Motortopia- Enhancing the Patina on a 1967 Chevy C10

Preserving the Past: Protecting and Enhancing the Patina on a 1967 Chevy C10

Josh McPherson June 07, 2023 Buyer’s Guides

Protecting the Patina on a 1967 Chevy C10

If you’re like me, you LOVE original-paint classic trucks. There’s something about looking over the original paintjob and getting a glimpse at how the truck was treated—or abused—in the past. My OG paint ’67 C10 has a lot of character and most of it came from work on a farm. Now that this original-paint beauty earned its stripes and now resides indoors, it’s time to protect that original paint that has been neglected for 56 years. There are a couple of different ways you can protect and preserve your original paint.

**01.** Sweet Patina sent us its Trio Kit plus Century Polish. This kit includes its Century Polish, Patina “Sauce,” Happy Ending Final Detail Spray, and So Fresh and Clean All-Purpose Cleaner.

**02.** The first step of applying the “Sauce” is to get rid of dirt, grime, and contaminants on the paint. Spray a generous amount of the All-Purpose Cleaner. With a light scrubbing pad, gently scrub to loosen up the contaminants and then rise with water. I used a light gray Scotch Brite pad, but you can also use steel wool to smooth the rough surface.

1. Clearcoat the Original: You can go with a more permanent solution by applying a clearcoat over the original paint. I have never been a fan of this method. If the clearcoat were to ever fail, it is highly unlikely that one would be able to strip just the clearcoat off of the original paint, which means you may have to strip the entire vehicle. While there is essentially zero maintenance on this method, the risk of losing or damaging the original paint is too high for me. If this is the route you would like to go, Sweet Patina sells a matte and gloss clearcoat designed specifically for preserving patina.

**03.** Now that the paint is clean and dry, I can move on to polishing. This step is not necessary, but it will add gloss and depth to the paint that is left on the truck since this polish is designed to be used on the worn, weathered, and oxidized paint that hasn’t reached the surface-rust stage. Take a look at the first section I polished (far right). The Century Polish removed all of the chalk and brought back some color and depth to this 56-year-old paint. I used an orange light cutting pad, making sure to clean it out regularly because the single-stage paint will clog your foam pad.

2. Go with the Sweet Sauce: You can use a product like Sweet Patina “Sauce” that acts similarly to a carnauba wax. Not only are you preserving and protecting the paint, but you’re also not applying a permanent topcoat, so there is no risk for this product to fail since it naturally wears off the paint over time. This method does require you to reapply the “Sauce” a couple of times a year, but it’s so easy to do and essentially has zero risk of damaging the paint. This is the method I prefer to use, and that’s where Sweet Patina comes into play.

**04.** Here’s another image comparing just how well the Century Polish worked. The front clip of the truck is polished while the door and bedside are not.

**05.** Once the entire truck was polished, it was time to do a final wipe-down to get rid of any residue left by the Century Polish. Applying the “Sauce” is as simple as wipe-on, wipe-off. Using a microfiber towel, I applied the “Sauce” using a circular motion similar to applying wax. Once I let the product sit for 15-20 minutes, I simply wiped it off with a new microfiber towel—and that’s it!

Sweet Patina has developed a product it calls the patina “Sauce” that has more than 20 ingredients that make up the proprietary blend, making the product one-of-a-kind. The patina “Sauce” provides a luminous finish that shows the character, depth, and beauty of your patinaed ride. It helps prevent further deterioration, preserve the patina, offer a layer of water-resistant protection that helps inhibit rust, and polymerize to a hard finish.