Next month I'm gonna have my truck's paint job touched up -- it's a great paint job, so I'm not gonna repaint, but there's a bunch of scratches and things to touch up, so I'm going for it.
I'm gonna remove the gas fill door and get a computer color-match from that ... hoping it will be a good match ... I'm going to a place that has a good rep for doing this, so I hope it goes well.
The color of the grill, running boards and tailgate (CHEVROLET logo) makes me ... well, I think it totally sucks, to be blunt. I'm thinking of making it the same color as the body, only much darker ... and I'm also thinking that either pearl or metalflake would add some flash to it.
It's my opinion that a "bottom color" (like the runningboards and front grill) should be darker than the body, not lighter. "Bottom" = "weight" ... "weight" = "dark" ... NOT light.
Horvath...Check some of these front ends. Either chrome or paint on the front looks good and just paint the tailgate one solid color. Take a look at some of the truck sites and possibly see about getting a smooth tailgate or a louvered tailgate. Here is some ideas although they don't show the back of too many.
Here is an idea for a tailgate
Personally I would take the back bumper off and add a roll pan in its place unless you use it to trailer your equipment around. Even at that you could add a hide-a-hitch behind the pan. You just drop the licence plate and hook the hitch into the receiver. I think from the rear shot you have the back bumper kind of over powers the rest of the truck becayse it is a step bumper and not a stock bumper. But that is my opinion.
I kindof go to go with Kevin on this. I like roll pans if they are done properly. I would go one color on the tail gate, but I honetly like the front color.
Alan, You seem to have to opposite problem that I'm going through. I'm getting ready to paint my Panel truck and the primary color will be a true fire engine red but I thought about it and think that it will be to much red going down the road so the moulded panels on the sides and rear doors along with the front grille and dashboard will be a dark burgundy color about the same as your truck. I personally like the colors you have on yours. And I agree with Kevin about the rollpan for the rear also, think it would look pretty nice like that.:thumbup:
were gonna redo the buttend of Alan's truck!!!!!!!:thumbup:
i like the front and running board color, as far as a darker color for them, hmmmm, wheres a paint shop virtual custom guy when you need one?.....
Alan, can you get us some pics, good profile, l & r sides, rear, front, all angles????? ACTUALLY the front pass. pic is perfect, can you get one of the rear like that?we can do it digitally first, and you can get it like you want , with out spending any money, .......
i dig the roll pan, Kevs right on with the drop down plate for the hitch...... maybe some lites moulded into the rear fenders.......or into the roll pan itself....... that way you wouldn't be putting holes in the fenders...... smooth out the tail gate.....
when's the blower going on????:mwink:
EvilTwin : How'd you do that? The grill should be darker tho' ...
Hey, Guys ... as far as the bumper, I'm thinking I want to keep it because it's welded to the frame AND my 30-gallon gas tank is right behind it -- I figure it's good protection in case of a rear-ender (which will never happen cuz I'd have to kill the offender and then I wouldn't be able to drive any more anyway) :boxing:
BluePen : I agree ... when a truck is ALL one color, it gets tiring to the eye.
CrazyLarry : Here ya go :
As far as the tailgate goes, I LIKE the "CHEVROLET" deal, man!!
ain:
LOL - I dig the old original look, ya know?
Also, these pics are a BIT deceiving ... the grill color, in real life, looks GOLD -- I honestly think it's a terrible accent color -- it tends to take the red out of the body color ... I want to bring your eye to the red/burgundy more, by adding more to the darker accent color.
And on the darker burgundy color (grill, run-boards, tailgate letters) I'm wondering which would be better -- pearl or metalflake?
You asked for opinions, so here's mine. I like the "clean" look, so I would paint it all the same color and do a pearl over the whole thing. I also like the roll pan idea, or a different bumper (something that flows with the lines a little better). I also like the look of the original tail gate (the smooth ones to me say REPRO, which isn't too cool), but I would still go with one color over it all. The peal over it would accent the raised letters nicely. The color of the truck is GREAT, and would look great over the whole thing, running boards too.
Just my .02
Alan
I don't post much but I browse through every day. As you
may rember I am building the 54 Pro Street, I have paid a lot of
attention to every 54 I have seen. I agree with several of the
others that the butt needs a roll pan with recessed tail lights.
My favorite paint job one solid color. Good luck on whatever you
decide, you still have a great looking truck.
Loy
That's the way it was when I got the truck ... and one of the MAIN reasons I want to do the touch-up work next month.
Those other scratches (like the major ones on the driver side front fender) were done by the PO's kids - riding around the truck on their demon possessed bikes.
:evil:
I say either go with a gunmetal gray or a deep metallic burgundy. The problem with the metallic burgundy is you would have to use a separate pinstripe to separate the rear tailgate Chevrolet pattern. The gunmetal gray is a very dark charcoal Gray minute metallic. The problem with that is to tie it in with the rest of the truck you would need to add some sort of scallops or pin-striping, scallops preferably do to the large grill. The only way to escape the need to tie in the color to the rest of the truck would be with a darker shade of the existing body color. Otherwise the grill and running boards will always look out of place. Your only other choice is to get them chromed. Any drastic color difference will result in a displaced look unless tied in with the rest of the paint do to the largeness of the grill and the proximity to the hood paint.
How about replacing the rear bumper with a match to the front? I would definately change the gold but instead of darker I would make it a grey, something nice. As for the grill how about chrome?
And how about wood strips on the running boards if the bed has wood then all the better.
A lot of good input here, I would stay with one color. Look at some of the late model two step factory pearls. Keep the tailgate, paint the logos and grill a darker shade of the same color. I`ve seen narrow strips of rubber side trim used on running boards,looked good.
I`m with the others on the rear roll pan with lights. I would also replace the mirrors with late model streamlined painted ones.
make the hood one piece, use one piece door glass, late model recessed pickup door handles, french the headlights, mold plugs in the end of the bed rail rolls. Thats enough to get you imagination going for a while. LOL
HK : As usual, I like your ideas, bro'. Chrome is out, because I think it's too typical, and also I don't think my grill is capable of the process. I LIKE the metalic burgundy idea (DARK burgundy, eh?) ... what color would you pinstripe with? Black? I think you've explained why I think the gold looks "displaced." I'm gonna consider using the same color as the body but darker and metallic ... but I like the idea of using burgundy because I think it'll make the body color LOOK more in the red/burgundy zone, and I like the idea of a touch of pinstriping.
What about the touch-up on the body, HK? Will the different spots show up; will the clear coat spots be revealed; should I clear coat the whole truck for a better blend in the touch-up spots???
pzatchok : Cool idea -- wood strips on the running boards! I hadn't thought about that! It'd have to be a good HARD wood -- I'll definitely be thinking about that.
troy-curt : The rear roll pan sure is popular around here, but I think it kills the 50s look too much, as would the streamlined mirrors, one-piece door glass (I am in LOVE with vent windows!!! GREAT ashtrays, man!!), frenched headlights, late model door handles -- you're killing my truck! LOL! I DID take care of the bed rail rolls, though -- with halogen lights!
Killing your truck depends on how you look at it . There should be no in between. Stock -----OR---custom.lol
Rolled pans was very popular in the 50s. Hey It`s your truck, you do it like you want it. But metelflake is out of style. I would still go with a rear bumper to match the front one,it would look more like a cruiser.I would also use a chrome grill and pin striping like HK suggested.
If the paint is very old, you will never be able to spot paint it. It would look better scratched than spotted.
This paint job is so nice, and looks so fresh and new, it makes me think that touchin' it up is the way to go -- it seems crazy to paint the whole truck when the paint that's on there is so great lookin' ... but maybe I'm wrong, I dunno -- that's why I'm here. By the time I get to doin' it I just might find out the best thing to do is to paint the whole truck anew!
My personal taste goes like this: I like a 350 sbc, muscled up with a mild cam, headers and 4bbl carb -- simple street rumblin' machinery, like I've got now ... I go nuts over the designs of the 50s! Man, I missed vent windows and highbeam floor buttons so bad, I couldn't believe it, and I tend to like the bodies and lines to be on the original, stock side of things ... interiors are probably my biggest passion of all (the only place, at this point, where I have any real know-how) and where I like to personalize as much as possible; turning it into a living room. I never consider what's "in" ... I think if it works for me, that's as "in" as it gets!
I guess hotrodding is as unique as the people that do it and that's the fun of it, eh?
Hey Horvath...this site shows where you can get some chrome lettering for the Chevrolet script on the tailgate if that would interest you. put the mouse cursor right here and click away
The pinstripe color can be nearly anything from your basic black to silver or gold leaf, its all up to you. A dark blue, cobalt even, bright red or any shade therein. Bright red would make the truck pop and give it a hotter look, blue would darken it up a bit and just make it another truck, gold or silver leaf would make it smooth yet very custom. I like the silver leaf because you can use it elsewhere to bring the whole truck together.
That paint isn't that old so I don't think it would be to difficult to do spot repairs. If your going to be repainting the grill and tailgate and etc I would just clear the entire truck afterwards, let it cure and then buff it out.
pzatchok : Cool idea -- wood strips on the running boards! I hadn't thought about that! It'd have to be a good HARD wood -- I'll definitely be thinking about that.
You are in an area I enjoy. Use a Cyprus wood, very resistant to rot. Before you put it on the truck use a marine varnish or a bar varnish (spare Vanish) they are water resistant, varnish both sides and let dry. Most other varnishes do not take recoats well they will peel no matter how much you scuff. The marine and bar varnish will take recoats. The poly varnish stuff is good but does not take recoats well either. Just more stuff. Is the bed wood?
Hey Alan
If you really want to carry the wood running boards further you can do something like I'm doing with my '46 Panel.
I'm going to replace the running boards completely with wood. I'm going to be using oak only because I already have it on hand but with the base color of the truck being red I'm going to run 2 or 3 strips of African padauk spaced across the width. HK gave me the idea and I think it will look very nice:thumbup:
The Cyprus is the best way to go if your going to do alot of daily driving with it. We get more nice dry days here than you up north that I'm pretty sure the oak will hold up fine. That African padauk has a very nice deep red color to it.
CamaroGuy : Thanks, bro' -- that's great info! I'll definitely be going with Cyprus ... my bed has a steel plate (right now) laying over the old gray original oak. I'm planning on moving into a place with a garage next month and figure I'll do the bed over the winter months. I'm gonna talk to HK about some special wood -- prolly that African Palooka stuff. hehehe. Trees turned me on to some very cool marine varnish -- have you ever seen this stuff? : DEKS OLJE
Bluepen : That sounds really cool, man! I'd love to SEE it -- when are you planning on doing it up? HK is a freaking genious, eh?
If I do Cyprus strips, I was thinking (in the interest of avoiding water sitting underneath and creating unseen rust) it might be best to glue it down somehow ... or screw it down, but seal it underneath with RTV? What do you think?
Also, what about the African Padauk? Would that hold up as well as the Cyprus?
Be careful doing wood in the winter, when you bolt it in place the wood will expand and contract. If the air is wet when you put it to gether and varnish it then get it out in the sun the next summer the water will try to come out and split the wood.
Try to keep the wood around out of the elements for about two weeks or more to let it breath and get its moisture content leveled out.
remember wood will move with the weather.
And yes put some RTV under the strips. Cyprus does not expand and shrink as much as oak. Cyprus is also heavier and has a tighter grain than oak. although the grain is not as pretty as say red oak.
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