What is wrong with finishing our trucks?

[BR3W CITY]

Its just like a guitar or a classic piece of furniture. If its that bad, then ya, you refinish it and get it all nice and straight....but if its got character, and is functional, you would RUIN it by refinishing it.

Take something like a 62 strat, road worn from tour, with a set of hand wound pickups that are nearly 50 years old. You would be crazy to try to improve it....because no matter what you did it would be worse (even if technically better)

Patina and rat rods are also two different things entirely. You get it or you don't....and if you have to ask, you don't.

[gimmy 64]

that's the best thing abut this sight. you have some really nice trucks and some (I would just call an old truck) to what is now the big thing--patined or rat rod trucks. take youre choice. go to the build threads and look at some of these trucks and the engineering that has gone into them. my personal truck is a cross breed--350 motor, overdrive tranny, sway bar, disc brakes, tilt column, nice interior. I had an older guy ask me at a car show if my truck was a rat rod? I told him I preferred to call it unfinished!!!!

[Mikes66ChevyC10]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

I've had 'em both ways, ones with high end paint jobs and others with patina. The ones with the 15K paint jobs were too nice to drive, and when they got chipped or scratched, I would be completely devastated. It got to a point where it had to be perfect weather, no wind, no dust, and I had to be with it 100% of the time it was out. It wasn't any fun at all.

The patina'd trucks are like your favorite pair of Levis or a perfectly broken in baseball glove. You'll always want to drive it, regardless of the weather. You can walk away from it at a show, you can take it to the store, and you can lean on the fender with your belt buckle exposed. I love it.

But......I despise "Rat Rods". Vehicles that are purposely left in neglected condition, and where it always seems like in their circles, the rougher the better. I do not like seeing any of the drivetrain in neglected, rough condition.

I prefer having a perfectly restored chassis and drivetrain wrapped in a nicely patina'd body with the right wheels and tires and the perfect stance.

Very well said!

[donthekawguy]

Just because it looks unsafe doesn't mean it is. Brakes lights and front suspension working properly is all it needs to be "safe". Rusty fenders hve nothing to do with how safe it is.

[Softpatch]

(63 C-20/72 C-10 frame)
I'm into my truck for the "feel"
I bought a realy nice truck once drove it for a few years......
Then life got in the way and it sat for 12 years
sitting under a pine tree wasted it....
When I got back to it was not good
I made it run again added a few things (non stock)
and injoying it all over for other reasons.....

My goal is to make it my Daily driver
.
Before.......
.


.

[Lo Blu62]

To me rust is cancer. I've hated the mere sight of it all my life. I own one of the shiny C10s out there, and it's a pain in the ass to keep that way. With that said, something appeals to me with the rat-rod revolution. I can't put a finger on it, but the radical styling has me intrigued. I would still prefer a painted rat-rod to a rusty one though.

[Shaky]

To me it depends on how it lives now. If it is stored inside and not driven in bad weather, the clock has essentially stopped ticking. If it's sitting on the grass outside, the rot continues on...

Here's mine getting refinished on a budget:

[bmur66]

Anyone ever paint one with 2 part industrial enamel?

[ACK]

A difference of opinion is why we have horse races ... and the 67-72 Chevy Truck stable has every shape and size. All are welcomed here.

[sigshooter]

Here is my position

When I was young (20's) I wanted every custom option available, chrome and aftermarket everything.

Now that I am older (40's) I am hunting up things like the oil bath air cleaner and stock wheels and hub caps I took off 20 years ago to put back on the truck.

25 years ago I did not appreciate the beauty of a sunset either, now I find myself in the process of buying a home with a wooded lot over looking a canyon... Before I would have just looked upon it as overgrown and a waste of land with such a steep canyon.

I have grown to appreciate the simple things in life and I prefer an original car or truck over a modified one. I know the effort in restoring one back to original and it reminds me of a simpler time, a time before we had our schedules set by our secretary and placed on a calendar that we access on our iPad or cell phone. A simpler time when we had time to take the grandson fishing in the middle of the week.

" I miss Mayberry, sitting on the porch drinking an ice cold Cherry Coke."

I am not bashing modified, rat rod, or patina..... I am just saying I personally stand and stare for hours at an original car or truck from the 40's 50's 60's and look at the lines, curves, fins, chrome.... To me that is what takes me back in time and a peaceful feeling takes over and for that period of time the world stands still.

[62 short step]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

I've had 'em both ways, ones with high end paint jobs and others with patina. The ones with the 15K paint jobs were too nice to drive, and when they got chipped or scratched, I would be completely devastated. It got to a point where it had to be perfect weather, no wind, no dust, and I had to be with it 100% of the time it was out. It wasn't any fun at all.

The patina'd trucks are like your favorite pair of Levis or a perfectly broken in baseball glove. You'll always want to drive it, regardless of the weather. You can walk away from it at a show, you can take it to the store, and you can lean on the fender with your belt buckle exposed. I love it.

But......I despise "Rat Rods". Vehicles that are purposely left in neglected condition, and where it always seems like in their circles, the rougher the better. I do not like seeing any of the drivetrain in neglected, rough condition.

I prefer having a perfectly restored chassis and drivetrain wrapped in a nicely patina'd body with the right wheels and tires and the perfect stance.

[Indian113]

I prefer a shiny clean truck, But I'm like Jesus I love them ALL!!!!

[Ta2Don]

In my Opinion, MarkB01, Sigshooter, and Indian113 say it best!!! I agree with them wholeheartedly...

[Lugnutz65]

I agree with everything I said earlier.

Oh, and one more thing. We are discussing what we like or don't like about the way other people restore their trucks. It's interesting to hear opinions, but will it ever end? Remember folks, Baskin Robbins sells 52 flavors of ice cream for a reason! We don't all want vanilla.

Make it safe and fun to drive.

Excuse me, but I'm a little crabby right now. I think I need to go work on my truck.

[TJ's Chevy]

I agree with what has been said. For me its this..I'm on a budget build, My truck is mostly original with most of the upgrades on the engine. It runs great..brakes have been fixed..new tires put on..and some new wiring. Drives like a dream even with the 48 year old suspension. I've done some painting to keep it from rotting. In my opinion my truck looks good..to some ugly, but to me I like a clean and mechanically sound, but ruff looking truck. Mine is a simple farm truck that will be used as a DD real soon. Its has alot of patina, and cab corners have rot..but the rest is good an sound. No this isn't a rat rod..its a Patina truck. Here in this forum we have a variety of trucks, no one cares what you do with the truck..We're here to support and help new members..and those that need help. Time and money have a huge factor in restoring something. If you don't have alot of time or money..then getting the basic things done to get it roadworthy are most satisfying...where as if you have time and money..taking it down to bare bones and restoring it in a few months is fine. I like seeing trucks saved from the crusher..and have saved one myself. And FWIW...Our trucks are never finished...even when fully restored..there is always something new. lol. My buck and a half.

[sixTsix]

As with all the others, I too like to see a nice shiny frame off resto. Who doesn't right? But where I stand with it is like this.
I grew up in a household which had low income. Now with that being said, we weren't poor white trash. But couldn't afford nice new rides ect. So we always had much older vehicles. Wether it be my dads 65 c10 short stepper, his 71 lwb, my mothers T-birds, ect, none of them were perfect by anymeans. My father never cared if they had rot. Sure no one wants cancer on their rides but in some cases, (money), you have to do what you have to do. One thing that was always important was that every vehicle was mechanically sound and for my dad it was they had well built engines and the mechanical side was always top notch. They ran like real good. As our life progressed Dad found better work making more money so we started getting better, newer vehicles ect.

Now skip to me. I started my career off when I was young, made good money and made it to where no matter what I Had a decent dependable ride. But I always had a sweet spot for them old , in some eyes, worn out trucks. I love anything that is old, rot or not, patina's or not, slammed or not, although I lean to the "old truck look that was mechanically sound. So when it came for me to buy my truck, I wanted a older truck with some rust. I wanted something old some what worn out with character. Main thing was the truck had to run and drive. the rest was cosmetic as far as I'm concerned. So I ended up picking up my 66. Now it does have a little more rust than what I wanted, (cab corners, rockers some in the bed, some in the floors), but it can be dealt with down the road. Not sweating it. So as of now I'm in the process of building it into the trucks I grew up in. A well running/stopping vehicle that's dependable, with my ideal of style, and beautiful in its own right. I know some might not like what the final product will be because of the rot, rough paint, ect. But hey its my truck and still a 66 short stepper that's on the road.

For all of you Full off the frame resto guys, I have much respect for the craft and the time and love you put into these trucks. Unfortunaly I personally don't have the time (because I want to enjoy my truck now) or a good shop to build mine in. So for the time being I will make mine mechanically sound, as leave the body how she sits
One day down the road I will give it the proper love it deserves ...but for now it is what it is. And no matter what I love my old truck

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Originally Posted by sigshooter

Here is my position

When I was young (20's) I wanted every custom option available, chrome and aftermarket everything.

Now that I am older (40's) I am hunting up things like the oil bath air cleaner and stock wheels and hub caps I took off 20 years ago to put back on the truck.

25 years ago I did not appreciate the beauty of a sunset either, now I find myself in the process of buying a home with a wooded lot over looking a canyon... Before I would have just looked upon it as overgrown and a waste of land with such a steep canyon.

I have grown to appreciate the simple things in life and I prefer an original car or truck over a modified one. I know the effort in restoring one back to original and it reminds me of a simpler time, a time before we had our schedules set by our secretary and placed on a calendar that we access on our iPad or cell phone. A simpler time when we had time to take the grandson fishing in the middle of the week.

" I miss Mayberry, sitting on the porch drinking an ice cold Cherry Coke."

I am not bashing modified, rat rod, or patina..... I am just saying I personally stand and stare for hours at an original car or truck from the 40's 50's 60's and look at the lines, curves, fins, chrome.... To me that is what takes me back in time and a peaceful feeling takes over and for that period of time the world stands still.

So well said I didn't need to quote it. But I did
Amen brother!


In my 20's I drove this and wanted custom everything:





Fast forward a few years and now I look at something like this with longing that I can't describe:




It's just a changing of priorities and a respect for history. It's difficult to explain until one day you just.... get it. Like an "aha" moment.

[AcampoDave]

I guess I'm middle of the road I like them decent but still a truck. I try to keep my cheap paintjob shiny but don't feel too bad about scratching it up a bit accidentally. I love taking my truck to the dump, the home store, hauling an old motor, helping a friend move...etc. I'm careful about it, but stuff happens.

[63burban]

Got my license in the early 70s, back then we scuffed the vehicles and painted them out in the yard over rust and dents, just to make them look better. We had very little money, lived on a farm, dad would give you a $20 on Friday night and it would last all weekend. We had a blast, ahh the good old days hanging out at the outdoor theater where your friends worked and got you in free and free popcorn.
Still drive the same kinda stuff now but don't paint em, just run em. Shiny is a pain when you drive them everyday.
Damn, got off the subject and now I have to go dream about the old days.

[72freak]

This is just my opinion, take it for what its worth. The first response in the thread kind of proved my point. Until recently, the "pick up" demographics was the "working man". They could be had and driven on a budget. Not everyone can swing 20K + for a classic car but most folks could scrounge up $2500 to $5000 for a truck. Having build, owned, bought, sold and parted out over 200 of these in the past 25 years my point has been proven over and over again. We want something cheap to buy and build and we want our parts for nothing and until recently an old Chevy truck fit that bill. If you have ever flipped these or parted them out you will know what I am talking about when I say "people wanting something for nothing".

Now as far as "finishing". I think a lot of folks buy them with plans of restoring them and then realize that it now takes a minimum of 5K and a years time to get a paint job unless you have someone you know. In addition you typically have to deal with paint prison, lost parts, mechanics liens among other things.

Now these truck are no longer a working mans vehicle. People are asking 5-8K for JUNK. Heck, when long beds are starting at $5000 you know things are changing. Its too bad on one hand and a good thing on the other but the car hobby is now becoming a fad like Harleys in the 90's and the prices of everything are going up and up and out of sight.

[benwah]

72 freak makes a good point. But that goes for all trucks. I have two Jeep j-10s two IH trucks, three Dodges and my 62 Chevy. Most run and are on the road, and I never paid over $2500.00 Two were free! None are really finished. And I do the work myself. The days of someone walking up to you as your getting out of your 40+ year old truck, Telling you he has one of them behind the barn you can have it are gone.

[kieth]

We built my truck to drive but made it look nice, after learning how much I sucked at body work we are now building a rat rod look Patina truck , costs a lot less and everyone seems to like the look.
They are for fun so everyone can build them like they want to........that's what I like about this site lots of varying opionions but no one opinion dominates the board.......

[pdxhall]

Do what you want to your truck but it needs to be safe and in my opinion, if you're not going to paint it, at least try and stop the rust if you want to preserve it. Rust never sleeps.

[Rollo McFlurry]

I recently picked up a 64 short wide that would cost a small fortune to put back to factory condition. Every single piece has rust holes. All of them.
But it is easy to make it structurally sound and drive it. It was going to the crusher when I saved it.

[flashed]

Any truck saved is a good truck .