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Paint or leave with original patina your opinion


sharky

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We are mid way thru a restoration of a half ton wc22 dodge and are in debate as to whether we should leave the cab wings etc in original paint and patina.Bear in mind underneath this vehicle no nut and bolt has been left untouched it has had winch,pto, g/box,diffs etc reconditioned.new brakes and fuel lines,wiring harness, also the chassis has been shot blasted and painted. The cab has a great patina to it and we really like it and some original markings (us navy)showing.But here is the hard bit the vehicle is being restored to sell and we are concerned that leaving it original will either put people off or diminish the final selling price.

Your thoughts on this ....

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Edited by sharky
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We are mid way thru a restoration of a half ton wc22 dodge and are in debate as to whether we should leave the cab wings etc in original paint and patina.Bear in mind underneath this vehicle no nut and bolt has been left untouched it has had winch,pto, g/box,diffs etc reconditioned.new brakes and fuel lines,wiring harness, also the chassis has been shot blasted and painted. The cab has a great patina to it and we really like it and some original markings (us navy)showing.But here is the hard bit the vehicle is being restored to sell and we are concerned that leaving it original will either put people off or diminish the final selling price.

Your thoughts on this ....

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This is something that we deal with regularly. Although our resto's are not for the sale market, we do try and preserve what we can during a restoration. That being said, given the point of the work, I would go for the full new paint, but have a very good album and photo dossier to be sold with the vehicle so that the buyer has an idea of the providence of the truck.

 

just my 2 cents...

 

nice job by the way. looks like a proper job you are doing

 

Cheers

 

Nick

 

CWC Canada

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all depends if u like paint colour , and how well it was applied in first place, when i got my fsc it was in original gulf war 1 paint however every time i literally went any where near the vehicle more and more paint fell off so i repainted it , and remember the paint you encounter on your mv is only whats on it at one stage of its life.

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Trouble is, what colour and what markings do you put on it? Why not just wax the beast with a clear wax, then the buyer can do a paint by numbers on it if they want. Personally, I think a bit of wear and tear loks better on an MV.

 

Not going to disagree on that one but for one caveat wear and tear on your own vehicle is fine but for a vehicle your planning on selling the market wants paint and as the chassis is already painted its going to look downright odd.

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Not going to disagree on that one but for one caveat wear and tear on your own vehicle is fine but for a vehicle your planning on selling the market wants paint and as the chassis is already painted its going to look downright odd.

 

It is the old conservation, restoration argument. My WC51 was completly restored, and has gained her war wounds over the years we've bashed about together. My WC54 was rebuilt in 1952, she has several panels and patches added at that time. The repair method seeming to be cut a patch, drill and screw on over damage. I could at great expense 'Invisibly' replace these panels, but they are part of the vehicles individual history. My BSA folding bike is in the same state, usable, paint work battered, amonst other things you can see the beautiful brazing used in constructuion. The condition is getting no worse, and I can always paint if I want to.

Edited by Tony B
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cheers for the replys i tend to agree that it will detract from the final value which is a shame because paint to me is the least important thing about a resto,there are to many fresh painted vehicles out there that look great from a distance but when you get close you realise that they have merely been shot blasted and painted and then punted as a grade A restoration.

The jury is out at work till next week which will sensibly be the time to decide on finish i will post some pic either way we go,in the meantime heres a few more of what work has been done.

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cheers for now

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Hi just to put my bit in I have a friend that has a split screen vw van that looks like a lump of rust but underneath it is like a new pin with an engine that you can eat your dinner off the point is. it generates more interest at shows than some of the top show cars if it was up to me I who’d do the same to your truck just one more question when was the last time you saw a unpainted military vehicle at a show . But that is my opinion. Cheers bill

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the rat look is healthy on many scenes i personally have always had rat bikes that were mechanically superior to other chops but always lost out to the shiney eye grabbing bikes. its something that will come to the military scene but not sure if we can take the gamble to be at the fore front of it.

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Ultimately, the vehicle needs to be preserved. If it's not painted it will corrode. My WOT2 has a lot of patina of age, which looks great, but is giving way to the rust monster in places and I'd rather keep the vehicle than the paintwork. I'd go for painting the vehicle, but keeping any damage as part of it's history, and as others have said take lots of photos / notes.

 

The only time I wouldn't is for special markings like nose art. Did anyone see the WC54 on milweb a while back with a cartoon painted on the star?

 

Given that it looks like original paint which is a rarity, you could preserve some of the original colour in a protected and sheltered location like inside the bonnet panel. That way you can keep an eye on it for corrosion and it should be quite warm/dry. It's also un-faded by sunlight.

 

That would add to the value and interest without risking the vehicle's future.

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The proffesionl advice for preserving antique bare metal blades is use clear wax furniture polish. Though waxing a whole vehilce would take a lot of Mansion Polish and dedication! :-D One of the nicest WC52's I know looks like it has been driven through a hedge with the owner wearing a suitably tattered uniform. After all MV's are built to work hard in any situation and just keep going.

Edited by Tony B
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You are doing a great restoration job, don't just stop at the cab, it would really look out of place. As suggested, maybe preserve a few markings, but do not leave the cab unpainted on an otherwise restored vehicle.

 

I think preserving a vehicle's patina (definition: "a green or brown film on the surface of bronze or similar metals, produced by oxidation over a long period") is only worthwile if the vehicle is not beyond a certain point of deterioration, and only if the whole vehicle can be preserved as it.

 

I recently saw a burnt-out 1950's VW Beetle for sale. It had been made running again, and was praised for it's "great patina" - I think that's just plain stupid as it has started to rust severely and will be gone in a few years if not restored.

 

For what's my EUR 0,02 worth...

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The proffesionl advice for preserving antique bare metal blades is use clear wax furniture polish. Though waxing a whole vehilce would take a lot of Mansion Polish and dedication! :-D One of the nicest WC52's I know looks like it has been driven through a hedge with the owner wearing a suitably tattered uniform. After all MV's are built to work hard in any situation and just keep going.

 

The good old oily rag ore clear lacquer who’d be my choice. My spanners never go rusty with all the grease on them except when the wife wash,t my full tool box not funny cheers bill :cheesy::cheesy:

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  • 3 weeks later...

cheers tony appreciated.

The shaped riser in fore front of picture had been cut off and we could not find a replacement but theres a guy opposite us(jason) who restores alfas and porsches he voluntered to remake it for us.amazing job all done by hand he is a genius.

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