How hard would it be to Do a two tone paint job that was like a metallic burgandy on top and faded to a metallic red?

 

in a word? Hard...in two? effin hard.

Want a better answer? To paint a fade you have zero room for error. I mean this literally; if you get one stripe or one mottled metallic pass; if you dont count your passes and mix your ratios perfect, its ruined...as in sand it off and start over or live with it.

Budget way? buy a car thats the color you want, lightly scuff the WHOLE car with say 600grit wet and paint the roof, A Pillars and sailpanels to the bodyline gloss black or a different shade of the same color. Then, shoot the WHOLE CAR with 3 coats of SPI universal clear (about 100bucks a gallon and will go over anything except straight lacquer). Voila! 2 tone custom look and would take about a quart of black base, plus the reducer/catalyst, a package of sandpaper, some masking tape and newspaper. Remove the rear spoiler, tail lights, climb in through the hatch and tape cheap plastic in the door openings to keep overspray from coming in. Tape an old bedsheet over the hatch opening. let it sit a week and start wetsanding with 1000grit, 1500, 2000 and even 3000, polish with 3m Perfect It II on a 7" orbital sander/buffer (not a random orbit), polish with Menzerna swirl remover on a white wafflepad. Wait a month and wax on wax off. Show car finish? probably not...but it'll stun 99.95% of the people. Trust me

Several plusses:
No need to cut in the door jambs, paint the firewall, take off the mirrors etc. You can use this trick on any bodyline or create your own line (I suggest you use a stock line so you dont have symmetry probs later)

Im a serious hobby painter and I wont attempt fades or kandy yet...I still make too many mistakes I have to scrape out with a razor (runs in clear) and buff (orange peel) So I know Im not ready for fades or kandies.

Painting a metallic color and a FLAKE are different. anyone can paint an OEM style metallic color, but I do NOT reccomend a metal FLAKE job until your gunwork is SMOOOOTH or you'll get weird metallic patterns, flat spots and you need to pile on a LOT of clear (2 coats, wetsand smooth and 2 or 3 more)

Then theres OEM tri-coats: Base, pearlescent midcoat and clear...not nearly as hard as a candy or a flake or a fade, but still something that requires a LOT of practice to get right
~Nate

 

Pretty much as Nate said. To me fades don't look right almost unfinished but that is just me. I see allot of trucks around here that had rust on the bottom and they do a fade two tone after body work in a diff color and that is exactly what it looks like when they are done . Did not fool any body! Also try to pic a contrasting colors those almost seem to close to each other but I have to see it.