Thread: Change in trends?

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Cal Charger in lace paint:

...and a few more shots Gerry sent, including a group shot of Van Luven, The Greek, Bob Crietz, Steve Carbone, Don Hampton and friends.

The pic with the Lions sign is really way kewl!!!!

I also thought it was "classic". :-)

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

My grandma had a couple hand crochetted table cloths! .....but I valued my life too much!

I have a lot of brothers and step brothers, the blame was usually equally dispersed!!!!!!

So I still would like some feedback from those who paint for others. Any change in your business requests lately?

I belong to the sister site of this one, that talks "chopper". I have seen a sudden change in "what is acceptable paint" there. Flat black or patina (rusty bikes) have dominated their Chopper Of The Month contest for a few years, but it has started moving toward shiney bikes in dark colors or classic styles.

As far as "rat..... I mean "vintage rods", I hope that as the trend lessens, builders hang onto the imaginative building style that has evolved. It was refreshing after a few decades of enthusiasts producing the hot rods that evolved out of the past. They all seemed to be based on the same idealized models....sit the same way...use one of the accepted wheel styles....most popular engines....and so on. Today the cars are much more interesting, as there is a variety we haven't seen for a few decades.

I've been a fan since '58, and later saw the restorods, and billet rods come and go, but the mainstream was getting boring to me. It's hard to get excited when you seen "that body style, with those wheels, that engine...and painted that way, at least a hundred times.

Many years ago, I think it was Tex Smith, who wrote a humorous article that told of some guys trying to find their streetrod in the parking lot at a large event. They could not sort it out from all of the similar cars. :-)~

I have enjoyed seeing cars built today, where the imagination can run wild. I would just like to see nice workmanship be the one constant. Maybe it's because I have spent my life trying to "do a better job on each new project".

I can't offer any insight, Hotrodpaint, but thanks to all for a nice morning's read; it's been sort of like sitting around in someones shop jawin' for a while - I miss those times. Had my share of "suede" cars, but they were always unfinished; it just looked better to me to squirt 'em all one shade of grey/black while I was bangin' and messin' with them than to leave 'em in polky-dots or some other shade of mismatch, and I could do that in the yard without too much hassle. Once I thought they were ready, they went to the shop for a proper job when I could manage the funds. Had one way back in "the day" that I did a two tone, rust red and light grey primer job on just for laughs; looked pretty "good?" if that's the right turn of phrase. A nighbor who built nice Brit bike restos and a sweet '29 roadster called it a "white trash, hillbilly" custom.

Rrumbler, I built, or helped build a lot of cars in the early years. I know other guys drove 'em in primer. I know of two flat black cars in my home town (of 50,000) during the '60s...a '37 Chevy coupe, and a 55 Pontiac "post". Most were painted the day after the primer. I did drive an aqua '57 BelAir hardtop, with some primer on the front rolled pan I made.....but that was the only one. From my own limited little world, I don't buy into the "vintage rods were all flat black" theory, held by many 20 year olds.

When I was 17, I did have a "flat metallic" '53 Chevy (which I think is a coming mini-trend) but that was because it was my first lacquer job, and I hadn't learned how to make 'em shiney yet! :-( I was proud anyway, since I did it myself. :-)

Yes, this is like a "bull session" down at the local shop. The nice thing about the net is that we can find "brothers" who share our passion.