Patina trucks, not just a fad for some of us

[powell72]

I found this old scanned pic of my first 67-72 truck. I had no idea what an obsession this would turn into. This was when I was about 20. I turned 40 earlier this year. Original paint 67 swb I DD'd. It had a worn out 350 in the six cyl mounts, truck 4-speed and 4:11's. I loved this truck, I used to see it sitting in my home town on my route home from work, the guy moved, and I happened to find it again, knocked on the door and talked the guy out of it. The motor was pretty worn out, I always knew when I needed to add oil because the oil pressure would drop drastically when I would brake for lights!

[Boog]

Cool old pic Chris. We never forget our first ones. It looks to have been a solid truck. Did you do anything with it and how long did you keep it?

[powell72]

It was a solid truck, I did an intake and carb, headers and full aluminized exhaust out the back with Flowmasters, cleaned and tidied up stuff, brakes...things like that. At the time I was working two jobs, mechanic during the day and machinists apprentice at night to pay for my drag racing habit I had at the time. Didn't really have the time I would have liked to devote to getting that truck where I wanted it. I sold it and bought a cherry 86 Grand National for a daily...what a bad idea that was! Sold it and bought a BB 72 Highlander.

[Boog]

Two jobs and racing too? That's a full schedule.

[mrtoni]

I thought patina trucks weren't just a fad because half of us can never afford 15k for a paint job. Matt

[Dave K.]

I think patina trucks are less of a fad than lowered and LS'd trucks. In my experience folks have always loved to see originals or near originals over rodded cars.... I only collect all original vehicles now--some more patina'd than others!

[special-K]

I got past the "make it as nice as the ones in magazines" phase years ago and just enjoy them now. I like that veteran of the hiway look as well as the casual vibe they send off. I used to know patina as the condition of old furniture showing it's use or copper turning green. Never heard a truck having patina, just heard "you ought to fix that thing up"...if anyone even took a second look. I'd go to cruise-ins and I might as well be driving a Kia, no one even took notice because it didn't look expensive. Since my first car I have always built my stuff from the mechanicals-up. Other guys ran out and slapped Hijackers and Cragars on anything that moved while I was rebuilding engines. I've always like the underdog, sleepers, understated performance (such as COPOs), and fine lookin' women that don't pile on the make-up and fancy clothes that have a kind heart.

[hamjet]

Special-K wrote, "I'd go to cruise-ins and I might as well be driving a Kia, no one even took notice because it didn't look expensive." I get what you're saying. A buddy of mine kept hounding me to go to cruise-ins with him, I thought no one would even look. but he said just pull in, open the hood, and you'll have more people looking at yours than they look at mine. So I went and parked wayyy in the back, (embarassed of it).. he talked me into pulling next to his and he was right. the trucks not a looker, but the odd engine is what caught everyones attention..

[SoCoC10]

Finally got mine out this year. We are having horrible weather so far this Spring. In fact Feb and March had better weather than April and May so far. Truck was clean until it got rained and hailed on, on the way back from a car show to support the auto program at a local high school.

[frogsmakr]

I call it lazy. Paint just ain't a high priority. Got bikes to ride all summer.
Posted via Mobile Device
Lol..sideways.

[SoCoC10]

Fixed

[67-Westy]

Here is my rig.

[F.A.A.benny]

Originally Posted by special-K

I got past the "make it as nice as the ones in magazines" phase years ago and just enjoy them now. I like that veteran of the hiway look as well as the casual vibe they send off. I used to know patina as the condition of old furniture showing it's use or copper turning green. Never heard a truck having patina, just heard "you ought to fix that thing up"...if anyone even took a second look. I'd go to cruise-ins and I might as well be driving a Kia, no one even took notice because it didn't look expensive. Since my first car I have always built my stuff from the mechanicals-up. Other guys ran out and slapped Hijackers and Cragars on anything that moved while I was rebuilding engines. I've always like the underdog, sleepers, understated performance (such as COPOs), and fine lookin' women that don't pile on the make-up and fancy clothes that have a kind heart.

This is very true. The younger guys woundnt know because they weren't around back then to see how things have changed. I was just talking to a guy a swap meet about this. He was trying to sell his 56 chevy 4 hard top that was heavily "patina'd" for 8 grand. We talked about how back then cars that looked like that were damn near given away. Back then vehicles that weren't "restored", "customized", or at least nice clean daily drivers with a paint job, were frowned upon at car shows. All the yrs I would go magazines as far back as the late 60's all the way past the 90's I never read anything about patina. Heck, I think the first time I recall that word being used a lot was on that show American pickers. I think it naturally lends itself to trucks by virtue of what they were used for.

[Swar]

Speaking of patina on copper...

The rims are faux patina, the radiator pipe is real copper.
I did some research and found miracle gro mixed with red wine vinegar makes green stains fast, in like 5 minutes.
I'm going to move the alternator down low on the drivers side and do the rest in copper.
It's a real wow factor when you open the hood.
I got the idea from the Welderup company. They build some crazy rat rod stuff.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by SoCoC10

Truck was clean until it got rained and hailed on, on the way back from a car show to support the auto program at a local high school.

Mine did too...

Does your trim look like this?



My truck was wearing original, badly cracked/peeling, sun baked, and weathered white paint when I got it in 1996, but the front clip was about 8 colors with the top one being green, so not a cool look. I spent most of my summer when I was 15 stripping the body down, fixing areas I could, and getting it ready for what was SUPER COOL at the time, the flat black look. The pic above is the same truck, 20 years later.

With the price of paint jobs going up and up and up (you can have a grand in materials alone, or more!) I don't think the "patina look" is just a fad. I do believe it will "die down" some, but will remain. I mean, the "flat black" look has come and gone about 5 times since I've been into cars.