TRADITIONAL colors for TRADITIONAL kustoms???

i'd like to know, from those that were there or those with the stacks of "little pages" to look through, what were some of the more popular colors used on kustoms (taildraggers) from the late 40s up till about 55??? curious about interior colors and designs as well.
there are limitless colors available now but what where they doing for colors before all the candies, pearls and color shifting paints? when did candy paint come out? while we're on the subject.
i'm just day dreaming about what color i'd like to eventualy paint my 47 Chevy coupe. it'll be done in a pre 55 taildragger/kustom style. 322 Nailhead, 4 speed, fender skirts, Hudson taillights and a few other mods.
not sure what i might want to do with the interior eventualy either. i'm gonna keep the factory seats and the stock dash with all the chrome but i don't know what colors or styles to do the cloth in. ...ideas??? examples??? i REALY want to keep the "look" pre-55. my consesions will be MII IFS and air bags but they will be pretty much out of sight.

 

Almost every chopped Merc I've ever seen has been maroon for some reason.

 

i know Maroon was a popular one but not a real favorite of mine. all along i've been thinking some shade of blue for some reason (prolly cause it's originaly blue) but i'm hoping to find a color that realy grabs my attention but still fits the pre-55 theme. and i'm totlay stumped on what to do on the interior. i want it "different" than the norm but still tastefull and period correct.

 

Check out Riksters "Kolorized Kustoms" article in The Rodders Journal. I like maroon myself, and am going to take it to a few shades deeper, more like a brandywine for my car, shiny of course.

While were at it, a lot of cars, I believe including the Mantranga Merc, were maroon with gold powder mixed in. I think Jesse Lopez' green 41 ford also had the gold powder. I would love to find this "gold powder" or something like it. I have seen it for sale in Dean Jeferies adds from the mid 50's. Even custom painter extroidinair painter Richard Glymph in Silver Spring, MD doesnt know where to find this stuff today.

Also, as far as color choice, lets think a little like a customizer would in the late 40's, early 50's. Being at the time, customs wernt built to be scary with sculls and flat black paint and spiderwebs, they were built to resemble luxury cars, I think a Cadillac color chart from that era would yield some good colors, and I bet marroon is on there. I think a deep royal blue would look beautiful. There are some late 40's/early 50's Cadillacs and other high end cars that had metalic paints too.

As far as interior, my reference for my car, which is currently at the interior shop as of last week, is the Mantranga merc. Generaly, it seems like the body color in smooth vinyl sections, and bone white rolls and pleats was very popular. All stark white/pearl white T&R was a late 50's, early 60's thing.

Lets see some pics of the car!

 

"Midnight Blue" was my favorite when I was a kid in the 50's.
With a White top if two-toned.

"Rootbeer" with gold is a close second.

 

This really applies to my sloper project too. I ran a few options past the Mrs the other night, ie. dark this dark that, and she says "but that will just look like an old car." "Well, it is" was my first response. Of course whatever I settle on will be a bit better that just "old car" paint, but it won't be pearl orange!

 

it's a long long long ways from paint (especialy since i'm so fuckin lazy ) but ok...

 

which issue... or is that a regular feature??? i never seem to have time to read an entire issue but that does sound familiar for some reason.

 

The gold powder you're referring to was originally made by DuPont.I had a friend of mine whom I used to work for back in the 60's had a body shop strictly doing Corvettes.He had the number of the stuff and asked if I knew of a source.

I checked around but was told it has been out of production for many years.I'll see if I can get the number from him and pass it on;maybe someone has an old stash of it around somewhere.

 

Its in the issue that was put out about 2 months ago, I think its number 33.

 

This post could get interesting!
After thinking a bit about the question a couple of things come to mind. What were the standard refinishing products available at the time? The main source at the time for body shops for paint was prepackaged color that was supplied by the paint companies. Color mixing machines as they are known today were very rare and really did not come into play until the mid 60's and even then only a dozen or so were in operation in a city the size of Chicago. Dont mean to get off the question but we need to be aware of what was available and when. The mixing colors that were available at the time for these mixing machines were very basic consisting of only 9 or 10 toners and maybe 1 or 2 metallics . I made a call to a friend who's family has been selling automotive paints since 1937and Rick said he would call his Dad and Uncle to see if they could shed some light on the issue of materials available at the time. Rick spoke of John Kasmowski(hope I spelled the last name correctly) and his efforts to produce custom paints and how he built this effort into House of Kolors. John has since retired and sold the company to Valspar years ago. I 'm trying to get Rick to post a response as his knowledge of the story is much better than mine.

Just remember paints such as candies and pearls didnt start to be seen until mid to late 50's, and the metallics of the day were not very brilliant. The customizers of the day were known to try what ever was available but who tried what and when is part of the history. Maybe those that are more knowledgeable on the subject can provide some additional information.

 

One of the things I collect(accumulate)is vintage sprayguns and painting equipment.I recently bought some DupliColor touch up paint that was designed specifically for their spray guns.The bottle screwed directly to the gun.The guns ran off a small diaphragm compressor that was screwed into an empty spark plug hole and the car started;the pulses operating the compressor.The gasoline vapors were vented out the bottom of the diaphragm into the engine compartment! Nice recipe for an explosion!

Anyway the paints I got are shown below.I was surprised that the Packard touch up paint was metallic.I knew that DuPont was experimenting with metallic paints back in the 1930's but didn't know when production commenced on them.

I remember several of the colors I used to see a lot of were maroon(including Titian Red Metallic which I believe Buick started with in 1954),dark blue(Cadillac had a real nice metallic dark blue in 1951 or 52),dark green(again Cadillac and Oldsmobile in 1949 or 50)and of course black.

 

When the time comes, my '46 Chevy is either going to be maroon with black fenders or all one solid emerald green color like the Tovar fastback lowrider. When I think pre '55 customs, I think black, and late 50's/early 60's customs I think of a lot of gold colors and bright greens. My '40 Chrysler is black and I can't imagine it in any other color.

 

Since you're thinking blue, I gotta go with DrJs recommendation, midnight blue. That color had a hell of an influence on me when I was a kid. I was about 13 and walked out of the local soda shop and sitting right in front of me was the most beautiful 57 chevy I'd ever seen, it was midnight blue, and the way the street lights and neon played off that color just blew me away.
Oh and right in front of that was a cherry red 40 ford coupe, I remember it like it was yesterday.
I think your car would look great in midnight blue with dark blue and white interior.

 

I have always been partial to "Inca Silver" with off White from 57 GM products.

 

Is there a good website that I can use to look up old auto paint colors???

 

Ok, nevermind, i found www.autocolorlibrary.com

 

Black.

 

i'm a HUGE fan of black cars but i just don't feel it with this one. i want it to stand out a little more and black cars tend to have a subtlty that i want to avoid with this one. i'm going for the "classy" look that earlier kustoms had before they got real outrageous in the later 50s and on.
i do like Midnight blue. i had a Camaro that was midnight blue mettalic and i REALY liked that color. right now i'm leaning towards a blue of some sort but green is in the running too. kinda like the body color and white interior idea too. i like all the chrome on the dash too. might get the garnish mouldings and stuff chromed as well. HMMM. maybe some chrome strips from side to side across the head liner???

 

Here's a link to the Tovar Fleetline in green

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=221450&d=1157748937

And another one off the HAMB, a very tasteful '46 in maroon

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=221452&d=1157748937

 

looking through issue 33 of the Rodders Journal i was REALY diggin Riksters "Kolorized Kustoms" article. it was realy something to see those scenes in full color. it was however a more recent build that grabbed my attention the most (in regards to ideas for my own project). Terry Hegman's 51 Merc near the back of the issue is a BEAUTIFUL Saphire Blue with a blue and white naugahyde interior with blue piping. they also used dark blue carpeting everywhere and they mentioned (but failed to show a picture of) the headliner. i'd REALY like to see what they did with that. as soon as i saw the interior i thought "that is the interior for the 47". likewise i'm quite fond of the exterior color. i'm gonna keep looking and thinking about it but right now that idea is at the top of the list.

 

I'm probably gonna get SHIT for this but.............VW had some nice, subtle colors on bugs/buses up into the 60's......I especially like some of the blues and greens.....
Get to the magazine rack and flip through a few pages of Hot VW. Just don't BUY it! ha ha ha!!!

 

if anyone gives you shit for talkin about VWs punch em in the nose!!! bunch of closed minded IGNORANT fuckers anyway... OH. sorry. off on a short tangent there... yer right. they did have some very subtle colors. i don't realy want subtle though. i don't think VW heard of mettalic paint till the 90s ...

 

It's in this month Rod and Custom as well but if I remember they don't show the headliner in that article either. It is a beautiful car. Nice and subtle.

 

When did metallics start showing up on customs??? Mid-late 50's????


FWIW........I dig the 'you know whats'..... hee hee

 

it's only subtle compared to some of the outrageous kustom cars that have been built since the late 50s and on. putting it in the context of the early 50s (which is the styling they used on that Merc) it's quite radical. just compare it to a stock version and you'll see. i prefer the term "CLASSY" to describe cars like this and most kustoms of the era (pre 55). the word "subtle" (inadvertently i know) takes something away from cleverly crafted kustoms such as this (and others of the era). it's almost an insult because of the amount of work that is required to change a car so much and make it look as though it is supposed to look that way. know what i'm sayin??

 

I meant it in terms af the subtlies of the modification in the overall design of the car. They all flow and look as though they are original design elements of the car. I think Ryan said it best in his JJ entry today when he used the term elegant. But I do hear what you are saying.

 

Metallics have been around since the thirties.
I learned to drive in a '53 Olds 98, midnight blue with a White top, hence my prejudice for that combination.

 

Candy Apple Red....First used by Joe Bailon in 1956....OLDBEET

 

THANKS for those words! These are very radical changes, done in a tasteful way.

And here's a link to the mentioned colorized pics on Riks NEW website.
http://www.rikhovingkustoms.com

My tip is, like many others said, to watch the colors of the luxury cars at the time. Especially the "coming-next-year-fashion-color".