The term "patina" has become an overused and misused word in the automotive hobby. Here's what Mr. Webster says of patina...

: a thin usually green layer that forms naturally on the metals copper and bronze when they are exposed to the air for a long time
: a shiny or dark surface that forms naturally on something (such as wood or leather) that is used for a long time


That's a far cry from describing the dilapidation of vehicles left neglected over many years. Your panel doesn't have "patina" it has "deferred maintenance." I have to agree with firstrider in that it will take many thousands of dollars and a similar amount of hours to put back into any kind original condition.

 

I'd say go through the brakes, make sure everything has good lube in it, and start motoring around town in it. A good scrubbing will help you assess the stuff that needs to be fixed when you have time and funds to get to it. In the meantime, though, enjoy it.

 

Man it's a cool looking truck for sure .. I'd keep it just like it is ... Like a few said get it mechanically sound... If it were me I'd do a rewire to 12v ,some gauges, brakes, wheels and tires possibly wide whites and baby moons... Spruce up the seats .. Possibly a never ohc v8 but not necessary ... And enjoy that sucker... Nothing wrong with a little patina -- as long as you don't have to Fred flintstone it

 

Rollingmenace-

Fred Flintstoning it is not too far of a stretch actually. I know some reproduction floor pans will need to be in my plans going forward. Are some better than others?

 

I'm sure you purists are sick of my hillbilly methods, but for a quick floor I have stopped by the local hiway dept. and they give me old road signs. I rustoleum the rusty floor boards, maybe do some trimming of heavily rusted areas, saw out the sign to a cardboard template, seal the edges with a polyurethane sealant in a caulking gun and rivet/screw the sign down. The last two floors I did I welded in new steel as I now have a wire feed welder. I have graduated from the road signs to the backs of large electrical panels that an electrician friend drops off now and then. Nice heavy gauge and welds nice. As long as the judges don't lift the mats, all is good and can't argue with the price. When you get into your 60's, the money flow changes unless perhaps you worked for a big company with a 401k or pension, whatever those are.......

 

Humm, sounds like there could be more to that story....

You must be working too hard. Haven't seen you around in a long while.

 

Id like to hear that story too lol



As far as the "Patina" goes... like mentioned above, rust perforation is decay and paint with some surface rust (not scale rust) is what Id call actual patina.

Id almost sickens me when I see some "patina'd" hot rods/rat rods/ etc and the asking price is over 20k.... for something with holes, crappy craftsmanship and no paint ...most of the time. Yes I get that there are some people who are artists and can do quality work but its not a joe smo buy cheap, toss a different engine in it weld some useless junk on it (gears, connecting rods, cams etc) and add a zero or two onto what they bought it for then try to sell it like it was built by Chip Foose


With that being said, I would do whatever suits your taste but I think some quality repair work and some primer. Get the heavy rust off and redo the interior, make sure everything functions and enjoy it

 

Patina is Rust. Get used to it. Either fix it
or dive it till parts fall off. Seriously Guys.
Call it what it is. It's only going to get
worse unless ya rust proof it. Than that may
just slow it down for a bit. My 2cents

Ospho is your friend.

 

I didn't quite know where to posts this, but I just stumbled across some interesting provenance associated with my truck. I wanted to pass it on as another part of the on-going story of my truck.

Going through some old papers from my parent's house, I found the original copy of the letter the Coast Guard sent my Dad informing him that his bid of $42.50 was the winning bid, and that he had 10 calendar days to claim his truck from the Sault Ste. Marie Coast Guard base. The letter was dated July 11, 1960. I always thought my Dad purchased his truck in 1958, so this is a bit of new information.

Also found was the original bill of sale from the Coast Guard 9th District Headquarters in Cleveland. It contained the following description of my truck:

"FORD, 1/2 TON PANEL (T-13001) 1952
6 Cylinder. Gas. 30.4 H.P., 6.50 x 16
6 Ply Tires, 114 Wheel Base
Std. 4 speed Trans., 6 1/2 Ft. Bed,
rear doors."

The bill of sale also contained this characterization:

"This property is in used/repairs required poor condition.
Property will be sold on an as is where is basis only.
Property has been screened against the known requirements of the Gov't."

It's interesting that after less than 8 years of use, my truck had been degraded to "poor condition/repairs required". The fact that it was rated at only 30.4 H.P. is also surprising.

I was pleased to find this documentation. The ownership of my truck from the Coast Guard, to my Dad, and finally to me is now officially established and becomes a part of the story that I will be passing on to one of my children.

Jim

 

Jim, that is just awesome. I have a pretty clear picture of my truck’s life, within a year or two, but to have it in writing? Again, that’s awesome!

 

Illinois and some other states used "Taxable HP" which was something like the bore squared times number of cylinders.

 

Thanks Ross. Another mystery solved. It's interesting that using the government formula, the OHV 215 engine produces more taxable H.P. than the 254 flathead. I continue to be impressed with the extent of information you have literally at your "finger tips".

Jim

 

myself I dont like gray primer so I would wet sand it back to the original color and see what that looks like. I would patch the floors and make it safe to drive, then have fun with it. Bodywork and paint could take years with that large of a truck.
I left the external body of my 47 caddy like I found it, been driving it since 2013 and put 15000 miles plus on it, hasnt degraded a bit.

 

Hi, Dave. I started this thread back in 2014 when I first started working on my truck. I wanted some opinions on what I should do. Some suggested what you are recommending, but I was most influenced by those responding to my thread that felt some serious intervention was going to be needed if I wanted to have something worth passing down in my family.

My truck has been patched and painted and the patina is pretty well all gone now. I'm not done, but I'm getting closer.

This is what my truck looks like now:




Since this picture was taken, I've added the military markings on the doors. When I get the yellow caution stripes on the bumpers, I'll post up some pictures on the completed transformation.

Restoring my Dad's truck has become a retirement hobby for me. It's been fun, and this FTE forum has certainly positively impacted my experience. Thanks everyone for your help and interest.

Jim

P.S.

Congratulations on getting your Caddy out on the road--15,000 miles in an old vehicle is an accomplishment to be proud of.

 

What you have done so far looks amazing, I'm hoping I can get my old truck fixed this nice.