Art & Inspiration Why'd You Pick That Color?

I apologize when I insult the owner of this sedan, but that thing is BUTT-UGLY ! I really hope the painter was just duplicating the factory color(s), because I don't think ANY painter alive today could/would dream up this abomination. Money only has so much attraction.

 

Mark, love your cars

 

Hey there, fellow oldtimer, I always heard to use red oxide or other dark primer under red topcoat instead of any light-tinted primer because when the paint gets chipped, the chip won't show so much with dark primer under it. I never thought about different colored primers affecting the outcome of a paintjob. DUH !

 

My builder told me that any car built in his shed went out gate painted RED. If I did not like that go find another builder.Coupe was built in 5 months. I was planning Orange but now glad I stuck with RED

 

I LOVE color. Dark colors, light colors, Candy colors, Pearls, Flakes, solids, Metallics. Of course it helps that I'm a painter. Making a color decision is the hardest thing to get people to do. And it's so personal, I hate to give my advice to them. For me, when someone finally picks black or shite, or silver, it seems like they've given up trying to choose and are taking the easiest route. Or they have no imagination to "see" their car in any particular color.
My cars: Bright red 57 Chevy ragtop, Baby blue 57 hardtop, Porsche Guards Red 56 Chevy, Candy Cobalt Blue and Silver 55 Olds, Lavender Pearl and Candy Purple 54 Chevy, 57 Tropical Turquoise Buick Regal, Candy Fuschia and Abalone Flake 61 Dodge. Next up, either black with Candy Red scallops, or all Candy Red, 47 Chevy. I like to mix it up!

 

.................Here is where pictures would be appropriate.

 

And here it is, one of my jobs that otherwise got an above average number of compliments. Is it correct? Yes, a scheme designed by a stage set architect of the time, Joseph Urban. We can even answer the question in the topic, "Why did you pick...". The intent was to enhance the low silhouette of the car on a time when others were as much as a foot taller. A Google image search for Ruxton will reveal some others, and in a web search reveal the car's history and folklore. Also true, such is certainly not for everybody.

 

As the owner of a 39 Tudor, not sure if the "sloper", as some call it, can pull off a white finish. There's a lot of car there, lots of "volume" to the roofline. Light colors enhance hgt, darks tend to enhance length. I don't make the rules, just the nature of visual effect. At the end of the day you have to make sure you're happy with it. I've seen a couple that looked ok, but maybe a grey shade would be better? Do an image search, see what the OEM offered. You don't want to be stuck with disappointment.

 

Jalopy Joker,...pretty truck and an awesome mural!

 

And the beginning of the day, the next, the day after that and....................
I've seen certain paints on cars that have made me exclaim more than once
"Can you imagine getting in that car every day and have to look at that color".
Fuscha, chartreuse, many purples, lime green, some cars can pull it off, others???

 

I am very surprised to hear that someone who makes a living from color would actually say they despise one of them - ESPECIALLY a color that defines early hot rods and customs. To each their own, but I think maroon is great. It sure woke up my dad's '64 CDV.

 

Because I love BLUE.

 

Make that 2 for blue....

 

So far, nothing in this thread comes close to this color. I'd like to see more pictures of this car

 

I don't deny it's a favored and proper color. Can't remember how many I've done that way too. For me? To open the garage and see it every time I used the car, or see it on a daily? No fluggin thank you. I suppose my colleague chopolds expresses my sentiments to a degree as well. You can't be in this craft of rods, restoration, etc, knowing that at the peak level of work EVERYTHING gets a finish of some type, and not "like" color. I embrace the challenge on every new job, and ironic as it seems I have to do some maroon spray outs for the next big one in the shop. At least I don't have to live with it, but I'll be as happy for my friend/client as he is with the final product. Yes, I agree, that was great choice for the Cadillac you shared with us. Like a totally different car.

Damn it, I really am liking this topic...

 

I painted my 1946 Harley maroon and I like it....except everyone keeps asking me,"Is that your brown Harley?"

 

We had these old steel shell chairs I inherited from my grandparents. Every few years we would spray paint them a different color. They were red, then dark green, then purple, then maroon. For my birthday one year, my wife snuck one of them off to a body shop (run by my neighbor) and surprised me with this:




I took one look at that chair in the sun, and my first thought was -- I have got to get a car and paint it that color. So I actually chose the style of car to fit the paint color, sort of reverse-engineering compared to all these other posts. Anyway, ended up with this:

 

I've never been a big fan of red, but on the right car it looks good. I love glossy, shiny black, my OT pickup is black, but it's a bitch to keep clean. Two colors that really get my motor running though are blue and yellow. I prefer medium to darker blues, not a big fan of the midnight blues that look black, nor a fan of sky or baby blue, just too light for me. In the yellows, I like a medium to dark yellow with a lot of pop to it, hate pastels in any color. And I can go with a copper brown if it has that glow or pop to it.

I hate green. Will never paint anything green. Being colorblind, I can't tell some greens and browns apart. Only green I have ever saw that I liked was the bright lime green on the new Camaros, kinda like a Hot Wheels color, but still wouldn't paint anything that color.

My car is currently gold, which is OK, but since it's in such bad shape, it will be getting a new color before long. I love the Blue Flame color Ford uses on the new pickups, but since I have a gallon of Daytona Blue metallic enamel already I'll probably just use it.

 

EXCELLENT POST! So well said. I am the same, love COLOUR! Colour choice is second only to wheel choice in terms of the initial impression a car makes, and it should be selected with a thought of what the "theme" or idea is behind the rest of the build. So many great colours to choose from. And so many CLASSIC traditional hot rod colours that those short on imagination would never consider nowadays. Naples Orange, Goldenrod Yellow, Titian Red, Waterfall Blue, Bahama Blue, Roman Red, and on and on.

 

Nice! A REAL traditional hot rod colour, as in one that was actually popular back in the day!

 

Gary
That would be Danube blue for the 66 and Deepwater blue for 67 Novas. Other models also, at least the Chevelles used it too.
Not sure why but they weren't the most popular colors, at least in the Novas. I have always liked both of these dark blues.

 

In 1967 I bought a 1947 Mercury that was the factory green. Dark green. So dark that people were constantly asking me if it was a black Ford. I got tired of that so now it IS black

 

What I don't do is pick a paint color that's trending now for example green, brown or some form of copper or bronze as evident in this thread. Any color that dates your car. Which makes me stick with period colors or black. Looks good and boring I know, but remember the teal and pastel color rage of the nineties and Budnik wheels on street rods? Similar feel.

 

Never was much of a blue guy myself, DDD. But the Marina Blue of '66 was/is one of my alltime favorites.
There was a local Chevelle & a Nova (both SS's) here when new, they were both outstanding in Marina Blue!
Me, I'm a boring Maroon guy for the most part...

 

QUOTE="lothiandon1940, post: 11820335, member: 33625"].................Here is where pictures would be appropriate.[/QUOTE]
Ah, just didn't want to put too much up to derail a thread. But here we go!
Oh, and the last one, I had a little something to do with, too!

 

Marina Blue was quite popular across the Chevy line. An old high school pal has a restored 67 (L79) Malibu in Tahoe Turquoise, another favorite of mine.

 

Joeyesmen, cool story, cooler car. I have a green 32 and a pure white 51 truck. No matter what color, if the stance is off, you're in trouble. The rest is personal opinion.

 

My wife has only owned this car for three months and we are still turning it into her dream car. When it gets repainted she has chosen Satin Black upper and Gun metal gray lower and the gold inserts in the trim will be brushed aluminum color.

 

Good point. I lost track of how many brown variants were at the Detroit Autorama this year.