It took me 4 years to deiced on the perfect shade of blue for my car, so I figure I need to really pick a direction with my truck.


Unrestored my truck is red, originally mint green that was repainted at the dealers when it was bought new. I plan on doing quite a bit of custom work to it, but nothing that wouldn't look like it came out of the '50s... maybe rodded in the 50s, but still from the 50s.


Its a debated between two colors, red and black. I don't want to just paint it a standard shade though, I'm a huge fan of candies and pearls, and after doing my Mustang in a candy, I just can't go back.
Sunlight


garage light


After such color change, I just can't go back to normal paint. My first truck was painted black and red with a white pinstripe, I still love the color combo very much (ha, it was totaled 13 days after I finished by someone making a blind left hand turn infront of me)


Now, I'm a big fan of black with red high lights, such as red wheels and a red interior


Here is an example of black with red wheels, curitisy of www.alabamacustomcarandtruckclub.com





Personally I think the colors are pretty sharp. If I used red with black, it would be a very very rich crimson red. However I am also toying with a black-chocolate-creme combo for the interior as well, probably what would be used on a red truck.

However the black couldn't just be black, I wouldn't be happy with just plain black. Possibly black with a black candy over the top.


But if I go red for the primary color, it will be a red candy, probably over black (like my Mustang, I know most use a silver or gold, but black makes it very deep and endless to me), however maybe over gold, maybe even over red. The interior wouldn't be red, nor the wheels, it's far too much red in my book.




The problem with red is that I'm planning on building a '53 Chevy Pickup as well, and that is for sure going to be red. And if I get around to rebuilding a 63 Corvette in my life, that will be red too. I don't want to tire of the color.


There are combos, but I'm not completely sure about them:





There are a few other matters to take into account, this will be my business truck, I'm a blacksmith artist, my truck says a lot about me and my business. A logo would stand out better on a black truck, but part of me worries about the truck loosing it's character at a distance and just being another black truck, but it's also very clean when done right. Red stands out and shouts. Red slaps you in the face.

And being that I am a blacksmith and doing this in candy, I may do some very subtle ghost flames on the front.

Any color option I choose is going to need the truck to be completely straight, I greatly prefer dark vibrant colors.

Maybe crimson with a black candy? It would look red from the side but fade to black on the edges. Or black with a red candy, it would act just like my car does. I'm annoyingly picky about my ideal shade of crimson, lol, like I said, it took 4 years to figure out the exact shade of blue for my car and the effect I wanted.


I suppose a red truck could have a black interior with red highlights, my fear with red though is getting sick of it. As I said, the 53 Chevy will for certain be red, though possibly just a standard shade...


So opinions, thoughts, ideas, what have you, are all welcome. I've got time with this choice, but its something I need to get figured out as it effects many choices I make even before putting paint down.

Thanks

 

Hi Stephen,
Being as your '56 is an F-600 which you are saying will either be a flatbed or some kind of custom bed, and it has the big dually wheels, it has a whole different attitude and look as compared to the smaller trucks and rods in your pictures. In keeping with the size and type I think you would be better off looking at custom work done on bigger trucks. Considering your end use intended, some of the treatments and colors used on the smaller trucks and rods aren't going to work well. Take a look at some of the bigger trucks on here, especially the COE's. Thay have done some really great and radical stuff but they sort of go their own way in color and style. I think they show that you don't have to settle for bland to go the appropriate bigger truck route. I say stay away from suicide doors, chopped top and body sectioning. Concentrate on the cool stuff that works for your application like a tilt front end and inproved driver/passenger comforts like seats, steering, sound system, A/C, PW's, tinted glass, upgraded power train, etc., etc. Point is, put you efforts toward what makes it work best for you and your application. Keep in mind that if you do this right and it is going to be used in your busiones that the whole cost of the project is going to a tax deduction for your business. Making it look like a pimp-mobile won't cut it for that or your business.

You did say you were looking for opinions didn't you???

Later Man...

 

I have a 56 F500 and it has the all raven black paint with a 1999 14' with 4' attic vanbody box ontop of it's 172'' wheelbase.
Ilike black 56s.
I am now removing the vanbox and setting a flatbed ontop and this will make the big truck more drivable. The big box felt like a turtle and was huge to drive.
I will miss the rolling mobile office......but times are-a-changin'
Bill

 

Thanks guys

David: I've gone through a lot of ideas with it, I like to figure things out even if I change my mind about the using the idea. The biggest mod on this thing is probably going to be the bed, it's possible I may just stay with the flat bed (though that would need to be fixed as the compressor took a big hole out of it), but I like the idea of making a standard bed... just larger for an F-600. I think it would be a very cool and original look, even though making those wheels wells are going to be a massive project, ha. I really love the fenders on the old trucks, if I didn't I should have just bought something from the 80s, ha. I'd like to actually use the truck, granite a smaller truck may have been more practical for most day to day things, but I live in big truck country, almost every one here has the biggest truck Ford/Chevy/Dodge sells before they sell semi's, so it's not like it's not duable. To be honest I doubt this F-600 will even look like that big of a truck on the road in this town, ha.

Painting is a lot of fun to me, and doing a candy or pearl over just a solid color is no more work than a couple more passes and the extra money for the paint, so it's why I like to go custom. The look of a candy, even if it didn't really cost more than the paint to do, says big dollars in peoples eyes.

The effect that my business has on the project is it needs to say what I'm capable of. When I drive up, it should excite people, the truck itself should feel like magic, because that's what my business goal is, to bring people that feeling in their day to day lives.


It's a big truck, and as such it should look like a big truck. I'm not a big fan of chops on '56's, personally I only like it on slant cabs. I may play with the tail-lights a little bit, and even the bumpers, but for the most part it's going to be rather stock as far as all of that goes. The interior will be custom, but mainly just in the fabrics and what not, not planning on cutting or welding anything.

Thanks again.

 

That is one ugly black 56 you found that pic of. Just remember there are three colors in hot rodding black, red, and ugly. Just kidding everyone. That black truck is mine and the kolor is Sherman williams carriage black poly enamel, I have been very happy with it but it takes alot of rubbing. I went through the same problem black or red when deciding on mine but I just seen so many red effies here in the TN Valley that I just decided on black and it was cheaper than the red. Good luck though.

 

lol nice looking '56! You had me going. Very very clean

 

How about Dark Highland Green Metallic...it's almost black. It isn't red, although red is a good complementary color for it! How do I know? Look at some pics of an 01 Bullitt Mustang...LOL!

http://www.imboc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160965

That's just for a start, please feel free to peruse the site and check out the pictures. DHG is a great color for cars, and works well on pickups and large trucks as well. Some of Fords current model lineup uses the color, although with different nomenclature, it's the same color and the same paint.

 

I've always loved DHG, It's my favorite color on '67-68 Mustangs... except for cobalt candy, lol. Thanks for the suggestion

 

there is only one vehicle in the history of vehiculdom that has ever had the body lines
to support a black paint job and that is a 1959 chevrolet car or el camino,
everything else just looks blah & uncreative like no thought has gone into it with back paint........howevr' this is coming from the owner of an apple green econoline p/u....
but so much & so many shades of red and ways to apply it & effects that can be achieved..... & don't forget maintenance over the long run.... red will continue to look good for a lot longer than black with minimum of care & that time you save in maintenance can be better spent on draggin' home future truck projects (heh heh)
if you do get yer head spun round to red fer sure, take a look @ some of the sherwin williams hot rod & planet color chips... whenever i paw thru these fandecks & chips @ work i'm wishin' i had the $$ to have projects to try many of em on
Mikie
near ottawa canada
58 merc 100 panel (orange...cuz the paint was cheap)
64 econo p/u (apple green..cuz i once hada toyota truck that color & just plain like green)

 

Thanks for the input. I do agree that red would look better in the long run. Black hides nothing, not even a tint of dirt. Awesome for show cars, but a daily driver would just look messy all the time.

I am thinking I'm going to do it candy apple red over gold. Right now I'm trying to determine what exactly brandwine looks like in comparison, sometimes it's better, sometimes it too black cherry. Guess I need to figure out how many coats.

I think it will give the truck a very cool fiery paint job, something very fitting with a blacksmiths truck.



There are so many different possibilities that it becomes difficult. Over silver it looks pretty good, but more cold. Gold makes it very warm. Brandwine can have neat effects, but from what I've come across it seems more black cherry colored, it's easiest to see the hue when it's over black. Yes, I'm annoyingly particular, ha. My ideal is a very alive rich crimson.

Candy apple red seems to be a common hot rod color, and though I'm not one to do it cause it's in vogue, out of every color scheme I've come across, nothing beats it in the red department when it's over gold.

With the reflection of the sky it almost gives you purples as well:


I've just never seen a red so alive.



Probably stick with House of Kolor, I've used them in all my prior work.

I think I have the interior color scheme figured out, but if anyone knows a good combo with that red I'd love to see it.

Thanks for the input guys.

 

Well,. I don't know...There are so many "BLK - RED," trucks...that One kinda can get tired of seeing it...I saw a Orange '56 that was just stunning...The interior was tan...But to each his/her own...I love seeing new colors that arn't a dime a dozen...personnally I'm going with Glacier BLU...But that was for '53 and '54...'56 the blue was different...anyways whatever you descide it will look good!

 

There are just some trucks in my opinion that scream to be a particle color. A '56 F-600 just screams to be red.

Granite red is a popular color, it's one reason I'm not going with just a standard red. I too love seeing new colors out there, there is a lime green on the new Vipers that looks insane, just despite my love for the color, I also know if I bought one it be red. Just my personality. Now if I was making a show truck and I wanted it to stick out, I probably wouldn't go with red, actually if I really wanted it to stick out I'd paint it with that new chrome paint...