Best color for a sleeper?

Agreed! He deserves a prize. That truck was the coolest thing I've seen all week.

ignorant wrote: http://jalopnik.com/5297014/oklahoma-home-of-the-sleepiest-sleeper-truck-ever <--- this is awesome. The pizza delivery sign is a super nice touch.

Um. Wow.

I didn't read all 3 pages, BTW...

RealMiniDriver wrote: [the] color they came in.

A sleeper is supposed to look NOT worked on, right? So don't work on the paint. I'd recommend starting with a car that's presentable, though.

And I don't even like the 'one door not matching thing', because it's an identifying mark. If you have an Escort that's that gel-toothpaste color except for one door, you might as well paint the car pink because it'll stand out just as much. You want it to look like every other Escort that's not been worked on.

That's why my Pinto turned out to not be a good idea - it's not like I could say, "Uhh...that wasn't me...it was the other guy in town with a Pinto." Then I raced one of those supercharged Cobras out at the Saturday races, and even though I lost, no on else would line up with me.

Hmm, a rusty escort wagon for 350 in town, i could probly talk them down to 200-250

Yeah, I lean toward faded original paint. That truck is a great example - it looks like an old truck, what's under the hood is a surprise.

Take an old silver Mustang and let the paint fade and oxidize until it looks gray. Perform engine and suspension upgrades. Poof! InstaSleeper!

You want the Q-ship effect... let them see what you want them to see, what they expect to see. Then when you break out the deck guns and ambush them it/s a huge surprise,

The only time I'd build a sleeper and want it to look worked on would be if I was bringing it to events where a stock version of that car would look out of place, like bringing a stock Escort to a "flashlight drags" event. Do something like that and people will know it's been worked on anyway, so your best bet is to make it look like it's been worked on by someone who's completely clueless and thinks that a Pep Boys air filter and fart can exhaust will let him take on cars way out of his league. For a stoplight race, better to look bone stock, a factory color in a condition that one would expect such a car to be in.

I think the best color for a sleeper is Artificial Woodgrain

Samples:

poopshovel wrote:

ignorant wrote: http://jalopnik.com/5297014/oklahoma-home-of-the-sleepiest-sleeper-truck-ever <--- this is awesome. The pizza delivery sign is a super nice touch.

Um. Wow.

I like how the back window of the shell flies open at launch

thatsnowinnebago wrote:

poopshovel wrote:

ignorant wrote: http://jalopnik.com/5297014/oklahoma-home-of-the-sleepiest-sleeper-truck-ever <--- this is awesome. The pizza delivery sign is a super nice touch.

Um. Wow.

I like how the back window of the shell flies open at launch

That and the awesome horn. I like this truck a LOT.

MadScientistMatt wrote: The only time I'd build a sleeper and want it to look worked on would be if I was bringing it to events where a stock version of that car would look out of place, like bringing a stock Escort to a "flashlight drags" event. Do something like that and people will know it's been worked on anyway, so your best bet is to make it look like it's been worked on by someone who's completely clueless and thinks that a Pep Boys air filter and fart can exhaust will let him take on cars way out of his league. For a stoplight race, better to look bone stock, a factory color in a condition that one would expect such a car to be in.

We're not into the underground street racing scene, so it'd be a stoplight gran prix car

For a stoplight racer, you want it to be as non-descript as possible.

This is a good example:

If it looks like that, nobody will know what hit them.

MCarp22 wrote: For a stoplight racer, you want it to be as non-descript as possible. This is a good example: If it looks like that, nobody will know what hit them.

That looks exactly like my car! Same hubcaps and everything! Well, know it has Miata daisys. And its not really my car, but my wifes. Mine black.

Joey

MCarp22 wrote: For a stoplight racer, you want it to be as non-descript as possible. This is a good example: If it looks like that, nobody will know what hit them.

That looks just like the cheap one i found, but without rust

Yeah, mine is rustfree, as the former owners used it to tow to florida behind there motorhome. 800 bucks, but the front was banged up buy a dear. 200 bucks later I found a whole front clip in the correct color and it looked great!

Joey

Does my T/A have sleeper paint?

Shawn

MCarp22 wrote: For a stoplight racer, you want it to be as non-descript as possible. This is a good example: If it looks like that, nobody will know what hit them.

KL-ZE turbo!

Back in university as a stress reduction plan I built a '76 Ford Pinto Wagon MPG.

Green.

Wood paneling.

Chrome roof rack.

Hubcaps.

Whitewalls.

Original green & white checkered seats.

Flat-top 302 w/closed chamber heads, Crower 280° cam, truck C4 with car tail housing and stage II shift kit.

It was two full lanes of tire smoking 5mpg freaking awesome glory. God I miss it.

Two years later I built a '75 Pontiac Astre with an LT-1, high-rise, Isky MegaCam, Saginaw, floor-ripping ball of fun. Complete with textbook orange-worn-through-to-primer GM paint. I added ladder bars to get it to hook up and ended up tweaking the body so badly the doors wouldn't open. I miss that one too. Not as much as the Pinto.

Next sleeper project has begun: '85 Pontiac Firefly. The drivetrain has already been removed and sold (big evil grin).

G

Fiendish Firefly?

Yup. Coming soon.... http://www.gwellwood.com/automotive/fiendishfirefly.html

You can't paint a car to look like a sleeper.

The best sleepers are older non-performance models that look like the owner couldn't possibly afford any modifications.

Therefore, old paint. Faded clearcoat. No cars that were originally offered in performance models (like a Trans Am, or a Camaro). No custom or upgraded wheels. Do everything you can to hide performance tires (widen to the inside, no flares, etc.).

I'm building one now.

But the details DO matter.

Mine's got a baby seat, one missing hubcap, original '80's vintage faded paint, an outdated Jiffy Lube oil change sticker on the windshield, beads hanging from the rear view mirror, and a faded John Kerry bumper sticker. Should run 11's.

There is a second formula. Do the mods, but do everything you can to make it look like it is all show, no go. Think overdone ricer. Cheap candy paint, enormous coffee can exhaust, gawdy rear wing that doesn't quite fit, perhaps a body kit still in primer, and those stupid little neon lights on the windshield sprayers.

I think the latter should have a different name than "sleeper." It's still deceptive, but on a different level, IMO. More overtly deceptive.

Clem

Well, you are right. It is typically called "ricer". It would just be a ricer that can actually move.

I think the second scenario is "posing as a poser."

Poser camo would be too dangerous. You'd be a target for both ricers and LE. It would work great for LE but that leads down a dark path towards F&F territory.

Plain white wrapper or rusty trash is the way to go.

I think your missing it here, as is most others.

If you wanna have it look like a beater, don't look for what paint, or what treatment will best replicate that. Beaters are beaters because they are left alone.

Just don't wash the damn thing and leave exterior as is, and never think about how it looks again.

Added benefit of being cheapest approach too :D