Hi guys, interesting subject and maybe we can have some answers to these questions please. 1 : when was flake (medium to large ) first used on cars.??
2 : when did lace work first appear and how long was that trend around ??
I believe that in the early days, one only had their cars in prime until they could afford to paint it shiny and also nine times out of ten,the car was their daily driver for work etc.

As far as the medium/large Metal Flake, I’m not sure, but I suspect that was around from the mid-late 50’s. I remember the lace showing up around 68 or so but at best lasting only for a 4-5 year period before it ran its course.

I really think the whole primer thing is really overplayed/overstated by certain segments of the hotrod community that weren’t around during the era they are trying to portray. When you look at the majority of the pictures of hotrods from the 40s-50s, the vast majority of the cars have paint, not primer. Although I can’t say for sure, I also suspect many of the cars shown in those vintage photos are actually wearing their original paint. Keep in mind in especially the 50s (70 years ago now) those “old cars” weren’t that old. The 30s-40s cars had survived WWII when new cars were not available to the public. Those vehicles for the most part had been maintained as best they could because people did not know when new vehicles would be available and from a general pride in ownership. Basically these cars that were picked up for $5-$50 by the retuning service men WERE NOT the rusty hulks that people are dragging out of the fields and deserts now.