Hey everyone,

So I've got a question to ask all of you, it's a topic that I'm not particularly proud of but I'm trying to do right here. I bought my first classic car about near the end of 2012 off craigslist, my Fairlane. She was a barn car, kept inside for the last 18 years by this old couple.

Well we got the car, the price was just too great for a car in such good condition, but we didn't necessarily have the best plan in mind. We pretty much pulled the biggest sin in the classic car fandom and kept the car outside. It was a case of us really wanting a classic but not having a garage. It started out with keeping a custom-fit car cover over it, then moved to a cheapo assemble it yourself car garage with open walls. The car wasn't running and it was the first car I ever restored mechanically so it took me years. I'd say the car way out in the weather for about 2 and a half-years maybe 3. It was only in the last year or so that I managed to put together a fully enclosed garage with a tarp floor and that's kept the car basically protected from all the elements. But the years of being outside have taken their toll, around the tops of the front fenders, the headlight eyebrows, and four corners of the hood where water pooled up on the car-cover we've got scratched missing paint. I TRIED to right what I did and match up some paint to fill the scratches but.. you know, you'll never get the right shade.. and it's kind of obvious and it just looks tacky.

So I'm in a really tough spot about this. About 85% of the car still looks fine considering, basically as good as when we got her. But those bad spots right on the front are such eye-sores, and the thing is it wouldn't even bother me if the car was bought with those defects, I mean it's a 60 year old car we all have our wrinkles. But to me it's personal when I see the damage, it's shameful and makes me feel bad that I had this near perfect car and I let this damage happen to it. So because of that it probably bothers me more then it should.

So now I'm coming to you guys to either talk me into it or make me see reason. I don't know if this attempt at fixing things is really just going to make things worse you tell me. But I've thought about getting the car repainted, the exact same colors it had originally, but entirely repainted on the outside to fix all those dang scratches and discolorations, then maybe have it clear coated to protect it from the weather since we still don't have a garage that's totally out of the open air. It's one of those tent-stye garages.
Part of me hates to do it, to paint over all that original paint, but I wonder if the end result would be worth it if it makes the car look better, and to be honest there ARE parts on the car where you can tell the last owners filled in some paint chips and repainted some spots but.. they must have just did a better job because the paint matches better.. or maybe its just because it's had time to age along with the rest of the paint and looks less obvious.

Anyway I know car guys are kinda strange when it comes to how they feel about paint and originality so please offer me your opinions, it would be a big help. I'll post some before and after pictures below:

In the classic car and motorcycle world, even dingy original paint tends to be more valuable  than brand new, perfect, shiny paint.  If it is mostly good and really is original, then from the value perspective, it's probably best to leave it.
That said, it's your car and if you're not pleased, do what YOU want.


Lawrenceville, GA

Whether or not you repaint is your choice, but the 1st thing that needs attention is the wheels!  They convey a bad impression right off the bat. Repaint with dog dish caps or whatever suites you..


Paul

True true..  I polished them up and cleaned them up a bit. I own the original hub caps, but I had them off for a long time while the car was just sitting so that no one would steal them.

I say paint the parts that need it.  .  Make it look pretty.  A pretty car brings more $'s than a car with rust.  A good painter can match the color now on the car, even if it is faded


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

For old solid color cars it is best to use a single stage urethane, looks more original and the clear will fade, chip and peel after a while.

55 Vicky & customline

58 Rack Dump, 55 F350 yard truck, 57 F100

59 & 61 P 400's, 58 F100 custom cab, 69 F100, 79 F150, 82 F600 ramp truck, 90 mustang conv 7 up, 94 Mustang, Should I continue?

I don't think I'd spray the whole car. A good restoration shop should be able to paint the spots that need attention and make the old paint look great also. Also they should be able to match the color so it's not noticeable. Now it may cost you almost as much as a complete respray but I think it would help the value of the car if it was mostly original paint. Personally I'd opt to fix the bad spots and spruce up the rest.

Durham Missouri

I know this post is a month old but I'll go ahead and chime in.

If it were my car, I'd probably hold off on re-painting for now, I think a little bit of patina on cars this age is OK.  LA's Totally Awesome cleaner is awesome at cleaning rust stains off paint, you can get it at Dollar General for a buck or two a bottle.  You can **gently** scrub with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser stubborn spots but don't go too far, the sponge is basically like 2000-grit sandpaper and if you press too hard you'll go through the paint and into primer quicker than you think.  It may make the paint dull as well and will sometimes require polishing afterwards to bring back shine.

There's nothing better than Meguiar's M7 polish on old, oxidized/hazy/cloudy lacquer paints.  A good M7 soak treatment will probably make that paint look like new again.  Spread it over the entire care liberally with a terry towel, let it soak in overnight.  Rub it off the next day, it will take a lot of elbow grease to remove but it's worth it, you'll go through plenty of towels.  Re-apply and let soak overnight again if needed but one treatment is usually enough.  Follow it up with a "normal" application of M7 doing one panel at a time and wiping it off while it's still wet, then apply your favorite wax (I prefer Meguiar's Ultimate Wax).  

I did this on my 1947 Plymouth recently, also a barn find that had been sitting for 20+ years, and it took the cloudiness right out of it, brought back depth to that original black paint WAY better than I ever expected.

Before:

 

After:

Half-dude  You have a very nice looking 55. Very similar to one I had in High School.  Happy to see polished up 55 wheel covers on it. Please do not beat yourself up over some of the storage or hangar rash from the early years you bought it. I am sure many of us have here similar stories - I sure do. I have followed you questions over the months and see you have progressed nicely with this car thanks to you diligence and help for others on this forum.  IMHO I would not repaint the entire car. As time or money allows maybe paint a fender or area and learn what you can. Don't get hung up on perfection. I think too often people start restoring a car to perfection, spend years and $ on it and just loose site of why they bought the car for. You bought it to drive it. Since you are driving it just keep her cranking and enjoy what a 50's car is - Bob

AKA   Bob-93021

Bobwanna is absolutely correct. Driving is the aim while fixing along the way. I am 100% guilty of being hung up on perfection. When we look at our cars we see every ding and blemish or pit on trim and it bugs us. Most people, other than a perfectionist, don't see what we see. Looking at the pictures of your car it looks GREAT. Especially for its age and the fact that it was stored in a barn for 18 years. Apparently no chickens in the barn is also a good thing. Fix what must be fixed to keep it safe and drive able and get out there and have fun! Make a print out sheet with some original pictures as found and the after cleanup pictures and a short paragraph about the barn find part. Put is out for people to read and they will love it. For the ones that don't, remember It's your car not theirs!
This is a picture of my "barn find" 28 Chrysler roadster. I've had it since 1991 when it came out of a 30 storage under a New England barn. In this picture it is "as found". Cleaned up serviced and driven. Over the last 25 years or so I've had items re-chromed that we painted but no repaint. Now I've finally come to a place where I'm having a new chassis built and paint. Wouldn't have missed all those years of driving for anything. And the story? The car was bought new by a man's grandfather in 1928. In the 60's he turned it into a hot rod but never changed over the title. When I picked up this car I became the second owner or a car built 15 years before I was born. Its all in the history as much as the finish.



Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire