[drm101]

Some of my favorite cars look really bad. My neighbors '67 C10 doesn't have a straight panel on it, but I love it. It has a 700 HP 540 and 6 speed, and giant mufflers to quiet it down. Our Nova has really nice paint and I drive it, but I also fret over it. It's your call, though. Do what makes you happy.

 

[Stroker Ace Ventura]

Some of my favorite cars look really bad. My neighbors '67 C10 doesn't have a straight panel on it, but I love it. It has a 700 HP 540 and 6 speed, and giant mufflers to quiet it down. Our Nova has really nice paint and I drive it, but I also fret over it. It's your call, though. Do what makes you happy.

Yep. I'm wrapping my METHTRAP in clear when I'm done with my panel replacement and work so I can preserve the moment in time. It won't be pristine by any means but it will be interesting for sure!

 

[AllyMcReal]

Personal preference, with all the factors mentioned above. Good responses all. I'll add a couple. Paint it and it will change your attitude to the car, not always for the better. How much more money did I put into it (and will I need to get that out of it some day?). Never bothered me when I had a car painted, but some guys think their car's made of sugar after that and it'll melt in the rain so that changes how you use the car a little. I have a tendency to pick out the flaws in the body AFTER it's painted, no before, so unless the paint's perfect, there's that.

Patina is no more a fad than preserving anything that's old, like a painting, a coin, a sculpture. It has more to do with what you want to show in the car. I've restored a Nova, and loved the way it looked, and sucked it up on the cost of body and paint. It was the right decision, and I thoroughly enjoyed that. But the car I have now is infinitely more interesting to me unpainted, as it has surface rust and original paint ONLY on the car, with no dings or dents. In some ways I like seeing a car like that more than one that's painted as there's no mystery about the body panels, rust or bondo. You get what you get.

And though there are some quality shops out there somewhere, no thieving, 5-hour a day, foot dragging, over-charging, parts-losing coach craft body shop will get a single dime out of the Chevy II I'm wrenching on today.

 

[Stroker Ace Ventura]

I like seeing a car like that more than one that's painted as there's no mystery about the body panels, rust or bondo. You get what you get.

DITTO!!!

 

[Novapat67]

I would love to paint my 4dr someday but it is probably not in the cards. It looks like a minimum of $5-10k. I wouldnt say my car falls into the "patina" category, but its not shiny either.

I'm not worried about "getting money back out" as I don't really plan on ever selling the car. If i was building a car to flip or try to turn a profit on, I would not have chosen a 4dr. With a 4dr, I don't really worry about modifying it though. I'm not cutting up a rare car or anything.

Maybe someday i can do some of the bodywork and try to find a decent Maaco shop for a budget paint job. Those places are definitely not created equal!

 

[CdnL79 Registry]

Well, you have 20 responses and no consensus, which is usually the way these kinds of threads go. Most cars described as having 'patina' really don't have it. They're just scratched, beat up and need paint. If you really want a 'super sleeper', return the stance to stock, paint it Cameo Beige, put four matched-size stock type steel wheels on it with white wall tires and cheap wheel covers. As it stands now, it advertises 'not stock'. JMO as another one of the old farts posting in this thread.

Bob

 

[Timeslip]

Depends on budget. Good respray is a 5 figure deal these days. Try selling it as is 1st if that's your goal.

 

[doerf]

patina is supposed to mean oxidation
like the turquoise color of oxidized copper
but worn, faded, crappy paint is not what patina is supposed to be

how the car world uses the term patina....I am not a fan at all

 

[Rusty63]

agree with Bob.

those wheels certainly tell you something is up, might want to check under the hood!

assuming you would be doing work yourself...paint work does not have to be expensive if you are looking for a driver--which seems the case since you are considering leaving it alone. all paint can shine. the average person couldn't tell the difference from BC/CC from a cleared coated acrylic enamel. just use a compatible epoxy primer after removing the rot and performing bodywork. use the expensive color later if you wish.

i vote paint it.

-Rusty

 

[patman]

Possibly unpopular opinion: patch up the existing paint.

I'm in the "if you spend $$$ to paint it, you won't want to drive it anywhere" camp. I also think a cheapie paintjob looks terrible. The 'patina' stuff is getting old. Split the difference and touch up the areas that need it, and buff the heck out of it to shine it up. You may be surprised...

 

[mrlaze]

Paints expensive and i like sleepers.

 

[Bob's 65 Post]

That car I would leave as is, but put some granny wheels and caps on it and lower the ass end.

 

[AllyMcReal]

So, never Cameo Beige. But maybe another yawner color for a sleeper and keep the steelies and stock stance?

Love the idea.

 

[TR67ChevyII]

I was lucky that I didn't foot the bill for the paint on my 67 4 door. I would consider it not quite show quality but much better than daily driver quality. Somebody spent well over 5k painting it I'm sure. I would never sink that kind of money into a 4 door myself, but it does look great. I try to keep it nice waxing it regularly, but don't loose sleep over it. It got it's first scratch at the grocery store a few months ago.

 

[meendeen]

i am leaving mine original, i think a big part of how much i like the car is because of how everything is how it was since it was made. Cant recreate that when i look at new paint.
View attachment 454251

I LOVE wagons !!...a 64 wagon was my first car when I was 15...pulled the 6 and put a 327 in it !! All the kids in school teased me because I drove a wagon...until they raced me !! LOL....wish I could find an affordable wagon to build...

 

[CAPTAIN18B]

Whatever you like but as previously said, you could leave it as is and enjoy the car for the foreseeable future and a later date if you really want to paint it, do so. Once painted, you will never have that original look again so enjoy it while you can. I think it looks good as is

 

[fltinstructor]

Well, I'm an old fart too. Some of the cars I remember were primered all over or had mismatched painted panels from several cars. The one thing they all had were engines that vibrated the windows in the houses as they passed by. Paint was cheap but guys just were looking to go fast and drive them. Looking pretty was for the girls riding shotgun or piled in back. I had a few cars that were never finished with a shiny paint job, with patches of primered repairs. But boy did they run good. The Nova I have now is one of those sits in the garage more than I'd like. I spent way more on it than I should have whn I started out to just get it running to drive. Once you go down that rabbit hole it's hard to get out.

So I vote fix the rust leave the rest alone and drive it.

 

[67 canso sd]

“Once you go down that rabbit hole it's hard to get out.”

OH brother, I hear you on that. It’s a slippery slope.

 

[seventynovaSS]

Once you go down that rabbit hole it's hard to get out.

Sometimes it's more of a yawning chasm than a rabbit hole.
Done it three times now, a C172, a Beech Debonair and the Nova.

 

[Sheriffbart]

It's mostly what you want out of the car. If you are going to drive it quite a bit, a $10k (or more) paint job is going to be a constant concern. You can always paint it later. If you are unsure, I'd certainly enjoy it as is for a while. I'm going with a satin black painted in my garage finish on my 71 coupe because I just don't see the point in paying for what a quality paint job costs now unless you are working on a rare car.

If you decide on having it done, expect to lose the car for a year and then be mad over that