The patina/rust thing

[Earl Marischal]

When did that start and, indeed, why did it start?

Thanks

steve

[Greg Myers]

As a 1:1 thing, imagine pulling an old car out from under a pile of junk knowing what you've got, but what shape is it in ?

Now out in the day light you get a look at a time capsule put to bed years ago. Looks like every things there. Looks like you could get in , start it up and drive away.

Well, ok, maybe you'll have to negotiate an agreeable price. Probably replace those old worn out tires. Maybe do some other safety related chores, brakes, hoses, etc.

Oh yeah, wash it off. Well, the paint ain't too bad. Ok, it's just worn off, all these years of rubbin', washin' waxin', you know. and maybe a little rust here and there, but hey, it's a badge of passage, a sign that this baby's been around for awhile.

Let's love it for what it is.

This one started out as a show car  http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/hdrp-0704-1937-ford-patina-three-window/

 

 

Now of course there's the fake patina, the fake worn off shop truck lettering, the fake patina applied to a fiberglass body( Yes, it's been done). You decide. 

Edited February 29, 2016 by Greg Myers

[Spex84]

I don't recall seeing much in the way of patina builds before about 2006. There must have been some, but they really caught on by 2010.
There were definitely rust-crusty rat rods being built around the same timeframe, but again, don't recall seeing much in the way of rusty rat rods prior to 2004.

As for why it started...well, a combination of things:

-the rat-rod trend, bucking the high-dollar street-rod trend by fetishizing raw and rough engineering and details.

-the traditional and "barn find" trends: old hot rods and customs are finally being recognized as culturally significant and are being preserved, scars and all.

-the farm-truck trend: fondness for vehicles that have "been around" and acquired scars and patterns indicative of a long, useful life. Often these patterns of naturally worn paint were quite aesthetically pleasing. Once patina builds became a celebration of a vehicle's history, builders began to match the existing worn paint when doing repairs, which led to...

-Fauxtina: faking a worn paint job, patina, or rust in order to make a build seem like it has a long history or a story to tell.

Just recently I found photos of a Willys gasser build in which the builder applied dust to the body and matte-clearcoated the dust onto the paint, so now the car has permanent dust. That strikes me as going a little too far, but what the heck. It looks very authentic.

 

[Harry P.]

When did that start and, indeed, why did it start?

Thanks

steve

Not sure when, exactly... but why? Same as every other fad. Because it's something "new" and "different" and it "makes a statement," etc... at least until everybody starts doing it... at which point it becomes mainstream and trite and lame... and the next fad emerges. Lather, rinse, repeat, over and over again...

[drummerdad]

I get the natural patina...save a rare car, its not a safety hazard, so leave it and drive it. Im cool with that. I dont get the purpose built, looks like you need a tetanus shot, borderline unsafe, things that are all over the place. But, a lot of people do. I went to the Hot Rod power tour kick off a few years ago in Charlotte, and the car that got the most attention, was a rat rod, that was about 3 feet tall, and looked like a nightmare. Roadkill also did a show where they took one of these things, and a Lamborghini on a road trip. The ratrod got all the attention and praise, sitting next to a $400k car. I cant wait for this trend to end.. But the last time I wanted a trend to end, was about 25 years ago, and its still going. They even made a few movies about it.....

[Mark]

Ed Iskendarian started it with his T roadster...it's had "patina" since he started bringing it back out in the late Sixties!

[Longbox55]

In my area, we've had patina cars/hot rods at least since the '70s, some of which are still on the road in the same condition today. In some of the cases, it was a case of get what you can find and use it, or finding something unusual and keeping it that way. Some were originally intended to get restored completely, but time/money was an issue and it never got done. Other it was a case of making it mechanically sound and not worrying about the body. We do have a few fauxtnina cars and truck here, too, but not too many.

[1972coronet]

I believe that the rust / patina deal has its origins in early Hot Rodding (to add to what's been explained in previous posts) : buy a 10-30 year old car and transplant a new(er) engine and/or drivetrain into it ; maybe make upgrades to , say , "'Juice' Brakes" (Ford , et al. , didn't have hydraulic brakes until , what , 1940 ??!! Definitely the last holdouts with mechanical binders ! ) , grille swaps , etc. , etc. ; chop and cut the body to taste , and then leave it in its natural , oxidised state (i.e. , the funds for paint go into engine upgrades ). Those are the definitive "Rat Rod" builds .

Patina ? I've always been a fan of leaving "beauty marks" , "character marks" , etc. , in their place . I suppose that it must be an exclusive --or at least originally-- a SouthWest U.S. thing . Why ? Our vehicles deteriorate uniquely versus "Rust Belt" vehicles ; our vehicles' vinyl , rubber , paint , etc. , gets blasted by the Sun and its effects ; the dirty , gritty winds blast the paint and glass ; and then the seasonal rains' moisture builds-up in the rockers , lower fenders , under vinyl tops , etc. , and rust forms . Ever seen a "beach car" ? Yeah , not exactly "rust-free California" , huh ?

I rather enjoy seeing an original-albeit-aged , say , 1970 Swinger 340 whose dashpad is cracked , paint is faded-to-the-primer , and paint is rust-streaked , but runs and drives perfectly well .

[Bernard Kron]

The worn paint and/or primer, stripped down, "gow job", "jalopy", aesthetic has been around since the beginning of the hot rod and kustom movement. It’s an outgrowth of limted budgets, cheap old cars, and work-in-progress. Aggressive rust, however, is a modern trend which emerged at the turn of the current century, probably as an extension of the emergence of old barn find rods and customs. Here are some early examples:

1920’s "gow job":

Pre-war (1937) “supe job”, prototype of the classic hot rod:

Home from the war in 1946, rough ‘n’ ready but fast:

By 1950, when this picture was taken, The Look was well established in most of its particulars:

Hoodlums, late 50’s:

Hoodlums?, late 50’s:

 

Edited March 1, 2016 by Bernard Kron

[Skip]

The rusty look started with the rat rods right around mid-nineties to 2000-ish, many point to the Choppers Car Club, Southern California in their Anti-Billet, Anti-Boyd look rolling statements.  There were rat rods before them though because the Choppers argued that their Hot Rods were "Traditional" not rat rods.  rat rods pretty much came about when builders would take a cowl from one car cobble it together with cast-off parts of many different sources, toss it together as something "fun to drive".  Unfortunately many rat rods are built with scary construction practices which like some of the first crude Hot Rods gave Hot Rodding a bad name and image.   Later, it has become "fashionable" to emulate the rat rod look with sound construction practices, still rat rods.

The patina has been around for some time, it originally is/was part of the Preservation Classes in Classic Car circles.  It was "Barn Find" before there was a term for it.  Preservation Class as I understand it allows only for non-original items which allow the vehicle to continue to be operational.  Pretty much a wash it up and run and show what you brung class. The major argument for class of cars is that they "are original only once".  Later the "patina look" became an acceptable look to some within car culture, custom culture which has in turn lead to the faux-tina look done with new paint to look old again, even over fiberglass panels.

as for me, unless it is a true "Preservation Class Automible" I'm not a fan of either rat rod or heavy patina look, rust should be dealt with!  I love the Traditional Hot Rods as most of them aren't piles of rusty metal waiting to cause an accident.  Which many rat rodders point to as part of the "thrill" of owning one, most of the rat rod owners must not own enough to be sued for or something!!

[Chuck Most]

Patina and rust have been going on since Great Uncle George's Curved Dash Olds was about five years old and beginning to show it's age. Deal with it. 

[oldcarfan]

I remember years ago reading that the Rat Rod movement was a reaction against the slick and glossy, overdone Boyd style hot rods that was the only thing that Hot Rod magazine seemed to be pushing at the time. It also was a slap at the checkbook hotrodders who paid hundreds of thousands for a custom built car that was trailered everywhere.

[Deano]

 

Let's love it for what it is.

This one started out as a show car  http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/hdrp-0704-1937-ford-patina-three-window/

 

 

Now of course there's the fake patina, the fake worn off shop truck lettering, the fake patina applied to a fiberglass body( Yes, it's been done). You decide. 

Actually, the 37 Ford in the link is a prime example of the "fake patina applied to a fiberglass body", and very well done, at that. 

[slusher]

Gas Monkey  "Fast & Loud" do them all the time. They can be cool but i was always fixing my old car up not wanting it to look that way...

[Skip]

The worn paint and/or primer, stripped down, "gow job", "jalopy", aesthetic has been around since the beginning of the hot rod and kustom movement. It’s an outgrowth of limted budgets, cheap old cars, and work-in-progress. Aggressive rust, however, is a modern trend which emerged at the turn of the current century, probably as an extension of the emergence of old barn find rods and customs. Here are some early examples:

 

Wouldn't call those rat rods, pretty traditional.  By the way Bernard, have you seen the book on "Spokane Hot Rods" covers a few other Hot Rods around eastern Washington area as well, pretty much the post War Era stuff a lot of us like.  Put out by the folks at Rodder's Journal, got it for Christmas, couldn't put it down.   Too bad no Seattle or Western Washington Hot Rodders book yet though.  First thing I looked to see!

I pretty much like the pre and post war cars on up until almost the Muscle Car Era.  Pretty fond of the late 50's to mid 60's stuff I saw my Uncles put together and drive.  Lots of the cars I remember we're pretty nice looking and fairly well constructed. (Stick welding and all!)   I remember a few of my uncles friends whose cars were brush painted, but they looked decent after they were rubbed on.

[Bernard Kron]

...Wouldn't call those rat rods, pretty traditional. ...

I wouldn't either, Skip. But you can see pretty much the entire Rat Rod "cookbook" in these cars with the exception of extreme rust. In effect the Rat Rod style is a tribute to these images. The extreme rust aspect is the movement's own contribution to the idiom, formalizing what was largely an accident of time.

As regards rodding and customizing in the Northwest, I only got here from the East Coast when I was 18, but even then I got the impression that there was far more going on west of the mountains in Portland than Seattle, at least on the street. Of course the drag strip scene was important in Seattle. Eastern Washington was always a force in rodding.

Edited March 1, 2016 by Bernard Kron

[Jantrix]

However it came about, I have really learned to appreciate and embrace the trend. Mostly because they are really a low stress creative outlet. On most any "shiny" rod, you want it to look perfect. In a lot of ways, striving towards that can be a source of stress. Especialy when the model is heading towards the dip for the third time. I would imagine that would be true in 1:1 hot rodding. Lets face it, in most cases getting a hot rod running, shifting and stopping reliably is the least expensive part of the build. It's making it pretty afterward that puts a hurting on the wallet. And these days, disposable income is hard to come by. 

[Greg Myers]

Actually, the 37 Ford in the link is a prime example of the "fake patina applied to a fiberglass body", and very well done, at that. 

Actually, that was just my point. A car that appeared in print as a new build "Show" car and a year later as the "Patina" craze got under way, wala. a full blown patina with rust and all fiberglass replica,clone,kit car,fake.

Edited March 1, 2016 by Greg Myers

[dieseldawg142]

.......

Edited May 10, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[Yenkocamaro]

Although its been around for a long time, I try to ignore it. But mixing a low rider, and a barn find has only given this style of Hot Rodding more exposure. While there are some cool examples out there, I'll stick with enjoying the Traditional beautiful looking Hot Rods. "Keep the shiny side up"

 

Cheers,

Lance 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Just my personal opinion...I like to see a "survivor" that's been pulled out of a barn, had the manure and bird droppings washed off, made to run, and otherwise left pretty much as-found, in silent testimony to its history...especially old race cars that look like they were put up hot and wet after the last run, and just kinda forgotten about.

I don't find 'fake' weathered lettering applied to a legitimately weathered old truck, when it's actually being driven as a working shop truck, to be too offensive either.

I also kinda like to see a "traditional" (?) hot-rod built with a low-cost paint job, and less than Ridler-winning detail. Cars that are made to be DRIVEN, and driven HARD, appeal to me more than cars that are primarily for display. Though I fully appreciate the work, skill and sweat that goes into building a world-class showcar, I'd just rather drive something than look at it.

And saying that, to me, there's no excuse for poor workmanship or engineering. A MACHINE deserves a certain amount of respect-for-function, and if you can't or don't want to bother learning how to do decent work, please find another "creative" outlet.

But overall fake patina? Nah. I really despise fake anything...including the oddly shaped lumps some members of the other gender seem obsessed with attaching to themselves.

[Spex84]

Yeah, poorly faked patina (ie, rubbed all over with scotchbrite so the primer shows through in even spots all over the car) is laaaaame. Done well, it's indistinguishable from the real thing.

My first encounter with fauxtina was a magazine feature on a crusty '32 roadster that had all kinds of interesting details, a "survivor" through-and-through. Then I got the end of the article when they revealed that it was a fiberglass body, and the bullethole in the tailpan, the rust, the layered paint...everything had been painstakingly applied by a careful artist.

In that case, I wasn't offended because they did such a good job that it looked 100% convincing...it was almost like a functional movie prop, using many of the same techniques that prop-builders use to create authentic-looking aged objects.

Most patina-fakers try too hard (or not hard enough??) and their results are regular, predictable, and incredibly easy to spot.

Gotta say, a high-tech style fiberglass hot rod with fake patina (like the '37 in question) is pretty lame IMHO. It goes well past homage and into pastiche territory.

[DumpyDan]

I am just glad it did start, It is a blast when you are able to master it and turns out looking good

[Ace-Garageguy]

I am just glad it did start, It is a blast when you are able to master it and turns out looking good

I think it's really cool on a model, where someone has achieved a very high level of realism like some of the builds we see here from time to time.

But on a REAL car? Especially a 'glass car? Lame. 

Edited March 1, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[Harry P.]

Who knew that fiberglass can rust???!!!