Hot Rods to Paint or Patina? need your help!

I wish my cars only had that "large amount of paint scars" lol

 

Personally I would paint it. Not a very big car so it shouldn't take much to do it.

 

when spending imaginary money on a car I don't own I say go all out. make it all perfect and paint everything that gets paint extra shiney and buffed. chrome the rest except for the seats and the engine block.

 

I want chrome seats....

 

Well I’m in the patina camp, really depends on how much original paint remains, you’re never going to get a better paint job than the original. Nothing tickles my fancy like a vehicle that looks like it was drug out of the bush or barn and put back on the road

 

As found just for reference, only paint applied was to some small welded in patches of exterior body repairs.

 

It’s way too early to fight over paint/patina. CLR the body and then build the car. The rest of the build will tell you what it needs.

 

I like the "as found" look..

 

I tend to look at cars with old paint/rust more than newly painted ones,...I can relate to those much better,...and they are worry free as far as harm to the paint.

 

This. Exactly this. It's what I've been saying for years.

Rust isn't patina — not unless you're talking about a bronze sculpture. And neither is paint rubbed through to whatever is underneath over large parts of the vehicle. I propose a spectrum:

concours — patina — beater — Rattus norvegicus​

 

Wow, this really blew up. I make a post and leave work and come back to my pc with more questions. Haha. I should say, I do know the difference between rust and patina and (admittedly) probably used the wrong word. The car is rusty, but no where near rusted through. I’ve been thinking about it non stop since I brought it home. As of now, the plan is this. I’m going to build the car as is and get it completely done (wiring, interior, everything). At that point, I’ll make the call. It’s not like it would take long to blow it apart for paint. I honestly love the way most of the car looks, but it does need some protection. If the doors and cowl matched, it’d 100% stay that way for years until paint is actually necessary. The plan is to drive it. I don’t want a car so nice it turns into a show car that only escapes the car cover for shows and when my buddies come over. I’ve got a couple of those, and it kills me the amount of time and money that goes into cleaning, and maintaining a perfect paint job. So when it eventually gets painted, it will be done in a way that ensures I’m not afraid to drive the damn thing and I won’t feel the need to wax it every time it leaves the house. I love the way the paint that IS there looks, but the doors just kind of kill it for me. Thank you guys for the kind words, lectures, lessons, etc. that’s why I love this community!

ps… anyone have any original paint blue doors for a 30-31 model a roadster?

 

I vote enjoy it, life is too short to go around caring what others think, get it running, make it safe and reliable and drive it, you can work on it as you go along, don't go too long without it, have the dance like nobody's watching at***ude and have fun

 

Paint it. And give the paint crowd something else to nitpick

 

Should we make it 'Rattus norvegicus virga'... ???

 

There is a lot to be said for a low buck build you can beat on get dirty drive down a gravel road park were kids are riding bikes or throwing a ball getting in it after working under it . If its about having fun in it driving hard and your not sinking lots of money into it then leave it as a beater .
Im perfectly fine with many of the 60's Chevy trucks i see that are so called Patina.
I see them as still usable as trucks like a shop truck and something your not afraid to scratch or have buddies leaning on .
Often these trucks are not worth the cost of a high quality paint job . Maybe primer or satin black tractor paint.
Im building a Willy's jeep PU that im doing as little as possable to the body . Its not worth $3000 running and im not spending years and money fixing the body thats a mess. I have better projects for my limited time and money.
It's a beater , that I want safe to drive with doors that stay closed and working windows. If i wanted it really nice id start with a better truck to begin with.

Im staying with a Farmer Bar Car look in 2WD .
Ill make it safe give it some HP brakes and weld up cracks , hammer out dents, fill giant rust holes and have a floor my feet do not go through


OP I think if you do a traditional build with old parts and left it as is, it would be OK for a fun to drive car.
If I were spending more than say $5000 or adding nice interior or shiny stuff thats to nice Id at least get it in primer or one color .
The work in progress look is neat to see but a more work has been done look is nice also.

There is a lot to be said for something thats just been found in a barn or field but it only goes so far if its so bad people are afraid its going to give them lock jaw if they touch it.
Its your car and your choice. Id like to have it and be in your shoes.

 

Nice
Dan

 

Patina definition,

1. a film or incrustation, usually green, produced by oxidation on the surface of old bronze and often esteemed as being of ornamental value. How did this word ever get into the car / hot rod world ? Old paint is great, new paint is great, primer is great, it's a stupid word to use and I sure don't want to drive anything with a film of incrustation.

 

^^^^ This is the correct answer. Your car your choice.

 

That's the danger of dictionary definitions.

The bronze-sculpture definition is one of many senses and not even the core or base sense. Words mean what people mean by them, and so language keeps generating new senses for words all the time. So maybe patina meaning an appearance of neglect, deterioration, delapidation, and outright decomposition is becoming a new sense of the word, and that might be fine as far as it goes.

The problem is that where the language is at right now with patina is what C. S. Lewis, as a philologist, called the "dangerous sense" of a word. That is where two senses of a word, usually one established and one emerging, are so close together that it's tricky to tell which one is meant. You can't go by the word alone (you certainly can't go by a dictionary definition!); you need to look at context and history and all that kind of thing, and consider it very carefully. Otherwise there is a danger of serious misunderstanding.

There is also the danger of being left without a word for something, and having to invent a new one. If patina ceases to mean what @theHIGHLANDER and I mean by it, what word do we use?

It's a debate worth having. Hand-waving it away won't do.

 

The morphing of the word and the slip of meaning happen because people generally don't understand, or can't be bothered to find out, what the proper definition is. Words get bandied about in incorrect use and context and start to lose their intended purpose. They become less and less accurate as a means to describe. . Language is slowly losing it's beauty and effectiveness. Dare I say, the shine is wearing off.....

 

What gets me is the guys that think if it's not left "patina'd" they'd have to spend $100k on a paint job. My earlier comment about at least doing black epoxy primer that got attacked is a perfect example of something cheap. And even a super cheap actual paint job can be a middle ground..... because as all the militant "patina" guys point out a cheap paint job will wear relatively quickly. So. You get your shiny paint. And will end up with "patina'd" paint .....only the second time the paint shows wear all panels will match. As to comments about not being able to drive with nice paint .....if you painted it once you can paint it again. That copout is like saying you only run discount used tires because you're afraid of wearing out brand new tires.

 

Yea, I have never been afraid to drive with nice paint. But, I was also the one that painted the cars the first time. I paid off my wife's wedding ring about 30 years ago when someone pulled out in front of my daily pickup that I had painted flames on. Insurance paid good to have me blend that back in.

 

It is your ride and you have to talk about your build. I traditionally like to see the oe paint and patina.

or you could be one of the cool kids and load 5 coats of shiny clear over rattle can turbo paint.

 

@corncobcoupe ,

Bring that ****er to Lloydfest IV! We will get you drunk & then @Lloyd's paint & gl*** , Me & a couple of the other painters will pull an all-niter & lay it out in either BOOGER Green or BARNEY Purple! LOL

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

That would be enough to scare me from showing up...

 

Just scrolled through the whole thread looking at all the examples of cars with patina? They are all cool!!! A person should do whatever floats their boat whatever that may be rust, patina, brushed on paint, rattle can paint, pro paint job etc
Dan

 

That just looks so good.

 

Honest wear and tear is fine on something that is genuinely rare and precious to find in untouched condition. On a car that is to be re***embled into a custom-crafted vehicle, such as a hot rod, it is a sign of it not yet being completed. Therefor admissible. Fake patina, is an effort that is closely. resembles cheating. Or, if one is more brutal-= lying.