HALLOCK-STYLE WINDSHIELD ARRIVES!

I'm pleased to report that my Sellers Equipped Hallock--style windshield has arrived. And it's every bit as beautiful in person as it is in the photos. Props to Steve Sellers for casting these beautys. I'll be tucking this away in a safe place and continuing the parts pile with one of the major items crossed off of my list. The shot I'm posting is of a Sellers windshield on Nick Garfias' roadster.

Here's what the windshield looks like on a finished car.

TYLER CHRISINGER/PINKEE's MODEL A COUPE.

The scallops are a nice touch as are the tall tires and understated caps.

Went to a small car show in Littleton today. And there it was again. My favorite car that I'd seen at the humongous Good Guys show in Longmont. The same car I'd seen yet again at the Golden Cruise not once, but two different times. The same car I'd admired in build phase on Pinkee's website.  I was not about to lose the opportunity to get some pics of this spectacular ride. I borrowed Debbie's cell phone and fired away. So without any further adieu, here it is.  One of my favorite A coupes on the planet.

The tail lights are super tasty and understated,

The metal while not perfect is remarkably straight for an old gal. 

The aircraft style gauges are all business, I sure would like to make this car a custom shift knob. 

I assume the three gas cans tied in to create a unique 15-gallon tank.

Even the divide in the grill is understated and unique.

As you can see the 32 frame rails create a graceful look.

Even the larger headlights look super tasty.

Even the 6X2 with four holes blocked off reinforces the understated quality.

Note the tastefully shrouded electric fan. Trick. 

SUEDE FADE PAINT FOR THE '29?

Stole these images from Facebook. This car was at the Concrete Massacre and while I don't know the owner's name, I'd like to personally thank him for getting me thinking about how cool suede paint and subtle fades are. 

As any of you know, I've been going back and forth between whether to paint my 29 a metallic color or a non-metallic color. But seeing the shots of this beautiful "fade and suede"job has got me weighing it as an option that offers aspects of both metallic and non-metallic. The suede punches because of the metallic base coat, while the flat clear makes the paint look suedelike and less shiny. 

Still digging the idea of a very light turquoisey/seafoam color. Clearly embracing suede with fade, would be a much more unique option.  It would also afford the opportunity to dabble with a couple of different values of seafoam/turquoise.                          

GOLDEN INSPIRATION

I went to the Golden Cruise last night and had a walk around with my youngest son. It was a great source of inspiration. We showed up around 8PM, which was a little bit later than we usually pop into the Golden Cruise.

In-progreess shot See Pinkee's website for more. 

 The same Model A Coupe that I'd seen at Good Guys was there again. Every time I see this car I'm reminded what a huge difference a shop like Pinkee's can make on the build of a car. In looking more at the interior of the coupe, I was taken by how much subtlety is at play. No one detail jumps out at you. But it's the cumulative effect of the many small touches that makes the car badass. The aircraft style gauges. The three 5-gallon cans connected together for gas tanks. The steering column mount. The recessed gauge panel. Wow. This car has it all.

(Shot pilfered from Pinkee's website.)

On a seperate note, I saw a guy breaking down his drum kit, after his performance. I struck up a briaef conversation about his aqua metal flake drums. Most likey a surf band, from the looks of the woodie he was loading his kit into and the floral shirt he was wearing. I told him I was toying with the idea of using the same sparkly material for a dash board and he told me about Precision Drum, where he'd bought the material to refinish his kit. He explained that the material comes in sheets, is pretty thick, and that getting it to stick is no problem assuming you use a quality adhesive and your surface was relatively flat and uniform. He had used a 3M rubber cement product with good results. 
Now granted, So Cal Speed Shop has sold Fender instrument clusters for a few years now, so let's not suggest I invented the idea. But while I liked them a lot, I want to do one-off. Something more along the lines of the reference shot I pilfered from Bob Bleed's Facebook page.

 

















I'd be using my own color, of curse, probably an aqua metal flake like the stuff I saw last night, or like the Fibes drum kit color I referenced a couple of years ago in this very blog. Yep, it always comes around full circle with me.

BAHAMA BLUE

Here's another example of a really cool exterior color that is quite nice and subtle along with some fabric samples. I'm beginning to think that using reference material like this could contribute to a very unique roadster. Something that looks like it came right out of the late fifties or early sixties. I'm definitely leaning away from the metallic as I look at the traditional style hot rods that impress me most. I'm also attracted to the idea of using unexpected reference material to achieve something that appears period correct. To that end, why not vintage VW?

WHAT A VINTAGE VW CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT COLOR

We hit a first annual Vintage VW show today here in Denver. In all, there were probably less than fifty cars in attendance. But a good crowd it was, and there were some really cool VWs and people, ranging from tasteful restored vans and bugs to Cal Bugs and Karman Ghias. A handful of vans, a squareback or two and even one notchback were there as well. As Deb and I walked among the cars in attendance, I was struck by how tasteful and restrained many of the stock colors were in the late fifties and early sixties. If I had to cite my three faves, they were all subtle, stock colored beetles with custom mods, tasteful rims and stock fabrics used throughout their interiors. Their exterior colors were extremely restrained. Not a hint of metallic. One was a very light tan color and another was a medium gray. A third was a very light value of seafoam green. As I looked at these beetles, and their cloth material interiors on stock seats, it reinforced to me how a restrained color and fabrics can really set the stage for bringing out the custom mods. I'm definitely onto a restrained track with the colors I'm considering. But maybe I won't even use metallic. Yep, there it is. I said it.

THE PERFECT COLOR

You just never know where or when it's going to hit you. The perfect color reference. 

Not a photo. Photos can be deceiving. Nope. I'm talking about a genuine, bonafide physical object. Something with shape, curvature, edges. Something you can hold in your hand and admire in direct sunlight. It happened to me yesterday as Drew and Debbie and I toured the local thrift shops in search of mid-century objects, beaded dresses, vintage snap shirts and vintage costume jewelry to make into custom shift knobs.  

I rounded the corner and there it was in all of it's glory. Viola'! 

A helmet in the exact color I've had in my head. 

I picked it up in my hand and was instantly amazed by how it looked both silvery and light turquoisey (yeah, I know... it's not a word). It reminded me of the curvaceous pieces of metal that you often see paint samples displayed upon at major car shows (SEMA, for instance). I naturally had to buy it. Now all I have to do is visit a good paint store to find the same color. Or cruise mall parking lots on busy days with helmet in tow. Here's a shot of it. Just for grins, let's see how close it is to some of the references I've already pulled. As you can see, the helmet goes more to the blue side than the Charger, which was my color of choice until yesterday. 

I know have the exact color. I'll keep you posted,