My truck's rusty.
Who's isn't, right? But mine's diffrent.

You see, other than a few insignificant places, the rust on my truck isn't the cancerous rot that desolves clasic old cars, but well earned badges of a life of hard work. Places like the drivers window, where an arm resting on the door has slowly over time worn the paint off, the metal is now black with years of sweat and rust. or Along the nose of the hood, where 40 years of bugs and country road dust have scrubbed off the paint the way wind and time will shape a rock. On the fenders, were things like shovels and rakes have leaned aginst the paint as someone takes a break from a hard day's work. The bed, where probably hundreds of tons of cargo has slid around over the years, leaving scratches and marks to turn orange and brown over time.

I like tinkering with old cars, and I've had an itch to restore this beast for a while now. But it seems like once a week or so, someone will wave me down, or stop me in a parking lot and say "Thats a neat old truck" or "I remember my Grandpa had one just like that way back when" I guess I can understand them. the truck has that kind of worn outlook that brings back fond memories. I just can't bring my self to ruin it by restorining it. To me, and I think to other's who've see it, it would be like polishing the statue of Liberty back to it's original shiney copper.

So I have come up with an unusual Idea instead. I'm not going to restore it. I'll repair or replace anytyhing mechanicle that needs it, but as for anything cosmetic, it has it's own beauty in its age worn marks and rust spots. That does pose a problem though. I want to preserve this truck so it will be around 40 years from now. Is it posable to clear coat over rust? Maybe I worry too much.

 

I like your idea! I can't answer your question, but I can tell you that wax might give you the result you want. I used a really hard floor wax on a TBird with bare areas and it worked well, but it wasn't a one-time deal...
Eric

 

I don't know about clear over rust. It seems like a bad idea, but I'm no expert. One thing that I've been seeing lately is old trucks painted with a "patina" look. It's new paint, but it's made to look old, worn, and in some that I've seen, they even look rusty in spots. It may be cost prohibitive or difficult to find a good painter that can pull it off. I do like your idea of not going nuts with a full on restoration.

 

The really bad rust comes from underneath the paint and is usually caused by wet debris holding moisture aganst unpainted steel. The rust on the top of the hood and roof hwere the paint has worn off is really not a big deal. Get after the rust in the bottom of the core support, in the cowel down low and on the cab crossmembers. Just clean and wash out all the dirt and leaves. Drill a 1/2 inch hole in the crossmember on each side to let water out. Use a rust neutralizer like OSPHO or the spray stuff from eastwood. Just drying out and protecting the metal from underneath will resolve the real rust problems. Clean and paint around the cab drip rail under the headliner. I like your idea! Welcome to FTE!

 

Thought would add my $.02. In my opinion, if you are interest in keeping the truck for some time then suggest make repairs in timely manner or eventually faced with major repairs or sending the truck to the bone yard. Came across the issue on 65 F100 purchased at auction from Pacific Gas and Electric in mid 70's. Pretty much used and abused before purchasing and I continued for the next 25 yrs to use as a work horse. Too attached so few years ago faced with major project. Also have another 65 and lesson learned is that now making repairs and upgrades in timely manner yet fit into my schedule. Some of the sheet metal and parts are getting expensive to replace or repair, or not replaceable.

dave

 

66 beater, I really like where your coming from with this thread, my dads
old 65, that is now my old truck. I found it for my dad in 1979 , a bus driver
had it for sale when I was in the 9th grade, I came home and told him about
it and he called the man and went and bought it right then. We enjoyed that
truck for many years, I did the body work on it over the summer, and we
sprayed it red, it looked very good for years, but it had started to show its age. He gave it to me 17 days before he pasted away, on my wife's B-day.
And I could not change what the truck looked like for a long time, but it
started to get in worst shape, and the old bondo was falling out and the rust
holes getting bigger, so something had to be done to save it. It will still be my
dads old ford truck, no matter rusty or later shiny! People will always like these " old trucks " no matter the shape! So where i'm going with this is
( Save it while you can )! but it's yours so do what makes you happy.







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