Matching and Making Patina - anyone done it?

[70chall440]

I am building a 71 Charger that was originally B5, however now it has a red passenger fender, black (EDP) drivers side quarter skin, black (EDP) drivers side lower quarter patch and a EDP air grabber hood. I would like to try and match the existing faded B5 patina that is on the rest of the car if possible.

I am thinking that I would need to paint the red fender and EDP panels the same manner which the car was originally painted and then patina them is some fashion.

My other option is to just leave the mismatched panels as they are and roll with that which I would rather not do. The objective is to have the car look "field fresh" however it will have a new interior along with a new 5.7 Hemi and TKX trans. The engine compartment, interior and trunk will all be new and nice, I am going to paint the engine compartment with B5 as well probably inside the trunk and perhaps the door jams.

Just for clarity, I am not asking "if" I should do this I am asking for advice on "how" to do it.

 

[patrick66]

Just prime and seal it, or paint it. You might spend near the money "preserving" patina than simply priming/sealing it. Whatever you do, do NOT simply spray clear gloss over it! If you truly want to preserve the look of what you have, clear gloss destroys it. Then, it looks like you have phony "patina". Also, don't use linseed oil. Yeah, it looks great for a month, but that oil does you no favors when it comes time to actually paint (or seal, or even wrap!) the car. Nothing will stick to it, and you are stuck with oil-impregnated sheetmetal.

 

[topside]

Looks like you could spray some red oxide, then GB5 basecoat over that, then D-A through the GB5 in spots to get to the red oxide and bare metal.
It'll take some experimentation. You'll probably need to blend into the adjacent panels. You can put a satin or flat clear over everything if you want to preserve it.
You can likely find info on the process on the internet - lots of movie & TV props, facades, etc get aged for filming.

 

[70chall440]

Looks like you could spray some red oxide, then GB5 basecoat over that, then D-A through the GB5 in spots to get to the red oxide and bare metal.
It'll take some experimentation. You'll probably need to blend into the adjacent panels. You can put a satin or flat clear over everything if you want to preserve it.
You can likely find info on the process on the internet - lots of movie & TV props, facades, etc get aged for filming.

Very helpful, thanks. I have looked online quite a bit concerning this issue and haven't found a lot about matching patina, there is quite a lot about "patinaing" a vehicle, faux patina, etc. but not a lot about making a new panel look like an existing old panel. I realize that its all related but was just thinking it through and decided to post this.

I don't normally name my vehicles but this one I am calling "Jekyll and Hyde"; look like a field find on the outside but be very nice under the hood and inside.

 

[Bighouse]

There’s no how-to on how to match a patina. You’ve approached the art world. Gather up the closest colors and have at it until it looks right.

 

[xs-ivv]

I would guess that you need to spray the whole car in a matte/flattened version of b5 then faux patina the whole thing.

 

[70chall440]

I would guess that you need to spray the whole car in a matte/flattened version of b5 then faux patina the whole thing.

I am going to try one panel and experiment.

 

[eldubb440]

I never understood the clearcoat over rust thing........ then I saw gasmonkey doing it to everything.......I hate that guy

 

[70chall440]

Well I do not intend to clear over any real rust or damage, only the sun baked metal. I am doing this because I already have a stable of "nice" cars that I don't drive, I am thinking this way I will drive it.

 

[Thrashingcows]

Something to be said for having a car with not so nice paint and interior etc.

My 68 T/C wagon had no motor and tranny when I bought it, but was rust free with 67K original miles. It had one repaint probably back in the 80's and cleaned up decent, interior was all original with just a small tear in upholstery on driver side bench seat back....but overall looks good. We used to vacation in it every year when the kids were small...load the car seats in the back, pile all the stuff we and kids needed in the cargo area and go...usually a 1000 to 1500 mile vacation road trip. Never cared if the kids spilled their apple juice in the back, or accidentally dinged the door or whatever. Just nice to get in and enjoy the car for what it was intended to be used for.

 

[eldubb440]

this was hanging around about 15 years ago....... still kicking myself.......and don't ask

look close.....stripe delete R/T

 

[70chall440]

This car is going to be nice on the interior and the engine compartment, but I really don't want to paint it for a variety of reasons. As I said, I have a pile of nice cars such as...

 

[patrick66]

I understand keeping "patina" if one can't afford to get a car painted. I don't understand the desire to keep what generally looks like crap on most cars, intentionally. But, more power to you if you end up with what you want.

 

[440 PHIXX]

A clear with a flattner added preserves a patina look.

 

[Bighouse]

Patrick66-

I’ve been in the auto/restoration world my entire life. There’s a lot to be said for rough looking stuff.
I can be doing donuts in the dirt and having a blast, driving it like I stole it. Letting kids have their pictures taken in and around the car and not having to worry.
And my non-mopar survivor car starts arguments at car shows on what should be done with it.
Sometimes a rough car needs a part replaced and “blended” like any other body repair!
Life’s short don’t build it for the next guy!

And I know if anyone here was at Chrysler Carlisle you were drooling over the hemi challenger in the vendor section! Yeah you know the one.

 

[patrick66]

Patrick66-

I’ve been in the auto/restoration world my entire life. There’s a lot to be said for rough looking stuff.
I can be doing donuts in the dirt and having a blast, driving it like I stole it. Letting kids have their pictures taken in and around the car and not having to worry.
And my non-mopar survivor car starts arguments at car shows on what should be done with it.
Life’s short don’t build it for the next guy!

I'm not a fan of it. You obviously know you can't get a decent shop-paint job for less that five figures. And I understand patina - NATURAL patina, which is cool, most of the time. But artificially "preserving" it or otherwise manufacturing it, takes away from the desired look, most of the time. The rusty ones with big holes in the panels are not "patina", they are cars that need bodywork to preserve the car itself. Which the OP is not having to do; his looks to be a good, solid platform to build off of.

An example is a buddy's '75 Dodge PW. His was a hodge-podge of different-colored panels. It started as an orange truck, which the cab and tailgate were the only things orange. Black and grey doors, green hood, yellow and white fenders, and a red bed. All from a variety of junkyard and parts trucks. What was cool is that no one would park by him at a mall (this was 1997) or at his work. They were terrified of his truck, apparently. That wasn't "patina", per se; it was putting a truck on the road again. He eventually painted it, then sold it.

My point is: If you want to keep the current look, just build the car! Attempts at "preserving the look" artificially nearly always make a car look like "manufactured" patina. Run with what'cha got already and enjoy!

 

[Bighouse]

I totally agree on the expense of body work. 3M had 3 price increases really quickly within the last year. Don’t even go into the costs of high-end/quality finish products. A lot of regular people can have some fun with the patina stuff.

A lot of quality work has gone underground. The overhead of running a shop (atleast here in metro NY) has made shop resto work very very pricy. The industry runs on insurance collision checks.

 

[70chall440]

First, thanks all for the discussion and advice. I thought that this might turn into a bit of a hate fest as I know there are many who do not like the patina look.

Patrick66 - you bring up a good point in reference to just leaving it as it (patina B5, red fender, black hood, etc.). this is probably the route I will end up going although I would have preferred it had both fenders in B5.

Its not that I cannot afford to paint it (I paint my own cars) but its the amount of work, the timing (I can only paint from about mid July to around now due to weather) and as I said I don't want another garage queen. I want it to look "ratty", perhaps it will keep people from sitting or leaning on it to take pictures.

I might paint it someday just not anytime soon, I still have a 70 Roadrunner and 68 Barracuda to build as well.

 

[xs-ivv]

I love it when cars have patina on them they definately stand out in a crowd. You should give the faux patina a try. Maybe test it out if you have some spare body panels from any car. Might be some trial and error to find the look that you want though.

 

[Gus chiggins]

I never understood the clearcoat over rust thing........ then I saw gasmonkey doing it to everything.......I hate that guy

That guy is another worman, maybe worse.