PATINA Opinions

[Chrome8]

Well, we have been buffing on this old girl between jobs at the detail shop. It's really starting to shine but I was really expecting a lot more primer to show through. This truck is being prepped to sell and My Detail Shop Manager wanted to know if I wanted him to really get after it with the wool pad and get some more primer to show. Any thoughts on original paint and Patina? Will I get more money for this truck if it has More of the Patina look?

[mooseknuckles]

I love it!

[69chevy lwb]

A lot of times buffing won't give you a realistic patina. If you force it you will see it. I'd give it one more good one and leave it at that not all patina trucks are super weathered like n2billets 68 it's very mild yet still has the look.

[Chrome8]

Thanks for your thoughts this is my first time dealing with a survivor type truck that hasn't been touched. Should I paint the wheels and get new hubcaps or just leave them rusty like that? I did tell my man to get after both doors a little bit more on the body line edge to match the front fenders. The box sides surprisingly have a lot of paint on them and turned out really looking nice.

[joeydurango]

Leave it! Looks sweet as is.

[68bowtie]

leave it!! you will make more with it in good condition. beautiful truck!

[special-K]

Ruining good surviving paint makes no sense to me.

[midniteblues]

you could try some clr on the caps it might help.

i would try to perserve the oe paint as much as possible let the next owner worry about patina. besides it looks good as is

[69chevy lwb]

I'd just clean everything up real nice and call it good I'll personally spend 2-3 times as much on a vehicle I know hasn't been tampered with and it's worth it. The more you do the less original it becomes and the less desirable it becomes to someone wanting a survivor truck.

[tommys72]

Leave the wheels and covers also. Let the new owner do as he pleases. Personally, I'd roll it how it is!

[too much stuff]

Patina is earned, not made. I would just clean things up good and leave them be.
As tim said, why ruin good paint?
On my patina truck i wish i had more paint on it. Will be down to metal and start rusting one day...

[Chrome8]

Thanks guys, my instructions were for him to buff it out and where it got thin, it gets thin....There are some dark edges on the hood centerline and the other dark spots you can see in the pics, some battery acid spots on the RF Fender. Single stage paint is really pretty good stuff, a few rock chips on the front of the hood turn into small black specs when he was done. One of the body shops we work with told me not to clear coat the truck after buffing, he claimed it didn't hold up and will peel. So I was just going to wax it and wax it and wax it. SpecialK you have me thinking I messed up now!

[69chevy lwb]

I'd stay away from even waxing it just buff it and let it be a real truck I think it looks perfect with the super mild patina honestly I'd love to have it if that was an option but sadly it's not

[dubds10]

Deff don't ruin it anymore by going to thin! Looks fine now to me, but I'd also never "pay"
For a "patina" truck lol

[Chrome8]

My man said (buff,wax,sand professional not just another detailer) some of the paint was so thin on the front clip and hood that the black showing through was unavoidable. He took it to the point of removing all of the dead paint and creating a smooth and even look, unfortunately buffing on that original paint created splotches and he had to keep going a little bit further to make it even and nice. I really hear you guys and understand now that I should keep as much of that paint on the truck as possible. Both doors and the boxsides (except the very top inside edges) have plenty of paint and zero burn through after buffing.

[Chrome8]

Originally Posted by 69chevy lwb

I'd stay away from even waxing it just buff it and let it be a real truck I think it looks perfect with the super mild patina honestly I'd love to have it if that was an option but sadly it's not

We have to put some kind of protection on the paint. We are checking with our chemical supplier as to what products will protect it the best being single stage original paint. We have paint sealants, glazes and waxes and I will buy whatever we need to make sure it's protected after buffing. This truck means a lot to me actually and I would really like to keep it but I think it's time to sell.

[69chevy lwb]

The only reason I didn't recommend the wax is it's a real ***** to keep it off of the gaskets and the trim and once you get into one of them you have to keep going. But I imagine your guys are more experienced than I am so it might not be a problem for them. Either way its one of the best looking trucks I've seen and I think the buffing made it just right!

[4 Wheelin Fudpucker]

My ole man used to say the difference between a beater & and classic is a coat of wax

[Chrome8]

Originally Posted by midniteblues

you could try some clr on the caps it might help.
i would try to perserve the oe paint as much as possible let the next owner worry about patina. besides it looks good as is

I'm going to buy some and give it a try, thanks for the tip. That may just remove the rusty speckles.

Thanks, after all of the comments here I have come to the conclusion that we are going to be very gentle from here on out.

Originally Posted by dubds10

Deff don't ruin it anymore by going to thin! Looks fine now to me, but I'd also never "pay"
For a "patina" truck lol

I hope we didn't ruin it, I think the paint buffed up great and my Manager Lucas made the right call by stopping to ask me if I wanted to go further. The truck sat under a lean-to for many years and he said he could tell the sun shined on the front clip and the left side the most. Most of all I wanted the finish to be even all the way around the truck.

Originally Posted by 69chevy lwb

The only reason I didn't recommend the wax is it's a real ***** to keep it off of the gaskets and the trim and once you get into one of them you have to keep going. But I imagine your guys are more experienced than I am so it might not be a problem for them. Either way its one of the best looking trucks I've seen and I think the buffing made it just right!

I am happy to say I have a great detail crew, they put up with me everyday and do great work consistently, I'm a bit picky when it comes to the cars we sell. The excess wax residue won't be a problem for us, there are a few tricks we use to keep from having to try to get the white stuff off the black stuff. Tape is the best advice I can give anyone that is buffing or waxing, put a strip of body man tape on places you don't want to clean later. There are also some chemicals available to remove the wax residue from plastic and rubber. You're right it can be a pain. Thanks for the kind words about the truck, I am excited about getting it ready to go.

[special-K]

You didn't ruin it yet. It's aged paint and time did whatever has happened to the paint. I just can't see creating an issue on good paint and that paint looks awesome. My ochre and white Custom Camper had paint thinning on the hood ridge but it looked perfect till you put your eyes right on it looking for flaws. That Paint that went on these trucks was better than anything made today, if you ask me. I stopped doing clear coat and only do single stage urethane now. Clear is over rated and serves to introduce more problems than the paint itself. Good paint doesn't need clear coat for it to hold up.

Rule number 1 with flipping vehicles, do little as possible. Peple get caught up in "if I do this I can get more". But after your time and money, how much more do you really get? And you may be limiting your buyers to people who would do what you did, and scare off the rest. If you get stuck selling for less at least you didn't spend more money to make less. It isnt perfect. These trucks are bought to fix up. Let the buyer do that. You just do what little it takes to make it more presentable, such as cleaned up. Nice hubcaps would be a great upgrade, but these days they cost so much I'd let the next person do the searching and spending. I wouldn't walk away from a truck like that or dicker the price down because the hubcaps are crappy. I'd be glad to see it still had them all. That truck screams unmolested, let that sell it

[davepl]

Originally Posted by special-K

Ruining good surviving paint makes no sense to me.

^^^ This

It's not real patina if you make it. You could shoot it in three colors and sand through them too, but it wouldn't be legit.

Right now, it's too legit, so quit. Looks good as it is.

[kcsa75]

Originally Posted by special-K

Ruining good surviving paint makes no sense to me.

I don't get the attraction to "patina."

[54blackhornet]

Do you guys define this as patina or just rust ? Pickup sat untouched for over twenty years. sorry for sideways photo, can't seem to turn it properly?

[tommys72]

That's patina there on the globe truck

[dubds10]

Originally Posted by 54blackhornet

Do you guys define this as patina or just rust ? Pickup sat untouched for over twenty years. sorry for sideways photo, can't seem to turn it properly?

Some people are for "patina" and others aren't so it's in the eye of the beholder. Personally I think rust is rust, there's not denying it and calling it patina to make a buck like most guys seem to do these days.