Making new paint look old??

PeteVS

PeteVS

Well-known member
I've been working on an AV8 roadster for many years now and I finally have it running and registered. Still lots to do but I'm hoping to paint it next year. It's a brand new Brookville body ('29), I have a couple of coats of rattle can primer on it and I don't really care whether or not it has a beautiful 12 coats of lacquer and clear gorgeous paint. I have a '63 Chevy coupe with well worn original paint and I'm very happy with it. I'd like the roadster to have the same sort of patina. Are there any suggestions?

PS: This is the car that rose out of my avatar picture.
 

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What sort of old do you want? Cracked and peeling? Worn through with rusty spots? I am currently doing fenders and a tailgate to match the old look of the rest of the truck. Truck is green and the fenders were yellow and tailgate was black. Truck was last painted in the 60’s so I am doing lots of techniques to get the panels to look like they were there all this time.
 
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PeteVS said:
Just dead, devoid of high gloss, no bare metal showin. Paint could appear to be worn down to primer in spots but it’s not necessary.
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The paint mix will help a lot. I got single stage color mixed (color match)and told the tech I wanted it dead/dull like GM black then when it was on and hardened I went over it with scotch brite pads to scuff it up and add some wear to the edges and high spots. When I get that finished it will be done with a satin (clear) top coat then rubbed where needed.
If you were going to do black GM black WA8555 is a good place to start
 
you could use a flattening agent found at your local automotive paint store. Just stir it into the paint cup with the paint but keep track of the ratio for future touch-ups. I was told that it's basically talc (but that might not be true).
 
Willit Stop said:
you could use a flattening agent found at your local automotive paint store. Just stir it into the paint cup with the paint but keep track of the ratio for future touch-ups. I was told that it's basically talc (but that might not be true).
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When I was painting the frame I asked the paint stores guys about a flattening agent. They said it was expensive, very expensive.
 
BASE cOAT/cLEAR COAT WITH NO CLEAR COAT OR THE LOWEST LEVEL OF GLOSS-I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE SEVERAL LEVELS OF GLOSS-LOOKS OLD. i HAD A BODY SHOP MATCH SOME 60 YR OLD PAINT WITH BE LOWEDT LEVEL OF GLOSS CLEAR AND IT MATCHED SO WELL I COUDN'T TELL WHERE THE REPAIR STATRTED AND ENDED
 
Do what I did : Paint it and drive it for 40 years.

They also make valve covers for SBC's that are supposed to make it look like a flathead. Or an Oldsmobile Rocket.
 
51504bat said:
Maybe GB SISSON will chime in. He's done several "patch jobs" on the paint on several of his trucks.
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He has talked about using Rustoleum rattle cans (I think) on several occasions. I'm kinda waiting for him to chime in.
 
34fivewindow. Yes my neighbors , “ The Rolling Bones “ guys have the new paint / old look nailed down.
I know a few of there methods.
My lips are sealed . ��
 
Ok, I'm in from the shop and ready to talk Old Paint. I have been actively doing this since the late 80s. I can't recall painting an entire truck at once. It actually started with my first flathead V8 truck, a '38 tonner. It was a nice flat red but had a rotten wood homemade 'pickup' box on the back. I eventually found a box and fenders from a jailbar tonner that I sectioned 2 1/2" narrower so it fit the earlier chassis. Problem was the bed was a metallic blue and pretty shiney and amature body work for prep. I had been repairing antiques for quite a while and had a few tricks up my sleeve. After repairing some of the ugly areas I rattle canned the bed with rustoleun rusty metal primer. Then again with flat black. At that time our hardware store carried a red generic can just called 'barn paint'. It was oil based but not really flat enough. It also was not red enough, kinda brownish, so I addewd some gloss rustoleum 'regal red'. I could also buy flattening paste at this hardware store. A thick paste with lots of talc. Still a problem because by the time it was flat enough it did not cover well. I remembered Ray Meserve who owned a small paint store once told me that most painters just added talc or corn starch to the paint directly. This worked.
I have to step back and tell you this is a very big subject and there are many ways to make this job look fake or just plain bad. There are also more than one way to make it look good. I have often thought about starting a thread on the subject with some step by step photos. Maybe tonight I will offer this suggestion that I feel is the very most important thing in creating a realistic patina, and Im really talking about fixing a fender that gets crunched on an original barn find type vehicle, but of course a whole vehicle can and has been done. Ok... Don't spray your car a flat color and walk away, calling it done. Or patina. Dont spray your car, rub to primer in places and then clear coat it to 'hold it' at that stage. The reason old cars that really have old worn paint and look the way they do is that they have paint that is very flat on the roof, center area of hood, lower doors, trunk, etc, gradually turning more glossy as it gets to the areas like fender crowns where your torso rubs against while constantly wrenching on your flathead, or where your arm polishes the door top with the window down. Picture a row of stalls in a barn.... Stalls of rough-cut lumber, dull dusty brown. Where their heads and neck rubs the top of their 'door' it becomes a very smooth polished rounded surface that just feels and looks right. This completes tonight's installment. I may dig up some before and after photos as the evening goes. This is all just my personal preference. I am not saying there is an actual wrong, but to me the varied amount of gloss is a major key. End of rant :)
 
2 ton in Minot, 2 ton complete
 

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First attempt with the blue box.
 

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ssffnomad said:
34fivewindow. Yes my neighbors , “ The Rolling Bones “ guys have the new paint / old look nailed down.
I know a few of there methods.
My lips are sealed . ��
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I met those three guy's 25 years ago, at the LA Roadsters Fathers Day show and swap meet.
 
PeteVS, I'm sorry if I got this thread sidetracked with my rather manic rant. I had a tough day on a couple of fronts and came up from the shop and saw your request, which is one of my favorite subjects. I hope others will continue to show up with suggestions and I will be happy to learn from them and share what I have learned about mixing and applying flat finishes over the years. Faded Ford Friend, Gary
 
I am not a paint expert. I have had 2 old vehicles pained. 1956 Chevy and Dodge Power Wagon both with single stage paint. My Chevy is the original color black and white. I have seen the same color combo on other Chevys that were clear/base and it looks too shiny. The single stage just looks less glossy. My Ford has been repainted but there are some missing paint spots to bare metal and some rust. The roof looks to have not been painted at the same time as the body. I plan to have that repainted in a single stage. It may look newer than the body But that will be fine. This is not a Vie from 3 feet car. I like it from 20 feet or as I pass by people on the street. My first two vehicles cost $6K and $7K for paint and body work. I took each piece to the 1 man shop a could at a time and when he was done I brought more until tile for the whole body and cab. I just kept track and paid him a percentage of what we agreed. He was OK with that. I've been taking our newer vehicles to the new shop for painting the roof, for insurance bumps and dings. He always has an older vehicle for a paint repair. He had a 40's truck for a repaint where they wanted to preserve the door lettering. It was a perfect match, even around the lettering. I think these guys love working on older, challenging stuff but that doesn't pay the bills.
 

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I've been thinking on the subject and what I really want is for the paint to look old. What ages paint? The sun! Think I'm gonna buy me a high power UV light from those people who sell all that stuff and experiment.
 
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