Flame Paint Job

George Barris' Track Roadster. George built the channeled roadster, that sported one of his first flame paint jobs, in 1948.

Buzzy's 1950 Ford was the first car ever to receive flame paint job by Larry Watson. The work was done in his parents' driveway. Photo from the Larry Watson photo collection, courtesy of Rik Hoving Custom Car Photo Archive.

Circa 1956 Von Dutch gave Earl Bruce's Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing a radical and unusual flame paint job. Later in his career, Von Dutch told Terry Cook that the hardest thing to paint was a long straight line, "which is of course true. When I asked him if it was factual that he was the first to paint flames on a car he said he first did it on motorcycles, but "Hell, the Lafayette Escadrille painted flames on their airplanes in WWI." One time he did a full flame job on a Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing coupe and he said: "I thought they were going to lynch me for desecrating a shrine."

In 1956 Von Dutch pinstriped and airbrushed Bill Daniels' 1950 Oldsmobile. Bill was 18 years old when he stopped by to get the car Dutched. It featured louvers in any area available. 200 in the hood, 100 on the deck lid, and on all interior garnish moldings, and Von Dutch told him that anyone crazy enough to have louvers on the trunk deserves flames which he airbrushed. "He also individually striped each louver, and there were hundreds. He didn't want anyone watching, said to go home, come back in 8 hours and guaranteed, you will be happy," Bill told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2020. "When I first made the appointment, he said to be sure and bring a half-gallon of red wine along with the car." Photo courtesy of Bill Daniels.

Norm Grabowski's 1922 Ford Model T-Bucket of Sunland, California. The Kookie T iteration of Norm's Model T-Bucket was completed in 1956 featuring a Dean Jeffries flame paint job. In 1958 this iteration became a TV star, appearing in the popular series "77 Sunset Strip." As a result of the exposure, Norms T-Bucket became the most famous hot rod in the country, inspiring dozens of imitators while creating a whole new class of hot rods.

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Manuel Gonzalez's 1940 Ford Coupe of Wilmington, California. Gonzalez was a member of the Pharaohs of Wilmington car club, and in 1956 his coupe received a flame paint job by Von Dutch.

"Secrets of Flame Painting" Bob McCoy's 1940 Ford Tudor Sedan and Manuel Gonzalez's 1940 Ford Coupe were featured on the cover of Car Craft October 1956. A very memorable cover that helped launch the flame paint job trend in 1956.

Bill Collins' 1951 Oldsmobile of Dallas, Texas. By 1957 Bill's Olds had been dressed up with a flame paint job and drag-style exhaust. According to Bill, he ran the first flame paint job in the area on the Olds. The flames were painted by Bobby Wolcott. In January of 2021, Bobby told Karl Knecht that the inspiration for the flames came from Bob McCoy's 1940 Ford Tudor Sedan.

Ed Roth's 1956 Ford F-100 truck of Maywood, California. Ed, who was a member of the Maywood Drag Wagons, bought the truck in 1957. He wanted to use it as a promotion vehicle for his custom paint and pinstripe business, so he gave it a red flame paint job the same year.

Virgil Shuck's 1940 Mercury coupe of Pineville, West Virginia. Built by Virgil and his father at Shucks Body Shop, the build was started in 1957. It was completed sometime between 1957 and 1959, featuring a flame paint job.

Ronnie Fossen's 1954 Studebaker of Compton, California. Ronnie's Studebaker was restyled in the mid or late 1950s, and by 1958 it featured subtle scallop type flames.

Jim Skonzakes' 1922 Ford Model T-Bucket of Dayton, Ohio. In 1959 Jim bought the famous Kookie T hot rod from Norm Grabowski. After buying the car, Jim brought it to Larry Watson at Watson's House of Style for a cosmetic makeover. Larry gave the car a Rose Pearl paint job with Candy Red flames.

George Wiegand's 1930 Ford Model A Roadster Pick Up of Lansing, Michigan. Known as The Barracuda, Jerry "Spider the Crazy Painter" Drake gave the car its flame paint job in 1959.

Ken Foress' 1952 Mercury Convertible of Lansing, Michigan. In 1959 local pinstriper and custom painter Jerry Drake, aka Spider the Crazy Painter, gave the car a flame paint job at Cooper Body Shop.

Chuck Burkart's 1958 Chevrolet Impala of San Jose, California. Chuck was a member of the San Jose Rod and Wheelers. In 1959 Joe Crisafulli gave the car a flame paint job at Flyers Body Shop.

John Rasmussen's 1929 Ford Model A roadster received a flame paint job in the 1960s.

Hasse Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1938 Chevrolet Convertible of Huddinge in Stockholm, Sweden as it appeared in the early 1960s. Bo Sandberg and his fiance Morris gave the car a flame paint job in 1962.

Göran Silfors' 1936 Ford Sedan of Sweden as it appeared in 1965, featuring a flame paint job by Bo Sandberg of Yankee Customs.

A photo of Dennis Rosetti's 1923 Ford Model T Pick Up that Juni Nakamura snapped at the Long Beach Sports Arena in 1971. Dennis' Model T featured a psychedelic flame paint job by Ron Schramek. Photo from The Junji Nakamura Photo Collection.

Flames by Walt! Taken at an indoor car show at the Long Beach Sports Arena in 1971, this photo shows a mildly restyled 1955 Chevrolet Nomad custom that Walt Prey dressed up with a radical flame paint job. Photo from The Junji Nakamura Photo Collection.

Howard Gribble's 1956 Ford F-100, of Torrance, California, received a flame paint job by Walt Prey in 1975.

Joe and Jerry Valdez's 1921 Ford Model T Roadster of Oakland, California. Joe and Jerry purchased the car as a race car in the 1950s. They took it apart and turned it into a show car. Sometime around 1975 the car received a flame paint job.

Dave Willis' 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe of Port Alberni, Bristish Columbia, Canada. Originally built by Gary Stermer of Vancouver in the 1950s, Dave purchased the coupe circa 1960. Dave spent two years of spare time turning the coupe into a showstopper. By 1978, the car had found its way to Atlanta, Georgia, where it was in the possession of Dutch Young. After buying it, Young chopped the top and gave it a flame paint job.

Tord Enström's 1939 Ford Tudor Sedan of of Enköping, Sweden received a flame paint job by Tord and Staffan Runhag in 1983. Ivve Hallberg outlined the flames in baby blue.

Gian Paolo Tagliatti's 1958 Plymouth Savoy of Modena, Italy. Gianpy was born in Lugano, Switzerland, and his journey with the Plymouth spans over two decades, showcasing his dedication and passion for the Mopar brand. Gian is a member of the Rumblers of Milano. His Plymouth is known as Bad58, and for a while it ran blue flames by Blaster.

Jack Fields' 1954 Chevrolet of Torrance, California. In June of 2016 Jack's Chevrolet received a flame paint job.

Roger Miret's 1954 Chevrolet 210 of Scottsdale, Arizona. Known as "Morphine," the build was started in 2010 and completed in 2018. The car was dressed up with a panel and seaweed flame paint job.

Henrik Forss' 1966 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 of Sacramento, California. The build was completed in October of 2018, featuring a panel and flame custom paint job by Kyle Martin of Martin Kolor & Style. Gold Metallic panels, frosted in Dark Gold Metallic were added. These were outlined in Dark Gold Metallic 1 shot with body color seaweed flames stretching all the way down her side.

Tommy O'Connor's 1929 Ford Model A Roadster of Concord, California. In June of 2019 Kyle Martin at Martin Kolor & Style dressed the car up with pinstriped flames.

Marius Kristiansen's 1951 Ford of Dal, Norway. In August of 2024, Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama gave the car a Larry Watson-inspired flame paint job.

Best Masking Tape for Flames

According to Rod Powell, custom painter and author of the book Rod Powell's Flame Painting Techniques, there is no substitute for quality masking tape. "Do not make the mistake of going to a cheaper grade of tape just to save a few dollars," he advises in his book. Rod has tried many different brands and 3M has always worked best for him.

When it comes to outlining, Rod likes to use regular 3M crepe masking tape in the 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch sizes. "This size and type of tape is easy to reposition. I try to keep a slight amount of tension as the line is being applied to the surface, and have found that the regular masking tape doesn't stretch or go out of shape like so many other vinyl tapes."

Hot Rods and Custom Cars Featuring Flame Paint Jobs

George Barris' Track Roadster
Norm Grabowski's 1922 Ford Model T Bucket - The Lightning Bug / The Kookie T
John Rasmussen's 1929 Ford Model A Roadster
Tommy O'Connor's 1929 Ford Model A Roadster
George Wiegand's 1930 Ford Model A Roadster Pick Up - The Barracuda
Dutch Young' 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe
Göran Silfors' 1936 Ford Sedan
Hasse Broberg and Kjelle Gustad's 1938 Chevrolet Convertible
Tord Enström's 1939 Ford Tudor Sedan
Bob McCoy's 1940 Ford Tudor Sedan
Manuel Gonzalez's 1940 Ford Coupe
Virgil Shuck's 1940 Mercury Coupe
Buzzy's 1950 Ford
Bill Daniels' 1950 Oldsmobile
Bill Collins' 1951 Oldsmobile
Marius Kristiansen's 1951 Ford
Ken Foress' 1952 Mercury Convertible
Jack Fields' 1954 Chevrolet
Roger Miret's 1954 Chevrolet - "Morphine"
Ronnie Fossen's 1954 Studebaker Starlight Coupe
Earl Bruce's Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Ed Roth's 1956 Ford F-100
Howard Gribble's 1956 Ford F-100
Chuck Burkart's 1958 Chevrolet Impala
Gian Paolo Tagliatti's 1958 Plymouth Savoy
Henrik Forss' 1966 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88