Preserve patina, diy paint or pro paint? Wagoneer

I'm at a stand still with my Wagoneer project. While I wouldn't mind a fully restored Grand Wagoneer, that wasn't my intentions when buying this jeep. It is a clean jeep but has surface rust/ "patina". The main purpose of the jeep was to be a fishing rig that I can use as a utility vehicle.

So here is where I stand. I've grown to like the patina on the jeep and have been thinking about just putting a matte clear over it as it is. I could start sanding and preparing for paint which would take longer than I want, then I would either paint it myself or take to a shop. Both of which might leave me with a jeep too nice to mess up.

What do you guys think I should do?

I would leave it.

I think that Eastwood makes a patina preservation coating. Very minimal surface prep and spray it right on.

I vote for leave it the way it is.

Patina coat. You can always do the sand and paint later.

I like patina on a lot of stuff. But not on that.

That's not patina, that's rust. You can spray whatever you want on it, it's going to keep getting worse. I'd treat it right, then do a home spray so you're not worried about it being "too nice".

In reply to oldtin:

Can you explain why you don't like?

I think it would work on an older, pre wood grain model. On the grands, it just looks kinda rusty and beat it's just a personal aesthetic thing,. So take my opinion with a grain of salt

I'm with oldtin. I don't care for patina on more modern cars.

Strip the faux woodgrain and 50 lbs of side moldings and do a quicky spray in the same color. Or buff out the faded paint to look as good as what's under the woodgrain)

I did a similar thing with my '87 (before the frame rotted in two).

(Not mine below)

[URL=http://s265.photobucket.com/user/derekrichardson/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_12.jpg.html][/URL]

Oh, and get a 2.5"-4" spring lift and 31's on factory wheels. You'll be happy you did.

just drive the damn thing.

Stop the spread of new rust and just drive it. It looks like a good hunting/fishing rig as it sits.

Javelin wrote: That's not patina, that's rust. You can spray whatever you want on it, it's going to keep getting worse. I'd treat it right, then do a home spray so you're not worried about it being "too nice".

Exactly! If it's solid, save it please!

Javelin wrote: That's not patina, that's rust. You can spray whatever you want on it, it's going to keep getting worse. I'd treat it right, then do a home spray so you're not worried about it being "too nice".

This.

I vote try Eastwood's Patina preserver, and see if the rust continues, then report back in a year, that way, I will know if it is the stuff for my P.O.S. Looks great as in my opinion, but FL saltwater could have it going south quickly.

ebonyandivory wrote: Strip the faux woodgrain and 50 lbs of side moldings and do a quicky spray in the same color. Or buff out the faded paint to look as good as what's under the woodgrain) I did a similar thing with my '87 (before the frame rotted in two). (Not mine below) [URL=http://s265.photobucket.com/user/derekrichardson/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_12.jpg.html][/URL] Oh, and get a 2.5"-4" spring lift and 31's on factory wheels. You'll be happy you did.

I dig woodgrain, but do THIS. DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! These particular models look soooooo good with out the wood.

I vote for anything but rusty. It doesn't look good, it just looks like you drive a POS that you don't care about. If I saw you on the road, I would shake my head and think to myself "pathetic that dude is letting his SJ go to E36 M3"..... I'd just assume you're either cheap or lazy.

I've never understood why people think rust and peeling paint is cool (much less the people who actually use paint stripper and stuff to "create patina").

All that said, it's your car. Do what you want. What we think shouldn't matter to you either way.

I'm of the opinion that if you're going to touch it, you should respray it. I wouldn't object to throwing some wax on what's there though.

Then again, if it were mine and getting repainted, it would stay woodgrain, so I'm probably crazy.

Keep the rust.

Respray. DIY or Macco. Stop the rust, but don't make it to nice to wheel.

I am not going to weigh in on what should be done but here is how I would do and have done the patina thing.

CLR and a scotch brite pad will take that rust right off leaving a shocking amount of paint underneath

Then a satin clear over your now prepped panels.

This is a Chevy we did for a customer

He knew he could buy a pristine restored version of this pickup at any auction in the country but this was his grandfathers farm truck and that wear on the car was done by ol' grandad. The paint missing from the door top was from his granpa's arm and the drivers fender was polished by years of leaning on it with a cup of coffee in his hand.

Now in my opinion )which is worth exactly what you are paying for it) In order for the patina thing to work you have to have something clean and new next to it for contrast, to make it look intentional if you catch my drift.

That Jeep would (again my opinion) absolutely have to have the wood grain redone and the wheels refurbed to like new to pull off the look.

In reply to Jumper K. Balls:

WOAH, I'll have to remember that one.

I'm kinda curious if the CLR job + clearcoat would be easier than actually fixing the rust on a 90s-era Japanese beater. I'm fine with it looking bad, I'm not so fine with the bumper falling off.

JKB, you're opinion is awesome!

That Grand is not too far away from this:

[URL=http://s265.photobucket.com/user/derekrichardson/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_13.jpg.html][/URL]

Easy to pull off this two-tone or keep it closer to you're single color and steel wheels with hub caps.

(Just be sure to use those antique fishing poles to complete the look)