Sale of Texas Barn Find Collection filled with memories, tears and a sense of relief

[Speedbird]

Resonates with me on several points.
Interesting why he got into "antique cars".
We are just keepers for a little while.

Does anyone besides me feel the same way about patina?
"I want every little bit of dust on there."
Every time I read a story about a car being sold and "a complete restoration will be done", I sort of cringe.
I'm torn. I have a car that I would like to leave as original as possible.
But it does need some metal work.


https://www.hagerty.com/Articles-Vi...t=&utm_campaign=Hagerty Weekly News 6-17-2015

 

[mmissile]

If they're solid and all there...I believe they deserve to shine and operate again. I don't leave the "patina" on my house, garage, or yard. Dirt is dirt.

 

[Richard Cranium]

If they're solid and all there...I believe they deserve to shine and operate again. I don't leave the "patina" on my house, garage, or yard. Dirt is dirt.

Original paint that still shines is one thing, but yes, you are right.

 

[Bb70charger500]

It depends on how muchpatina it has if it's a rot box then no restore it .if it has a few small bubbles and Neer perfect org paint then leave it be .I've seen so many "patina cars" that are just run down rust buckets

 

[6T9RT]

Cars like that Cadillac conv. were elegant when new.It should be restored.Those cars were works of art.

 

[Bruzilla]

I'm pretty firmly set with the anti-patina crowd. There's a reason why no automaker has ever released a new vehicle that's covered in rust, dirt, bird crap, dust, spider webs, mouse turds, old insulation, or mud... it's because it looks like crap and no one would want it.

How many of us would say to our wives or girlfriends "Hey honey, what's say you throw on some ragged old crappy clothes that have been sitting in the basement collecting mold and dirt for 20 years and we go out for a night on the town? And don't fix up your hair or put on any makeup because I really like it when you show your age." Anyone ever do that? Anyone at all? No, of course not, and since most of us love our cars just as much as our women, why wouldn't you want your car to always look her finest as well?

If the car didn't come from the factory looking like it sat around neglected for 20 years, I think it's disrespectful to leave it looking like a sack of crap. Cars are for driving, not sitting around getting rusted and filthy, and keeping them in a run down-looking state just makes no sense to me.

 

[Speedbird]

I was confused or confusing in my OP.
Patina is not the same to everyone and I'm not sure what I meant by it.
What these two people have gone through is the story.
Stop and consider the value of your memory and memories. (the tragedy of Alzheimer's)
There was an episode of the new Doctor Who in which things that held memories were used for "currency".
Although I appreciate the lady's emotions in wanting everyone to see how the cars were "found",
I didn't mean to imply that a dust rag was not in order.
There is a difference between rat poo on the wife's face and her character lines.
I keep telling my wife not to dye her grey hair. I think she earned the grays.

Now I know everyone has an opinion on what to do with "their" car.
And that certainly is their prerogative.
What I'm thinking is that if the car is going to be a museum piece, should it be "restored"?
Maybe. Maybe not. Or maybe just to a certain point?
Do we want to see the blood on Bonny and Clyde's car?
Or do we really want to eliminate everything that makes an old car special?
The effects of age are part of the story.
In the end I suppose each story is unique.

Personally, all I'm trying to say is that I've got one that I'm torn over fixing up.
It's only original once. But it need attention to actually be usable.
Save the savable might apply to it.

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?94423-I-ve-got-that-quot-Old-Car-Smell-quot

 

[Budnicks]

Cool story thanks for sharing

:iamwithstupid: Yep they are only original once...

Just clean them, there's nothing wrong with a little original wear & tear,
it's just a little character...
But that doesn't mean looks like chit either,
that's road hard & put away wet,
if it gets that far, IMO than a sympathetic partial resto,
fix what needs it, buy original parts or touch-up is soon needed...

I'm a true survivor type guy too, BUT
I don't buy into the leave the dirt & dust mentality thou,
of the "Barn Find" crowd thou, grunge & grime needs to go....LOL

Sometimes I agree "patina" for grunge/dirt/dust etc.
too me is an overused description too...

It's the new marketing 101 for:
it's old & rusted, weathered, bad paint, bad trim, bad interior,
bad pitted glass, rotten tires, pitted rusty cars parts etc.

but dirt/dust/grunge/grime/bird turds, just from storage etc.,
that is a completely different thing all together

Mopar isn't or doesn't stand for Mostly Old Parts And Rust

 

[Bruzilla]

I was confused or confusing in my OP.
Patina is not the same to everyone and I'm not sure what I meant by it.
What these two people have gone through is the story.
Stop and consider the value of your memory and memories. (the tragedy of Alzheimer's)
There was an episode of the new Doctor Who in which things that held memories were used for "currency".
Although I appreciate the lady's emotions in wanting everyone to see how the cars were "found",
I didn't mean to imply that a dust rag was not in order.
There is a difference between rat poo on the wife's face and her character lines.
I keep telling my wife not to dye her grey hair. I think she earned the grays.

Now I know everyone has an opinion on what to do with "their" car.
And that certainly is their prerogative.
What I'm thinking is that if the car is going to be a museum piece, should it be "restored"?
Maybe. Maybe not. Or maybe just to a certain point?
Do we want to see the blood on Bonny and Clyde's car?
Or do we really want to eliminate everything that makes an old car special?
The effects of age are part of the story.
In the end I suppose each story is unique.

Personally, all I'm trying to say is that I've got one that I'm torn over fixing up.
It's only original once. But it need attention to actually be usable.
Save the savable might apply to it.

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?94423-I-ve-got-that-quot-Old-Car-Smell-quot

Patina is just a fancy word for wear and tear. It's faded paint, dents, dings, and other crap that it didn't come from the factory with... or at least hopefully it didn't come that way. This is why I don't accept the "they are only original once" mantra. All those dents, dings, faded paint, and rust were no more original to the car than an aftermarket intake, A/C system, or new rims. They were all added on after the car was sold, so the notion that patina is original doesn't quite have much legitimacy.

You car was originally dent and rust free and shiny. If you want to make it original, return it to that condition.

 

[Speedbird]

Bruzilla,

You seem to watch the car market and know your stuff about valuation. Thanks for your input. I feel a little better about doing what can be done to my car in question.
Although I do like the Rat Rod appeal.
At the moment, I don't want to make it "too nice to drive".
If that car is not "restored" even the uneducated will not be able to question it's pedigree.
It's obvious what that car left the factory as.
But then none of my cars are ever too nice to drive.
I'm not in the lawn chair crowd.
If it's on a trailer, it's stolen.
My wife and I are enjoying Road Kill. They just did a Duster.

 

[Bruzilla]

Bruzilla,

You seem to watch the car market and know your stuff about valuation. Thanks for your input. I feel a little better about doing what can be done to my car in question.
Although I do like the Rat Rod appeal.
At the moment, I don't want to make it "too nice to drive".
If that car is not "restored" even the uneducated will not be able to question it's pedigree.
It's obvious what that car left the factory as.
But then none of my cars are ever too nice to drive.
I'm not in the lawn chair crowd.
If it's on a trailer, it's stolen.
My wife and I are enjoying Road Kill. They just did a Duster.

There are several issues in play here. The first is I think owners should first and foremost always consider their own feelings first, and pretty much ignore those of others. I've seen so many guys mess themselves up by fretting over what other people, who have zero investment in their car or project, think about their car or project.

I've mentioned this guy before, and I'll mention him again. He was a member of the Mid-Atlantic Mopar Club in the 1990s. Spent months getting his Challenger ready for a big show we had. Barely slept the last week because he was literally working 24-7 to get that car 100% correct. Then he gets to the show, and halfway through it some geek who didn't even have a car there looks up under the rear deck lid and sees the wrong nuts on the wing posts, and of course he has to make a big show of pointing out to the guy that he messed up by using the wrong nuts. The owner just frigging loses it, grabs a tire iron, and starts smashing the crap out of his car and was about to go after the nerd when we tackled him. My takeaway from that day was I will never allow myself to get so obsessed about what other people think of my car that I forget that it's my car, my money, and my time going into it and I'm going to make it the way I like it. I sold my show car a few weeks later and have never owned another one.

My current outlook is my cars only have to impress one person... me. I don't care what anyone else says is good, bad, right, wrong, etc. As long as I like it, it's all good. This was the attitude I, and a lot of us had, back in the 1970s and 1980s when these cars weren't "collectibles" or "investments", but transportation and toys. Back then would use duct tape if I had to in order to keep my car on the road, and not give a damn about it, so I've gone back to that mindset. If it works, I use it. If it fits, I use it. If it's non-original, I don't care.

As for the Lawn Chair crowd, I think you should become a member. I take my car out to shows all the time, and enjoy sitting there in my lawn chair talking with hundreds of folks who stop by to talk about my car. There's nothing I like more than to be parked next to some guy with a car with a $30k paint job, $25,000 in chrome work, and every bell and whistle you can think of, and have five times as many people stop by to check out my $8,000 car because it's not one of a dozen similar cars at the show, or because I have a sign up front that states exactly how much I've put into the car, or because my car is so non-original with it's blatant Pittsburgh theme. I haven't been to a car show yet that said "your car must be restored to perfection or be loaded with chrome, have a blower, and must have cost you at least $100,000 to make." I'm proud of my car, love it, and I don't care of the purists hate it because there are plenty of non-purists who like it as well as I do. And best of all, when some little kids come by I don't have to yell at them to "don't touch the paint!" I ask can tell them to go ahead and get in the car, beep the Roadrunner horn (they all love that), and get a thrill out of getting behind the wheel of a Muscle car. Hopefully that'll make them want to get one, and that sure beats making them afraid to get yelled at for being within ten feet of Mr. Perfect's car.

I guess bottom line is at this point in life, I think you're a fool if you want to invest a fortune in restoring a car to 100% original and then leave it sitting on display somewhere because you are afraid to drive it, and you are equally a fool if you have some dirty, dented, "barn find" that you want to keep looking like it's been unused and unloved for 20 years. There's more than enough rusted out junk in the world. If you want to see it, you can go hit the junkyard. But, to each their own. I just do what I want to do, and that's enough to make me happy, which is what this hobby is all about.

 

[747mopar]

I'm on the fence with this one, I personally feel like patina is an excuse to not do it right for most but really dig some of the rat rods out there so?

 

[Speedbird]

It's easy to get on the fence with it because cars can be different from other "antiques", for lack of a better word.
I'm somewhat of a history buff and probably the whole reason I asked for some great minds to chime in on these particular cars being "restored".
All that means is I give more attention to history than most other people.
Even more as I get older for some reason.
In some historic (collectable) things the effects of age should not be removed.
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust.
"Rust never sleeps".
Maybe we can Ziebart Neil Young.:eusa_think:

 

[patrick66]

TRUE patina is a slightly-worn original paint job with perhaps a small amount of factory primer showing. An interior with a few seams starting to let loose. Well-worn, but complete and actually LOOKS good!

It is NOT rust. It is NOT the complete and total lack of paint. It is NOT holes in the upholstery covered with Mexican blankets. It is NOT leaking fluids all over the place.

My definition of most so-called "patina" is "paint the SOB already!"

 

[moparcrazy]

personally I Love the " Patina " my 65 Plymouth is never getting a paint job as long as i own it...figure it took 49 years for it to look this way... its staying!!

 

[Bruzilla]

I'm on the fence with this one, I personally feel like patina is an excuse to not do it right for most but really dig some of the rat rods out there so?

The Rat Rod concept has gotten almost as twisted and skewed as the Muscle Car concept these days. It started out as taking a car that looked like crap and make it top shelf from a performance aspect, basically taking the "Go not Show" viewpoint to an extreme. Then we saw all the interlopers come in and use the "Rat Rod" name to justify not putting money into the "Show" aspect of the car, but also skipping on the "Go" aspect as well, and as a result we saw thousands of flat black imports with fart can mufflers running around with their owners claiming they were Rat Rods. Now the focus is on folks who make cars out of parts that were never meant to be on cars.

I guess in a world where Sports car, Pony car, Compact car, and anyone else with a car with any level of performance can claim to have a Muscle car, it shouldn't come as a surprise that anyone can claim to have a Rat Rod.

 

[Speedbird]

It obvious that each case and person is different.
But I think that I have some common ground with a previous poster.
My thinking has always been that if I was going to drive an antique car on a daily basis, it should look nice.
That's what I did with my early 70s A bodies when I built them.
I even kept them all Chrysler by updating some of the drive train with parts from into the 80s.
But while these cars are "antiques" they are not parallel to some really old cars in my mind.
I feel that by the early 70s these cars had achieved "modern" utility and are very practical.
If we consider the Chrysler torsion bar suspension, possibly even advanced for the time.
Disc brakes, etc. (Someone said new cars contribute to the Volvo Syndrome)
My A bodies can keep up with most anything on the interstate.
And I drive more miles than most people do in a newer car.
I get over 20 MPG hwy. Once you get them right they are bullet proof cars.
I only rarely have to check the oil and water.
Unfortunately someone damaged one of them last year.
But that's another topic.

 

[Speedbird]

I just read my recent emails.
Low and behold this was in it.
I think it is a fitting bookend.
The Last Surviving WWI Veteran

https://www.hagerty.com/Articles-Vi...t=&utm_campaign=Hagerty Weekly News 6-24-2015

"From there, the memories become clouded, with time passing and the vehicle’s exact whereabouts unaccounted for. Somewhere along the lines it received a few new coats of paint; the leather seats gradually began to split, showing the effects of time and countless passengers shuttling in and out. But despite all of this it remained structurally sound, a rolling reminder of a quickly vanishing period of American history.

Nearly 100 years later, U.S. 1257X was granted yet another honor. In 2014 it was added to the National Historic Vehicle Register, becoming the fourth vehicle on the Register and first with a military record. Largely in original condition, the car serves as a link to a time that now exists only within the pages of books. With both its physical existence and story now preserved for generations to come, U.S. 1257X will continue as a reminder of the Great War, a living link to our increasingly distant past."

 

[patrick66]

personally I Love the " Patina " my 65 Plymouth is never getting a paint job as long as i own it...figure it took 49 years for it to look this way... its staying!!

Yours has REAL patina...it has presentable originality without looking like crap! None of that "sprayed-on" fauxtina, not rust, not a POS. Yours is how I define the term as it should be used.

 

[67GTX440]

For the new car owner that loves that patina look!