There are a couple of reasons for the semi flat color he is thinking about, Jim. (Dupont Hot Rod Black) Mainly it is economic. A proper gloss paint job will cost between $4,000 and $ 6,000 for the body and bed. Time is against him for being able to swing that mount in the next 90 or so days. The second reason is that he likes that look, and has enough chrome to offset it (complete front suspension, rear suspension, nerfs, windshield, and engine chrome.
He is frankly tired of dumping money into this car and just wants it on the street sometime in his lifetime. :D He has no idea how much he has invested, and then turned around and scrapped, but it is enough to build a couple of rods, I bet. He hasn't cut any corners on anything, but everything has it's limits. He still has some major expenses to cover in a short amount of time, like Wilson Welding front brakes, a custom top, paint (whatever that ends up at) lots of chrome plating and powder coating, stainless brake lines, fuel tank, etc, etc.
All told, he probably still has to spend $ 5000 minimum for those items, maybe more, so putting another $ 4 to 6K on top of it just makes it very tough. And, like I mentioned, he is just getting tired of this car consuming his life, both timewise and financially.........it is just time to get it done and go fishing for a while. He and I both need a break from this car stuff. :) :)
Don