I don't really wash mine but I do have car cover on it when not in use. The patina is no better or worse since I brought it back from the desert a few years back. I tried the patina juice people use and it dried out over two weeks. I only did the rear catwalk to try it. no clear coat for me. I think I did Gibbs in some sections to see what would happen. In fact I took the lower rear trunk to bare metal and it got back to rusty over a couple years. But I did Gibbs it to keep it bare metal a while. NO CLEAR for me!
I sometimes use furniture restoration wax. A 50/50 mix of carnauba and beeswax. Has no polish or abrasives in it. Seals the surface and leaves a low sheen finish. Worth experimenting with. Should be available from most big box hardware stores. Normally clear, but often available with some colour added -- a dark colour wax can work well on dark paint.
You Sir as they used to say in junior high, are "a poet but don't know it". I always enjoy it when you reply to a post!
I’m in the camp of a few here. The “it’s only original once” doesn’t really fly. A vehicle was original when purchased, I’m sorry, but to me preserving surface rust is kinda like saying “man, I’ve never had a hemorrhoid, I wanna keep it like it is”. Preserving bare metal is different (to me) kinda like the owner is showing off how good the metalworking was done, or how good it is, as-is, ie no surprises with a for sale sign on it. Dang, guess I should have never let my dad red primer my wagon…
I like most all of it, shinny paint or old worn out paint but old worn out paint with a shiny coat of clear looks like an old crack whore looking for a date
OP's model A looks like it has some paint on it, I'd polish it and wax it, you'd probably be surprised how good it looks.
Rust is just natures etch Nothing bonds better. Wipe or spray whatever ya want over it. It doesn’t care. It bothers folks for some reason, I’ll never know why. Looks like the OPs ride has old paint or primer on it. But let’s derail this thread. That’s traditional here
I'm with the camp that says just clean it real well and wax it, doesn't hurt to buff it out first either, not like it's going to look brand new afterwards. Anything you put on over the top kinda spoils the effect. I scrubbed my '57 down real well and I've waxed it a few times but that's it. It looks the same as it did 5 years ago when I got it on the road. The thing about this car though, is that it doesn't really have much, if any rust on it. Just lots of layers of old paint, some stuck well and some flaked off to the original pink. The whole point of a beater is to leave it alone, so you don't have to worry about keeping the finish perfect. Clear coats and "sauce" and whatever kinda spoils that, and I think it looks dorky that way.
Not to get off-topic, but did this car have the Chrysler/DeSoto quads in it when you found it? That's pretty neat, I never saw pictures of this car before.
My truck was mostly green when I got it. I've done the CLR and scotch-brite a few times. The old BLUE paint was oxidized so much that it was green. Not only that, but there was a lot more paint under the surface rust than I would have ever believed. It cleaned up so well that I actually waxed it for a couple years. What I found was that in the pitting on the hood, that driving it in the rain caused there to be new rust (bright orange iron oxide), which is why I started trying to find a solution to "protect" it. I found after a year or two of driving that the patina would oxidize and get chalky, which wasn't the look I wanted. So I waxed it, bare metal and all. That worked well, but it didn't last for long. It was as if it would soak in. I tried a few different products, and none did quite what I hoped for. That's why I landed on Patina Sauce. It gives a slight sheen, water beads off of it, and I don't get that orange tone to my hood anymore. It also even makes the patina look better as it richens the colours. On Sunday I saw a 67 GMC at a Father's day car show. The truck had a perfect butternut yellow patina, but it had been cleared in gloss, and the bed floor was finished in gloss. To me it just looked wrong. I want my ride to not oxidize and not turn orange, and to stay looking good. If it's just old paint with no bare metal, polish and wax, but if there's bare metal I can't recommend Patina Sauce enough. Works great for me. I tried linseed and it didn't work as well for me.
I'm in agreement with a good cleaning, buffing, and waxing IF the entire surface is painted. I did that on my truck with bare metal areas and it worked well and looked good, but went back to chalky and patchy. That's where the Patina Sauce is the best product I've tried for that type of application. And it keeps from rust happening on areas like the pitted hood. On my 62 Bel Air with original paint that has worn through in some areas, polish and wax is the way to go. On my 46 that has bare metal showing, Patina Sauce makes it look way better and it doesn't chalk back out. It makes it a lot less work to maintain.
Those have been on there 20+ years- I didnt find, I brought it back home. I had this since I was about 15.
I like old paint. It is getting harder and harder to find an old car with decent (decent being a relative term here obviously) paint on it. Your found Gold my friend. That has its stains and what have you but a good waxing made it perfect.
I'm not a huge fan of patina, but for those who are, or run it because "who the hell can afford to blow a car apart and paint it?" I have the following question..... Does anyone have experience using 'Johnson's Paste Wax', the stuff you would use on wood projects or wood floors? I've used it to protect bare metal surfaces on wood working equipment and other things in the garage, so I think it might work OK on a patina'd car...... Beuhler...Beuhler....Anyone...Anyone?
I can see someone wanting to protect old paint, faded, thin, etc. I think everyone thinks of “patina” differently though. I get what you’re saying I think…if a vehicle has 90% old, worn, thin paint, 10% worn off and surface rusted, sure, I could see wanting to leave it “distressed” , but not vice-versa. If I didn’t have a compressor and a spray gun, I’d rattle can over it. Just me.
I used Johnson Paste Wax on my 49 Hudson after sanding with 1500 and buff, worked great....problem is, it has been discontinued.
VGG sells their "Shine Juice" in bottles, but I think it's actually made by Poppy's Patina. I used it on my Model A last spring and again this year. The "finish" that's left on my car is a rough mix of black primer, old paint, and surface rust, and it had dried and faded to a dull chalky grey. After having it pinstriped I wanted to try a surface treatment that could bring some color back without making the car shiny and maybe keep it from getting worse. I read about all the different easy application options and watched loads of videos before trying this stuff. I followed their directions and gave it a comet wash to scrub off oxidation but that really didn't make any difference. I let the car dry overnight then applied the Shine Juice, you just wipe it on with an old tee shirt. It goes on wet and shiny but dries to more of a sheen. I put it on the body, exposed areas of the frame, and the dash. It kind of looks like it soaks into the paint and rust because it makes everything darker and richer looking. It fades after a while but reapplying it brings the look right back. It's not cheap, $55 a quart + S&H, but it doesn't take much, this quart is going to last me years. It does what they say it will and I like the way it looks. Plus, it's super easy to apply and really made a difference in the appearance of my car. Before- During application- After drying a couple of days- Reapplying one year later, you can see how dull it has gotten but it was still better than before- A couple of weeks after the second application-
I've seen it recommended but never tried it. I actually remember something about kind of melting it onto the body panels. It was said to work well, but I don't think it ever became real popular to do.
Quick buff & polish job then wiped it w penetrol paint additive. Worked great for my needs. The most common comment I get is "dont ever paint that car". Call it rust, call it patina.. I dont give a damn either way. I dig it the way it looks & it seems alot of other folks do too.
I have always said if Patina is good, then wouldn't more be better? When exactly does patina become rust?
Flim Flam Man's Hudson is a perfect candidate for old paint preservation, I really like that one. I wish my car had paint that intact, and I don't think that car would look better if it were repainted, I think it would lose something.
@Flim Flam Man That particular Hudson, is pure "BUCK ROGERS" in the 21ST Century. I always did like that particular year and model, and the paint is perfect!
Wooden wagon owners use 50/50 mix of turpentine and boiled linseed oil. I’ve used it on my 42 Chevy 1 1/2. Ton truck. I liked the results. I’ve used Sweet Patina Sauce on a couple of my cars and was impressed with the results. Before comet scrub next day after sweet patina sauce rub
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