FAKE PATINA ??????

First off let me tell you that my thoughts are mine alone. Some like them some don't. Like you I really don't care what people think, say or do so take what I have to say with a grain of salt.

With the outbreak of rat rods and the building of many wicked cars using nice frames, drivetrains and wheel but using a stock unrestored body has brought hot rodding around in full circle. When I was younger you had people that wouldn't drive their cars 'cause they had $3000.00 or more paint jobs on them. People that had super nice cars were scared to bring them out and enjoy them due to people leaning on them or other things such as shopping carts or a number of crazy things that I myself even had to deal with. Having these hot rods that can be driven has saved hot rodding from folding all together.

Times change and so do people. When I was younger I had to drive junk because I couldn't afford to have a nice paint job. Primer was finer I use to say. Cars they call rat rods now I use to drive and duck when I seen people I knew so they couldn't see me driving it. Rusty station wagon or what have you. Fast forward many years and everyone is going nuts over old rusty station wagons. So I guess the hobby has turned in a direction where many more people can afford to do it and have fun doing it. I have to say I have been bitten too. I would just assume to drive a rough, rusty old truck than a shiny 70 Camaro.

There are some things I have been getting a chip on my shoulder about. FAKE CRAP. Most of my life I always wanted something that is simple, form follows function. If it doesn't make it go faster, stop quicker or give it a longer chance at life I didn't want it on my cars. That has carried over to my thoughts on paint.

So with all the rage going on about rusty old cars there is a new fad. Fake patina. I have to tell you that there are times you can use it like if you are doing body work and when you are done you want to match the rest of the car or truck. But this new fad of taking a nice and some are really nice painted hot rods and sanding them down, tossing salt on it to just make it rust is nuts. This guy bought this truck, it was a hi dollar show truck by the way and did this to it. what a shame. If you have a nice car or truck don't screw it up trying to make it something it is not. PLEASE!

Then we have the ones that have rougher cars but try to paint or make some type of fake patina on them. Here are a few fakes. They just do not look right to me.

I can not say that I'm not guilty of this too. First one I tried to do was my 34. This was what it looked like after I built it.


Then like a big dummy I fell for the I can fake it thought.


How stupid was that? How bad did I feel? I lost all feeling for the car and traded it off. It turned me off so bad I didn't even want to just primer it back black.

Not one to give up too easy I tried it again on the 54 a few years later. This time was a lot better than the 34 but it was still not right. One reason I did this was the truck already had primer on it and there were tons of mods done to it when I built it. Louvered hood, frenched headlights and more. So this fake crap was tossed on it because it was fats, cheap and easy to do. AGAIN it just didn't look real! The thought was to make it looked sunbaked. Like it was sitting in New Mexico in the beating sun for the last 60 + years.

Look up fake patina on Google and first few pics is this one. This is a club truck that went through two different club members.


Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for how this fake stuff is put on as pictures above show. They don't match the wear of how a car would get a natural patina. 99% of all these fake car/trucks you can tell it's someone spray paint or sanding them to try to make it look as close to the real thing as they can. The problem is THEY CAN'T DO IT!

Then we have the other end which to me is just as bad. Clear coating over rust. This is goofy. Anyone that has ever painted a car will tell you it not going help. You clear will start flaking off with a matter of time. All these goofy TV shows like Gas Monkey shows everyone that they are preserving the patina by locking it in and it will save the car. BULL CRAP! It may help some but flaking or rough rust which is part of the aged patina will but do anything other than keep rusting. In a year you will have a car that has clear on it so the patina has not stopped where the paint is and any rust is eating away at the body.

Also it doesn't look right! Here are some pictures.
Faked but cleared. Even a satin clear will not give you the real look.

Then there is the real deal. Gods gift to us from age and elements. If you look close you can see time. The look of the years and sometimes what it's went through. It's living art. I know my artistic side may be lost on a few but to me this tells a story. Sometimes layers of paint and if you are lucky some lettering.

This is the real deal and you can't get this from a can and if you mess it, it's gone forever.




My truck had the most heavy patina I had ever seen. I never thought one time about sanding it down.

Then there is John's COE he's building. The reason for this whole long thread. This is living art. You can see the age and the story of it's life. Look close and you can see not only one life it lived but two just through the lettering. John's plans are to use rust converter and clear it. I cringe at the thought of that because once it's done it can't be undone and the long life that this truck shows us through it's patina is stopped in it's tracks forever. It will not show anything further than the day it was cleared.

So I'm wondering what everyone thinks? I want shiney paint! Who wants a rusty hot rod, bunch of junk or do you want to tell me to simply lay off the moonshine while I have these artistic epiphanies over something as simple as rust?

Honestly if I bought any type of vehicle and it was an older one, I would leave it alone. I like them when they show there age. I'm with you on this point Reb. Now if it was something newer, yes, I would re-paint or try to buff it out if the paint was fading. I've never clear coated a vehicle unless it had a new paint job on it or if it was wrecked and needed it to blend in with the rest of the vehicle.

I like the natural patina. Not a big fan of clear coating over what mother has done naturally. If I bought a show car for big bucks I wouldn't ruin it by trying to make it look weathered.  Just my 2 cents. But everyone has different taste and dreams. 

I like the natural patina. It would be nice if there was some way to protect what was there and not ruin the natural look, but alas there really isn't. Not a big fan of fake patina or clear coating over rust, but to each his own. Who am I to tell someone else how their hot rod should or shouldn't look.

I have to say though Reb, your 54 was probably one of the exceptions. Even though the patina wasn't natural it was one of the best ones I've seen.

While I was down in Tenn. for Rod Run this year, I stumbled a across some of those. I've seen the cleared patina and its okay in my eyes but I dont like the gloss it has to it... which makes me wonder what it would look like with matte clear on it. ANYWHO I found this special paint job down there... I had to get kinda close to tell but they actually PAINTED the patina on and then cleared it....   Someone needs to tell this guy that you cant paint rust lol Anyways, I like rough paint jobs. I like old cars so I can drive them and they can be seen. Not sit in a garage for their whole life. I mean hell, look at the Montes' paint job... Its not even a name brand spray paint haha My .02   

I try to find cars with original paint of have been painted once before years ago. My wagon has dents in it but I don't care. I'm not going to restore the car. Don't have the time or money since I don't do any body work. I like the paint on my old cadillac. Gives it character. Between the trunk and back glass the last coat of paint of popping off. You can see where the car was primer red before being repainted. The original color also pops thru.

Good point Steve.  I agree with your train of thought, but still cannot allow myself to tell somebody else what their hot rod should look like.  BUt I think your point is kinda the same.... you aren't telling them how it should look.....UNLESS THEY ASK YOUR OPINION.  Everyone has one, just like- you get the picture.  I think I am in awe of having the patina, since I never had anything "vintage" that really showed its true life.  MY 34 fordor project is red oxide primer.  It is from modern day body mods and repair, so I have no intention of "preserving" the red oxide look- It just ain't right.  So it will get my best paint job....  just like every other hobby vehicle I have ever had.  Just can't afford a pro job.  In fact, I am receiving calls for "garage paint jobs" for other hobbyists vehicles.  I cannot bring myself to do it. It could probably give me a good share of "folding money", but if I am going to ruin my health, it will be from my own projects.  I do have a pressurized headgear, and tyvek suits are cheap, but for someone who has struggled with respiratory troubles all their life, I would rather destroy my health on my own terms.  I'm just not ready to have my name connected with other people's bodywork either.  Ultimately, it is John's truck, and whatever he does to it, I will admire him for it, and applaud the result- but the statements you make are spot on.... once it's gone, it's gone. It's a tough call either way, so there's my two cents, and support everyone's ideas and creativity. I can't own them all, but when I like something, I make sure the owner knows I appreciate his efforts on his outcome- If I don't like it, I can still appreciate the talent and effort, and walk away with a clear conscience.

Not a fan of fake stuff. Fake patina is as bad as fake hood scoops! I love the hazy "rainbow" streaks you get on an old oil enamel paint job, cracks, sunburns, and especially milky edges on the glass. Pretty is nice, but well worn is just more comfortable!

BTW, your fake patina on your 54 did turn out pretty sweet. It was very tastefully executed.

cab corner fake





I still have to get the colors for the panel to get it al right but here is the start of it.

If youre replacing major rot and "faking" a patina to match, then go right ahead!

That's what we are doing on the real bad stuff. Some of this old truck has holes big enough to stick your feet in.

I like the panel paint. Seriously considering doing blue panels on my truck.

Natural patina I get...and I can dig if it's cleaned up a bit and has a story to tell. Like what you are doing with the pickup, Steve. Repair/clean up the major rot areas and leave the rest alone. I can totally appreciate the work/effort to pull off faking it but it's not really patina...it's what we in the model world refer to as 'the Spanish school of modeling'. Over-exaggerated weathering that you would never see on the real deal. Same with the fake stuff. Like the pics of the real patina but oversprayed with a satin finish...that doesn't do a thing except stop the natural patina in its' tracks IMHO. I'd love to leave my '88 'vette with it's barn-find patina but no one wants to look at old SMS with cracking paint LOL!  

And while we are on fads I cannot personally wait for the bright painted wheels (I'm talking day-glo pink, green, orange, etc.)look to grow old and leave the stage. It's a personal preference for sure but there are only a VERY few cars that ever can/could have pulled this look off. Sorry for the rant...but that look makes me roll my eyes.

Later,

Lee