Not worrying about door dings and scratches is just an added bonus, we all know as soon as a car is painted there will be a runaway shopping cart or ahole who will park next to you and ding ya..it ALWAYS happens sooner or later. Never happens when driving a winter beater, right? As far as car shows I gravitate towards the patina style cars just because they are unique, and sometimes have a lot of mods you really have to look for to see, like my cars. I like to see how others solve problems. Last one on door dings, this was my last build before the 37 Buick, you think I was worried about door dings? Damn right! Would this car look have looked right as a patina build? Hell no IMO.
I have been thinking along these same lines. They obviously are not worried about the appearance of their car with rusted/rotted bodies so why would they fear a paint chip, door ding, or some kids fingerprints on their paint? Sounds more like a weak justification for unfinished car.
The Frank Mack 27 was the very car I was thinking about when I made my post #70. It would be a shame to touch that car. By the same token, it sure would have been a shame to not repaint Tweety Pie.
I'm just glad there is a lot of variety in hot rods so we all can enjoy... I think back in the day a lot of guys made modifications but couldn't afford paint jobs, thus rode around with primer spots or scratched original paint and I think most didn't care.. I like hot rods both with paint and without, but gravitate to the beaters or those with original paint..
Where is this association with neglected, rusted, rotted, clapped out bodies vs. patina coming from? I have three cars, a 30 Deluxe roadster painted in 1960, no patch panels, no rust, no rot. A 34 five window painted in the late 60's, had a couple of rust out typical at bottom of cowl. Patch panels replaced and primered. I wax this car as well as the roadster. I have a 36 that was repainted in God knows when. Has surface rust no rot or rot out. So I think people should take cars on an individual basis and not stereotype patina into one image as a rotted out, clapped out body that the owner doesn't give a shit about, unless, of course, that is a reflection of oneself.
As this gets close to 100 posts, it looks like the majority of HAMBers prefer the dead paint look. I would hazard a guess that most are under 40. I used to come to the HAMB because it celebrated the best years of hot rodding. And, the collective HAMB mind was good at sorting the BS out. The idea of the collective mind is a fluid thing. So, it changes. Now, big heavy 4 door 'gassers' with rusty bodies and no connection to any real race history are 'Kool'. Hot rods with bodies so rusty that they're all pebbly and have holes in them are 'Kool'. This is how we preserve hot rodding as it was? FWIW, I think Don's deuce, at the start of this piece is very cool. But, it is cool for the novelty. And, it's extra cool for the miles Don puts on it.
My take... I have an opinion and I don't consider that opinion to be fact. I like a world with diverse points of view and perspective. It makes things better. I have always preferred to own and drive "casual" hot rods. I like the soul of use. I like tactile feel of history. I like the idea that something was built to withstand all that.... and does... That being said, I love finely finished cars to... And I love them even more once they have been used for what they were built to do. What I don't care for is a finely finished car that isn't used or wasn't built to be... Cars like that age differently and the result is something that doesn't interest me a whole lot. "Show cars" just aren't my thing. In my opinion, this subject isn't a black and white deal. There's no line drawn anywhere that can be jumped around and crossed easily. And I think a lot of people try to draw that line or, at the very least, try to observe one. I think thinking like that is for the sidelines. At the end of the day, this is all about history - or our own and varied perspective of it.
We have come full circle to people putting so much value on patina that decent paint job is now cheaper than patina, guys are spending more money on fake patina than show paint I like patina ,if it gives the car character and for some they feel it gives their car individually that makes theirs a 1 of 1situation, but rust is RUST , holes and chickenshit welds and all that that is rat rod.. nothing else
I have wiped mine off a couple times in the past 15 years, but have never washed it. Found it behind the barn in Northern Saskatchewan with a 1962 plate on it. I am blessed that I have two, it is like having 2 pair of jeans, one pair fits well and the other you wear when you are told to.
Patina is great, in the right context. Cars like @BrandonB 5 window, and the cars and trucks (mostly trucks, haha) that @Chris resurrects are the ones that do it for me. I looked over a Deuce 3 window at the '07 Deuce Days in Victoria. It was out of Seaside Oregon, the owner and his grandpa had painted it in 1951. Cars like that to me, would be foolish to blow apart to paint. On the other hand, not painting or at the least, primering some rusty pile with hardly any paint remaining is silly in my opinion. I've ran my Dart wagon like this for years. Fun, low maintenance, and gets a ridiculous amount of attention. It's getting paint this year, I'm tired of it looking like I don't give a shit.
My very last observation on this topic (I hope): Remember "sleepers" or "sleeper cars"? They were the street racer wolf-in-sheep's-clothing that were intended to sucker others into a race for $ (because they looked like $%^& and no GOOD car looked like $%^&), and the more beat, mangled and patina'd the better for biz...
Roy Brizio employs a 'patina-painter' to satisfy the edge of clientele who prefer such...grace. Just a 'heads-up' for those who need it.
Mine was a nice '56 Ford convert. White. The Chevy guys thought that because it was a Ford, it couldn't be fast. More than one, after getting 'fleeced', asked: "Wow, that thing runs...Whatta ya got in it, Chevy?" But I've built 'sleepers', too...Never kept 'em long, just hate junk. And the LOOK of 'junk'.
There is a high end market and why not. Fun to drive coast to coast with no worries! Better than a show car never getting driven...there is a place for both! High Noon
As long as a car has earned its patina or has enamel/lacquer in a period correct color that’s been applied with traditional methods...I’m good with the outcome.
I remember a '65 or '66 Pontiac wagon running at the local 'strip 30 odd years ago that looked like an absolute heap. Everyone in the stands was waiting for the 17 second pass. Uh, no.
Dictionary result for patina /pəˈtēnə/ noun 1. A green or brown film on the surface of bronze or similar metals, produced by oxidation over a long period. o - a gloss or sheen on a surface resulting from age or polishing. "the dining table will acquire a warm patina with age" o - the impression or appearance of something. "he carries the patina of old money and good breeding" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I present the following as an editorial viewpoint and doesn't necessarily reflect the policy of the owner of this post and is heavily saturated with humor, aimed at no particular person, living or dead....... Are worn rings, smoking tailpipes, noisy lifters, stuck valves, leaks and rattles considered to be part of the charm of owning an old vehicle? Is it making a cool statement about the history, "the miles it must have driven, the places it's been"? Or is it years of neglect that needs fixing? Okay, you say that's apples and oranges, and not a valid comparison. But if more than one person has ever innocently asked: "Are you going to paint that someday?" ........that just might be the ancient gods of hot rodding trying to tell you something.
^^^^^^^^^^^ That's so far apart it wouldn't even fall into the apples and oranges category, more like garlic and watermelon.
I own several different hot rods, 2 are original paint - patina..no clear coat BS. I drive the shit out of my 56 PU every day and I love it . My 59 stude is a little too radical to drive every day but it wears it's original Tahiti Choral- pink patina.The 29 roadster is finished , painted 57 chevy Sierra gold. the 37 coupe is wearing red oxide and will be painted. The 57 150 just went to paint jail today. I see both sides of the coin and love em both ways. Oh yeah forgot wifes truck two tone gold and white...She still gives me shit for not leaving it patina'd cause she has to wash and wax it She love's it though.
That's where I'm at with my parklane it will eventually be painted but in enjoying driving it as I work on it Sent from my SM-G965U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Patina has been so overused that it falls into the ‘barn find’ category of catch phrases. Just say it has old paint and let it go at that.
It's funny whenever I'm at a show and talking to people and I mention eventually I am going to paint the car I get the , oh I wouldn't paint it it looks great the way it is Sent from my SM-G965U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I forgot to mention that the newest car I personally own is the 59 Stude ... I drive my cars daily so I totally see the need for a hot rod I can park anywhere.