Preserving Patina | How do you do it?

I am closing a deal on a early 70's 911 that is not a show car at all.  It belongs to a friend of mine and has been in storage for a very long time in a rather un loved condition.  There is a history to this car that is recorded by the condition of the paint and for reasons I want to preserve it at least for now.  
 

Think of this as a restomod/outlaw/RS clone/restoration.  It will go like stink with the interior, suspension and driveline being at a high standard but I want to keep the exterior in its current condition.  

The exterior has surface rust and worn paint and what not. There is no rot at all anywhere just worn paint and surface rust. 
 

So how would you do it?  I have seen various types of methods.   I really don't want to clear coat it. Linseed oil and thinner seems to be one answer.   I was wondering about mineral oil. I saw someone using Flood Pentrol (a oil paint additive).  I also saw that Eastwood has a product that seems to be a good option as it almost looks like you did nothing to the car.  
 

I  don't mind having to do re applications. I may end up re painting this car in the future so I am not sure if there are products to stay away from that could be a problem down the road. 
 

What have you all done?  
 

Polish the paint as well as you can, give it a coat of wax and then leave it alone.  If you park it indoors and don't drive in the rain it should stay pretty much as is.

Linseed oil will yellow and stink to high heaven for a while.

I'd either polish it and wax it as suggested or hit it with Pledge furniture polish.

I'm serious, try it on something with crusty old paint if you don't believe me.

I used boiled linseed oil on an old Willys Jeep I was very surprised with the results. It brought out some colors I didn't see prior to application, and removed some surface rusts. Only issue is that you have to reapply, it isn't a one and done. Bonus points it's cheap, and a car wash with some dawn detergent will remove it. 
 

Also, pics of 911 or it didn't happen. lol 

Step 1. Don't. 

Step 2. Really, just DON'T

But, then, I'm really more biased against the word, and it's over use, than the look - despite being over done. 
 

Wax would be my thought of the best option, other than converting the rust, to stop it, and the black spots prolly ain't what ya want. 
 

If you want to maintain patina, just do what it took to get it. Use it, take care of it, don't abuse it and don't try to force the look. It may develop more patina, but that's part of the history. 

I thought about "Shine Juice" (linseed oil mixed with some other stuff) but in my case the car had most of it's paint, and I didn't want something that would remain wet and attract dirt. Also, my car has a single stage metallic paint that you cannot buff or wax without making it worse. With skepticism, I decided to go the clear coat route.

I'm probably 85% happy with the result. It brought a nice shine back to the paint and deepened the color. The sides look great. The top surfaces are a bit streaky. If I ever do one again, I'd remove the hood and trunk and hang them vertically, leaving only the roof to battle with.  I know the OP doesn't want to use clear, but figure other people reading the thread may be willing to consider it. It was really easy to do, overall. 

Shiny patina rubs me the wrong way 

I am not after "a look" I just want to preserve it in its current state.  I don't want surface rust to turn in to panel rot.   Eastwood makes a product that looks like you just spray it on and then re apply every 12 months. I could not tell where it had been applied and where not.  Rust converter is a viable option. I don't care if the rust turns black. 
 

No photos until I actually have the title. The current owner said the car has been out of the public eye for 15 years and if for some reason we don't close the deal they would like to keep it that way. 

In for future pics

So check out "Freiburgers Comet Wash" on Youtube for a method to remove rust / scale.  It will scratch up the paint since you are scouring it, but it will remove a lot of rust / oxidation.

I did some experimenting on my 88 Accord Winter Beater, and found that the Zep Wet Look Floor Polish worked really well and kept water beading for months after application.  Just rub it in with a rag in a smooth uniform coat.

The high traffic stuff can be used the same way if you don't want such a high gloss.  And it's cheap.

Here's the Youtube Video I found that turned me on to the stuff

https://youtu.be/Hja67BKD0f4?si=fYQiAw5doapolQ8E

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Zep-Wet-Look-128-oz-Floor-Polish/50286135

This article from Classic Motorsports (originally from the March 2013 issue) has a few tips on preserving patina:

Patina: The good, the bad, and how to preserve time-worn classics

In the past I have washed the cars with CLR to remove the rust staining. It can perform magic sometimes.

Not my pic, but similar results

This truck was just washed, buffed and waxed after sitting for 30+ years. It looks perfect to me

2nd the CLR. 

I polish with a wool pad, then do a quick cut then shoot 2K clear over the top to presrve "Patina" Its not y favorite thing to do but people seem to love it. It is going out of fashion again. 

I like what the CLR does.  I think that is definitely on the prep list. 

Some chatter on preserving patina over on the Classic Motorsports site: Patina: The good, the bad, and how to preserve time-worn classics.

I am also very much in the camp of:  No clear coat!... it just looks silly on a worn / rusty car.

Also worth a note is if you are not planning on driving this car in the rain / salt (I suspect that is very unlikely), or leave it sitting outside (also I suspect, very unlikely), it's not likely to degrade much at all anymore.  Even surface rusted cars (it seems like this car is not that far gone) do very will just left un-coated if you don't leave it in the rain.

I would tend to agree / lean towards the wax idea.  

I of course live in an area where I can leave a stripped to metal panel exposed in my garage for weeks before it starts to show rust!...

This just look stupid to me, especially considering it probably has many many thousands of dollars worth of re-chromed parts on it:

NOT a picture of Dean's car.  Hopefully:

Keith Tanner said:

If you want to maintain patina, just do what it took to get it. Use it, take care of it, don't abuse it and don't try to force the look. It may develop more patina, but that's part of the history. 

QFT. It will essentially stay "on pause" and never change if you store it in your garage. Just keep it clean and dry. 

Doing anything else, like oils or clearcoats, is incredibly cringe. 

Another thought.  If there is bubbling in the paint, it will be coming from the back side of the panel.  You will see that in rocker panels and wheel openings, mostly.  Find your way to the back side of that, and dig or wash out the inevitable buildup of dirt and goo, then spray it from the inside with Fluid Film or similar.  That will stop the progression of actual rot.

The problem with too many clear applications is the gloss is too high. You can get matte clear, or mix matte and gloss together to get a semi-gloss that is less offensive.

I don't like the look of a clear coated old car. To me it looks fake. Here in the north east our rust is mat finished. I assume glossy rust is a different variant of rust I have not seen yet.  😁

All I want to do is put a preservative on the car that will add some protection and change the cars appearance as little as possible.  

I anticipate that the cars body will get a complete restoration in a couple years.  But for now I want to keep it as is.  

The roof and walls of your garage is the best preservative for patina. You literally don't need to do anything else.