So it comes to it - Paint

[JLM]

I've got just a couple weekends worth of body work to complete on the 69 bird before we lay the first coat of build primer on the car.

I'm looking to paint suggestions. I'm not big into flames, but I'd like to do something that stands out a bit. I generally prefer darker colors. I've been kind of thinking aboutmaybe a 2 tone paint scheme, or maybe not.

An idea I've had is a pitch black base coat with a heavy red pearl in the paint. Though I see this color combination quite a lot in my area at car shows.

Does anybody have any good idea's?

The car is a 1969 Firebird. It will have polished aluminum wheels, and I'm keeping all the chrome bits on the car. I'm still waiting on the 69 TA hood to arive, and the car will have a camaro style fin spoiler as well.

Thanks for any input.

-Jason

[Piet]

1969 Firebird? My two suggestions are:

1) Black with red racing stripes the look like the picture below OR start at a black/red and fade to viper red


2) or (my favourite) paint it a "Sunset" color.
Paint the entire car Gold, then paint it with a candy-apple "clear" coat. The car ends up looking deep red.... but has real rich color. It looks like Sunset "Fire".

[Bill Howell]

Since it is a bird and you are installing a t/a hood, why not go with some type of ghost flames and bird on hood. Ghost flames seem to be hot lately and I like the look,suttle and understated.

[Matt]

A few ideas.

I don't know how exactly, but the flames on this car were pretty much invisible to the eye, except at some angles they really stood out. Unlike other ghost flames I've seen.

I don't know how it'd look on your car, but the photorealistic flames can look pretty good. Here's the flames on an HD I saw.





...perhaps an amalgam of the two would be cool.
I'm also beginning to be a fan of the two tone scheme's ala Kris Horton.

[BRIAN]

I just disassembled my new Bird today to start my project and had a few ideas that I am passing on for a retro look instead. I was going to do the bottom in metallic black and the top in Chrysler black (off the Pacifica) which is actually has a grey tone to it that is only noticed when put against a real black. Anyway the ides is a black on black 2 tone. You can even use the lower metallic color as the bird color on the hood which would give it a ghost like look. Subtle but different. Good luck. Hey ship the car to NY and we will paint it for you.

[JLM]

I'm really going for a sleek sexy look. More understated than flashy. The 69 Bird is a pig of a car (well when sitting next to my cobra) and I'd like it covered in a dark "slimming" color.

I'm also thinking about maybe a black/silver two tone with a heavy layer of blue pearl over the entire car.

[Matt]

Personally I'm more for the understated too...just throwing out ideas.

A friend of mine is doing a pearl clearcoat on silver. I'm not keen on the silver, but the pearl would be slick ontop of a good black. One black that I like is the Subaru java something. Metallic black that looks pretty sharp and could definitely show the lines of the car well, while being understated.

On my car I'm planning to use the gunmetal / dark silver paint they have on the new tsx. In good light it makes the lines look two tone, but still has the nice, relatively plain look 90% of the time.

[JLM]

Yeah, I've seen that color, it's good but not quite what I'm trying to achieve. I guess what I'm after may be hard to explain. I'm really big on pearl colors and I'm going to stick with that. If I go with the two tone black.grey, there will be enough blue and white pearl in it to make the paint look milky.

[Drewhelm]

Here's a pic of my car.....2 tone 69 Bird. 2005 Chrysler Midnight Blue Pearl Effect over GM Pewter. The blue goes from black to 4 other tones of blue depending on light refraction.

[JLM]

Drew, that is a good looking bird. It also is exactly the type of paint scheme I'm loooking to do. In different colors obviously.

[Piet]

Love it Drew!

[Drewhelm]

Thanks! I now have the accent stripe on the car to split the 2 colors, but need to take more pics.

If any bird owners are seriously interested in this hood, I am planning to have them made in a bolt on fiberglass version.

JLM, they hard bart about a 2-tone on a bird is the front end. Since body color carries over onto the nose it is harder than a Camaro. I was going to round the corners on the headlight surrounds, but decided it looked better to make points. Or since you're going with black/dark colors you could paint the nose the same color as the sides and stop the top color at the edges of the hood and fenders....let the rubber cushions been the transition......or paint the nose the same color as the top...same concept.

Black top and charcoal/gunmetal grey sides would look awesome.