Patina opinions wanted

robertmark · 10-22-2018, 03:51 PM

My 69 911 e barn find. Getting ready to have the engine and tranny gone through. Interior is almost unbelievable. Question is the exterior. I tested in a small area, and it appears paint will shine pretty good. There are some light rust areas. I have no intention of restoring. This is a one owner survivor. Paint and interior are absolutely original. Should I buff exterior, or leave oxidized from the last 40 years? The last time driven was 1979. This car has been sitting in a barn since 1979. Thoughts/opinions welcomed.

996AE · 996AE's Garage

I'm restoring a 1988 911 Carrera

Going to be 100% refreshed mechanically. Complete rebuild of motor and suspension but I am leaving the fairly nice original Gran Prix White and Marina Blue interior untouched.

Going to be a great driver not a show car or garage queen.

Leave the patina. I am.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

I hate chrome, I anodize everything black....white car. If it has a scratch Fuch it......next decade Ill get around to it....

Now drive train.......

Same thing

I'll die soon

rwest · rwest's Garage

I would buff out and try and get the rust spots fixed as they aren’t going to get smaller as the years go by.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwest

I would buff out and try and get the rust spots fixed as they aren’t going to get smaller as the years go by.

Given. But beat it like a red headed step child.

DWeg1998 · DWeg1998's Garage

Put a lot of gentle TLC and some modern products on it and see how it looks. Paying an expert detailer a few hundred for this will likely pay off versus a full paint job.

DWeg1998 · DWeg1998's Garage

Those rust spots are going to need some paint correction

Trackrash · Trackrash's Garage

That's a tough one. Patina is what is cool now, but if the original paint buffs, I would touch up the bad spots and buff out the rest.

Rawknees'Turbo · 10-22-2018, 05:42 PM

"Patina" is just a fancy term for, "looks like feces".

fanaudical · fanaudical's Garage

Paint patina is cool, but doesn't stop corrosion. The purpose of paint (other than to look good) is to prevent the body from rusting away. My vote is to buff/protect the paint, fix the rust spots, and be prepared to find that things may be much worse than they appear. (I ended up replacing both front fenders on my Targa for something that at first check was just a minor pinhole...)

dwelle · 10-22-2018, 06:17 PM

just wax it and get some protection there to preserve what's left. if you buff it out it will likely look odd...

porsche930dude · porsche930dude's Garage

If you start making the paint shiny the bad spots are going to look alot worse. I dont think id be able to resist buffing it up to look nice. Great color im a sucker for green

shamrok · shamrok's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

I hate chrome, I anodize everything black....white car. If it has a scratch Fuch it......next decade Ill get around to it....

Now drive train.......

Same thing

I'll die soon

On a completely unrelated note, I love the progression of this post. It starts with chrome, ends with death. Would read again.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Like the red haired ***** it is. Leave it. Drive it. Put it away wet.

1979-930 · 1979-930's Garage

The paint is probably pretty thin. If you buff it you will most likely burn through in a spot or two.
I would clay bar the car to remove any bugs and fallout stuck in the paint and wax it with a polymer wax.
The rust spots may be able to be blended in by one of those scratch and dent guys with an air brush.
I personally would put a neutralizer on the rust and let it oxidize black. Protect the surrounding paint first. Its not like the car is going to be in the weather anymore. Just stop the spreading.

Original paint cars even in faded condition are cool and always bring more money at resale.
Don't listen to Rawknee. He thinks white is a color...

jmz · jmz's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

Like the red haired ***** it is. Leave it. Drive it. Put it away wet.

What he said.

You should see the rat I'm building. ...makes yours look pristine.

Rawknees'Turbo · 10-23-2018, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1979-930

. . .

Original paint cars even in faded condition are cool and always bring more money at resale.
Don't listen to Rawknee. He thinks white is a color...

Black, too!

Yes, Deez, faded original paint is cool if one is blind and/or has low standards for fit and finish, otherwise it just looks like neglect. Yer welcome!

Matt Monson · 10-23-2018, 07:10 AM

I just had my car color corrected and ceramic coated. It looks like a different car. If it were mine I would pay a professional to do it. I bet it comes back really nicely.

Trakrat · 10-23-2018, 09:59 AM

Patina is simply referring to the 'look', not the functionality. If the paint is not functioning as it was meant to be... then it's not patina.
If there are rust spots on the sheet metal, then the sheet metal is not functioning as it should be.

Does it LOOK original but functions perfectly? then it has patina. Otherwise, the car is just old and needs repair.

robertmark · 10-23-2018, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

I just had my car color corrected and ceramic coated. It looks like a different car. If it were mine I would pay a professional to do it. I bet it comes back really nicely.

What does color corrected mean?? Is the ceramic coating a liquid product? Did you apply it to the entire car?