I think I have made the decision to give up the natural Patina on my 54 F250 and take the plunge with a paint job. I have a chance to get a student I know at a near by college Auto Body program paint it for cost of materials. I probably won't get this chance again. A few people have said trucks unpainted can be valued higher than one that is painted, but I've not seen any proof of this, and it seems a nice paint job gets noticed at shows more so than my unpainted truck. My question is, to keep the truck as close to original as possible, do judges at shows take into account if the paint is a original single stage lacquer type or is a 2 stage with clear coat still considered acceptable. I am trying to stay original (6 volt, no excess chrome, etc.) but of course the 2 stage paint always stands out. Just asking for opinions, and any experience with car shows you have, I will be making a decision in the next month or 2.

 

Well congrats on deciding to paint. What do you want for the truck??? car shows, Stock, modified or custom?? Different shows have different requirements.

 

It has been my experience that unless you are being judged in some sort of Concurs de Elegance that anything smooth and shiny is good. A buddy of mine had his truck painted a metallic blue (96 Corvette) that is very close to the OEM color...you can see the truck on the cover of Classic Trucks magazine, Dec 2010 issue. He gets a lot of positive attention based on the color alone.

 

Unless you plan to take it a concurs type of show it won't matter. Still, I believe it's best to keep it as close to original. Some modern mods are not going to hurt you much IMO. In some cases cars are judged on the best restoration, or best of show.

 

There are many types and quality levels of materials. Single stage looks more original, clear coat gives more durability. I honestly don't think any show judge (unless it is Concours level) cares if you have clear coat or not.

My question is, do you think a student in a college class can do a show quality paint job? After doing it for 30 years, I still find it to be a herculean effort....

 

Doubt I would ever go to any type of concurs events, and the shows I do enter in will be for the stock category. I am staying with the original Sheridan Blue so either way we will try to match the stock color as close as possible. I am leaning toward a glossy finish if most events look more at quality of paint than if it is true to the era.

 

Hey Cabledude,
Your truck will look great it's original Sheridan Blue - nice.
I looked through your garage & I saw Old Blue & what looked to be Old Green in there as well. Do you have two trucks?

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

I think that if you paint it that original blue color, it will look awesome. Given that you will have it painted by the school, I would go with base coat/clear coat. That's what they are teaching them, I'm sure.

 

No on the Old Green, believe it or not, that is what the paint looked like when I pulled it home from its home in the trees. After washing, wet sanding with very fine paper, polishing, etc. the blue really started coming back, but still lots of patina.

 

I'll just say you don't want lacquer paint. It's old technology and has no durability. And, it isn't what Ford used, anyway. Ford used enamel paints since the mid 30's. As stated above, if you're having it done at a college, what they'll be teaching the kids to use will be base/clear, so just roll with that. Unless you're taking the truck on the national show circuit chasing points, the materials you choose won't matter at all. And in the end the truck will look great.

 

Nope, just want it to look nice and shiny and easy to keep polished. As you said, I imagine they will use what they are familiar with.