A flame job on a hot rod is sort of like choosing wheels for your hot rod. Everyone has a different favorite style. But, wheels are easy to change…a flame job… not so easy! When getting a flame job, try to find a local painter that actually paints your style of flames and have him paint them. Don’t chose a painter, and show him a picture of what you want and expect it to be 100%. If you plan on selling the vehicle in the future…not everyone will like flames, or your style flames in particular! With the cost of repainting a car nowadays…might be a deal breaker.
My inspiration came from this(1956 Jim Lytles 32 5W coupe) View attachment 5660792 to this. View attachment 5660789
Those Prada flamed high heels were based on my Mercury. Did a photo shoot in Vogue magazine for the debut of the shoes.
I love all flames! I paint flames on near all my race cars for many years. One thing,is the way used the colors,the tips of the flames I always used contrasting colors;; Most all my cars have main color ,is black>So the tips of the flames ,I use yellow. Not red ,like seen a lot, red dose not show up well on black from far away or at night. Photo is faded red out a bit,but this is one of many race cars I raced with my flame jobs< The other thing,I thought was good=Make them flames, big,not tiny!
Hello, Sorry, I must have missed the connection. Any photos of the Vogue Magazine photoshoot and flames? This was when my granddaughter was around 7 years old and in her shopping stage... She is now a senior in high school and into vintage clothes shopping. She remembers those shoes we saw at a high end shoe section display. Jnaki She is driving, now, but not in those tall heels and wild flames. But, the popular look is a formal vintage dress and high top Dr. Marten boots. HA!
I'm partial to the white-into-yellow-into-orange-into-red fades...... but in the blockier crab claws, not the long, spindly whips. Full hoods, sides, and fenders if it's '40 and newer, please. Perfect!
I did an OT bracket racer. Guy showed me a picture, "...and I want my flames EXACTLY like these." I told him go have the guy who did them do the job. He didn't understand. You don't copy a flame job IMO. Color and basic layout I get but not that artist's work. Then he said both sides better be perfectly the same. "Dude, fuck off. I don't want your work." "No, I'm the customer and you have to do what I tell you!" "Bye-bye." He came back after some of our pals told him he was being an asshole, let me do the job like I see it. I was pretty symmetric on the hood but purposely made 1 fender a little different since he made a thing about it. I went Von Dutch on him, "...if you can see both sides at once, well..." Another time I did a bike for this young lady, she wanted candy blue and flames but didn't know what colors. I went varied shades of orange and hid a Harley bar and shield dead center. She didn't see it for a ½ hour and I didn't point it out. Was a nice surprise for her. Sadly she got hit and totaled the bike, she only suffered minor injuries.
When it comes to old style flames, there's three cars that stand out for me. Norm Grabowskis T Tom McMullens Roadster Bob McCoys 40
Through the years my kids were still living at home, we had a family tradition of putting flames on any new mowers we bought. They thought that was cool. Masking tape and Krylon spray cans produced Art... and a fun family tradition.
I like the white as well, that's how I did my bike although not as prevalent as that one. Another example I saved which goes right along with your crab claws And another style with the base coat overlay mix
I'm with ya Billy. It's not that I don't like flames at all, but most flame jobs just do not appeal to me at all, and many just ruin the aesthetics of the car. It seems that flames are very difficult to get right; or maybe it's that they are too easy to get wrong.
The title of the thread is just a bit different from what he suggested, but I think This is what you're looking for. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ot-prada-shoot-for-vogue-magazine.663540/
There was a car club in this town, most cars were lowered, primered late '50s to mid '60s, a couple lowered, but not much else. A '58 Pontiac pilot 'car club newby' was admiring my F100. I was prepping it to paint it, (one of 3 times) So, the newby asks, "What color are you painting it?" "Black," I told him. Then, anxiously, (he was rubbing his hands together!) "What color flames?" I stopped, looked. "Flames? What, I want a 'fire truck' ?"
As a very young lad, like 9 or so I started drawing out flames on my school note books and paper. I had read a bunch of old car mags and then I watched the California kid movie and I was hooked. Then I practiced drawing them out for years, even took my dads masking tape and laid them out the best I could with 1/2" width. Then dad got some fine line tape and I was practicing on my models, only problem was I was too young to figure out how the paint them without an airbrush. Fast forward, I'm 18 and my bosses son is building CO2 powered car for school and wants a special paint job so I offer up a flame job, he says yes, I lay out the flames and with the old small spray cans of of model paint I learn to fog and use cardboard to make a misting effect. Came out great and has teacher was amazed how it looked and done with spray cans. That was 40 yrs ago and he still has the car. .
Flames are "perfect" when they suit the style/era of the car and suit the owner's taste.. When I did mine, I was recalling the decal sheets that came with many of my model car kits - I was building them in the early '60s. Influenced by some better known cars from that era as well and wanting a blue car (many reasons), I went for complimentary shades; starting with orange to flow from the colour of the engine block, fading through reds to purple. ..Wanted that 1/25th AMT car kit look. Makes me happy! -Dave
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