

Black will always be in style. Fits every era. Now, beer... That has several styles that we can appreciate. Me? I like a West Coast IPA.