========================= COLORS =======================
As long as we're talking colors:
Some of the earlier 948 Heralds, ca. 1960, including one I own
and hope to restore to such, were painted COFFEE color (sort of
like coffee w/cream and a drop or two of Welch's Concord Grape
Juice).
A little bit closer to the real world -- at the 1989 VTR
Convention in Albany, NY, was an early TR2, painstakingly
restored to the original
GERANIUM color (somewhere between rose and peach -- the owners
had to dig way up under inside to even find a good, unspoiled
color sample to be matched, as POs apparently didn't care for
the color).
On the non-stock side, I vividly remember a champagne-metallic
TR3 from the 1983 VTR Convention in Long Island. It was an
excellent paint job and the result was stunning.
What is neat about particularly the last two examples is that
they remained in my memory long after the rows of red or green
TRs blurred. Point is, colors out of the ordinary red or green
will be noticed, if only because of their uniqueness, and that
is especially true of lighter colors such as yellows and whites.
Some colors simply don't work with some body styles and shapes.
How about a ca. 1960 Jaguar Mk.9 sedan in late-model GM electric
blue metallic? Nice color for a Bonneville, but it doesn't work
for me on the Jaguar. The body shop owner agreed with me, but he
couldn't talk the Jag owner out of it, and the guy really loves
it. Go figure. (And no, it's not a rod, it's absolutely original
except for color.) Now the Deep Emerald Green Clearcoat Metallic
on our Explorer -- there at the same body shop to get the deer
imprints removed -- that might've been a nice color on the Jag.
But I digress.
Above all else, though: HEY, IT'S YOUR CAR. YOU CAN PAINT IT ANY
COLOR YOU WANT. Those like myself and Dr. Gibbons who prefer
unrestored Leaf Green Bugeyes, Phantom Grey Triumph 10 Estate
Wagons and Lilac Morris Minor 1000s might not like it, but who
listens to people like us anyway? Right, Ray? ;-)
Before you spray that 40 coats of Black Tulip over Java Green,
try to get (or sketch it yourself if you can) a line drawing of
the car and make several photocopies. Then use colored pencils,
highlighting pens, watercolors, whatever to approximate the
color(s) you'd like. If you're thinking of stripes and/or
graphics, try them now, too. A few bucks in an art store now
could save a lot of bucks in the spray booth later.
--Andy *actually, I'm still partial to black cars with red
interiors* Mace
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