We’re going to continue on our survey of the popular flat paint fad. This olive Mercedes W201 190 2.6 shot by William Rubano sports the second most common flat/matte paint color after black, but has something else happening on the hood. It reminds me (a bit) of some of the faux painting effects (with a rag and sponge) I used on one of our bathroom walls. But the deliberate use of surface rust for effect; was it bead/sand blasted, but not quite all the way? It looks almost exactly like the underside of my Ford pickup’s bare steel ceiling, rusted by all the condensation over the decades.
True confessions: I rather like this olive matte paint job, and not just on this Mercedes. I’ve seen a few others around town, and I’ll share them with you. Of course, it’s the latest fad, right down to the obligatory black steelies (I can relate to that). It’s a way to give an older car with undoubtedly aging paint a bit of a face-lift, and one that probably can be done on the cheap, at least compared to a good clear-coat respray. No need to mask the emblems either!
In fact, I could almost see my white xB in this. There; I’ve said it. Maybe a wrap in case i change my mind? And the hood? I’ll get back to you on that.
My nice yellow 66 Caddy convertible has had a replacement deck lid for the last 2 years, which decidedly does not match the rest of the car, being a faded purpleish mauve thingy, which served as a nice work bench while rebuilding the engine and various other systems. It has a nice texture as well, seeing as I spilled an entire bottle of brake fluid on it, so the paint is bubbling and peeling. It was really rather interesting.
Fortunately, I’ve finally sent it to get painted, and will have it back this weekend. In yellow.
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Strip the paint apply acid panel prep,wash off and allow to remain wet until surface rust appears and do notghing about it, Yeah blak steelies and black walls are perfect, check my minx but I masked around the trim to touch it up last time.
I would like it more if the hood were simply painted a different color instead of being force-rusted. While matte paint is already a ‘cool kid’ statement, this kind of hood treatment is just too ‘try-hard’ for me, personally (probably a factor of age 😉 ).
Gloss black hood would probably look pretty decent, if you’ve got to mix your paint colors and finishes.
Oh, I’ve got a couple of these 🙂
http://elitepigs.de/trash/Rusty/merc1.jpg
http://elitepigs.de/trash/Rusty/merc2.jpg
http://elitepigs.de/trash/Rusty/opel.jpg
I am surprising myself at how little I dislike that olive drab paint job. I can’t say I actually like it, but it is one of the better matte paint jobs I have seen. Now as for that hood, no comprende.
Dude needs to either OD or “rust” that bright shiny grille.
I find the rusted hood with an otherwise painted car a little jarring and rather odd. Seems to have come from the hood ride water cooled VW world but spreading. I rather like the olive plus steelies though. Looks better than I would have thought.
The big uni-wiper is another trendy addition. I would be surprised if it had a coil or two shopped from the suspension.
I didn’t notice the uni-wipe. Funny, as that’s what I did on my ’82 Cavalier Type 10 (removed the pass. wiper, as it covered only 20-30% of the windshield). I also cut a full coil out of all the springs… What’s old is new, forever, it seems.
Yes, there were plenty of lowered and flat-primered cars back in the early fifties too. It’s an old tradition that seems to keep coming back.
I think you’ll find the uniwiper is stock if not it must be the most widely adopted option ever.
the uniwiper is stock. It has an eccentric cam and cleans 86% of the windshield. Nice invention, I liked it aesthetically, but in practice I didnt (had a w124 with the same wiper). When waiting for green light in first row, sometimes you have to look through the left upper corner of the windshield, which can’t be cleaned by the uniwiper.
Also when they failed due to the cam wearing they were expensive to replace
Water-cooled VWs, eh? I shot this Jetta almost 5 years ago. Flat paint too. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-european/curbside-classic-1980-vw-jetta-slap-a-big-butt-on-the-back-for-those-damn-amerikaner/
For the hood, I’d say it was just going over the hood with a DA with a fairly coarse grit and letting mother nature do the rest.
As far as “murdering out” your XBox in OD Plastidip is the way to go. Way cheaper than a wrap, both for materials and application, much easier to apply, and much less likely hood of damage should you change your mind. It is not quite as durable as a wrap but at the much lower cost you could redo it every couple of years and still come out ahead.
PlastiDip! Jeez; I’m so clueless. Just watched the video. This would be just the thing for Stephanie’s dark green Forester; she’s been nagging about getting it painted bright orange or yellow or something easier to see in the parking lot for years. Look pretty doable in the driveway too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNY9Dx617N8
Yup it looks like something you could do in your driveway at least in the dry season. Though you would also want to do it on a day that isn’t windy and not under a tree ect. Of course if it does get an imperfection you can always peel off that panel and do it over. I’ve seriously considered doing my Crown Vic as it has a bad case of failed clear coat. I did do some of the trim with it and it turned out pretty good. I keep meaning on doing a full article on blacking out trim with it.
Muriatic Acid. A coworker used that technique on his ’56 Harley.
As for flat olive paint, I was hip before hip was cool, and I made my “rust” the old-fashioned way:
We have a readily available metal primer that colour or red oxide primer both say industrial grade.
The original hood was damaged by a tree limb or random falling rock. Its replacement had been in the junkyard a very long time.
Flat olive drab paint is for an army car. I see a big white star on the side. But that’s the US Army, like this Chevy. Whose army is this Mercedes in?
Actually, I think that’s a Pontiac!
My friend has a 1940 Hillman wartime delivery he said all the brightwork was simply painted over to hide it the chrome has been cleaned off now I’ll ask where it went new I think he has the original papers for it.
By the way Paul the cohort refused engine shots of a 27 Humber 14/4 said they already existed or something.
He’s about 3 years late to be cutting edge with this sort of look. If those steelies had a lot more dish it’d pull it off better.
But PlastiDip is the way to go – its a fairly durable rubber paint that comes in spray cans or tins, and doesn’t damage the finish underneath. Plus it peels off with a high pressure hose.
Sorry paul it worked in the end
I’m with Mike – reminds me of that olive green Packard they used to parade around as General MacArthur’s car (I think it turned out not to be).
Lots of unusual special effects being used on cars these days:-)
just like the Barclays Center in Brooklyn: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/19952830/so-barclays-center-is-covered-with-rust-but-its-supposed-to-be-that-way
Round here all you would have to do to get tbat effect on the hood would be to sand blast it and leave it outside unprotected overnight or two. Once its rusted to your liking apply atransmission fluid or even wd40 to a rag and wipe on a thin film every once and a while.
In fact, I could almost see my white xB in this. There; I’ve said it. Maybe a wrap in case i change my mind? And the hood? I’ll get back to you on that.
The car below whizzed past me right after I read this, walking home from the bus stop earlier today. The xB in the picture is a little “too creative”, but I love the 190!! I’m hoping the hood just hasn’t been painted yet. Nice idea if it was intentional, but it would look much cooler if it matched the rest of the car.
I was tired of the battered bumpers & rusty wheels on my xB and the ruined lower lips(my new driveway is has a steep apron). So I replaced the lower lips with ones made from old Jetta lip and painted everything up in satin green & copper. I think it came out pretty good.
My hood is rusting on the inside of the front edge, and has a ton of rock chips. I am thinking of more custom green & copper there once I fix the rust. Maybe a copper rising sun on a green background?…
I wonder if that hood was intentional or not. I know that cheap replacement panels often come with only a coating of black ‘shop protection paint’ that comes off in the weather. It may be just a failure to get a roundtuit.
However, there is also a ratride splitty bus by me that the owner had purchased from the western US and actually lacquered over the surface rust to seal in the patina. Not my style, especially on a merc, but to each their own.