My 1950 Ford's paint has some pretty outstanding patina and surface rust. Because getting the powertrain rebuilt is the priority #1, I am not planning to paint it just yet. However, I want to preserve the current patina so that it doesn't get any worse. Poppy's Patina has a perfect product to preserve the current look and protect whatever is left of the paint.
The reason why Poppy's is great for my project, is that it's a urethane clear coat, like any other clear coat it's permanent. However, you can also paint over it or sand it off later if you want to.
Let's see how it works.
1950 Ford Custom Deluxe Convertible ready for the clean up.
The Poppy´s Patina wipe on clear coat on the 1950 Ford shines better than my 1960 Thunderbird - which has original paint..
I started with washing the exterior with some simple green / water mix to get all the dirt off from the body. I assume no one has washed it since the Ford made it's way to Colorado Springs in 1962!
Poppy's Patina sent me the "The Whole Shebang Kit (Gloss)" .
The Kit includes:
1 x Pre-Cleaner
1 x Wax & Grease Remover,
1 x Gloss Wipe-On Clear Coat
1 x Can of Catalyst
1 x Wash & Wax
1 x Detail Spray w/ Ceramic
1 x Bag of Recycled Knit Wiping Rags
3 x Grey Light Duty Scuff Pads
2 x Applicator pads
On top of that I purchased from Home Depot:
2 x Paint mixing cups
2 x Paint mixing sticks
2 x pairs of rubber gloves
2 x blue masking tape
1 x Paint tray
3 x Paint tray inserts
1950 Ford Custom Deluxe Convertible after the pre-cleaner wash (Step 1).
The Process
Let's go though everything step by step.
Step 1. Pre-Cleaner
Using the "pre-cleaner" is pretty straight forward. Mix 2 oz per 1 gallon of water. Then scrub the exterior surface with the grey scuff pads. After all the scrubbing, you just rinse the surface with water. I can't believe how dirty the car was, even after washing it with simple green first, but scuffing pads really made the difference.
Step 2. Masking
Mask all the trim with the masking tape to protect the areas you do not want the clear coat on. This is the most time consuming part.
Step 3. Wax and Grease Remover
After washing the car with pre-cleaner and masking everything, you will need to get rid of all the possible wax and grease on the paint. That's where the "Wax and Grease Remover" comes handy. You wipe it on with one of rags that came with the kit and wipe it off immediately with another rag.
Step 4. Clear Coat, first layer
Time to apply the clear coat! First you need to mix the "Wipe-on Clear Coat" with "Catalyst". Ratio is 8:1. I mixed 16oz of Clear to 2 oz of Catalyst. It was a bit more than I needed for the car, but note, it's a convertible, so I did not have to coat to roof. Once you have mixed the two, you can start applying the clear coat on with the white applicator pad. Instructions advise to use compressed air to blow the pads first, to make sure they are clean. I used this video as a guide to learn how to apply the clear coat on Poppy's Patina's YouTube channel. You just basically wipe it on with the pad.
Step 5 - Clear Coat, Second Coat
Once the first coat has cured -for 24 hours. You can add a second coat. It's not necessary, but I decided to see if makes a difference.
First you need to use one of the scuffing pads to lightly scuff the first coat. Then you just repeat the Step 4 and you are done.
Final Thoughts
The results are what I expected, or maybe even little better. Because I wiped the product on with the pads that came with the kit, I wasn´t expecting perfect results. (Note that you can also use a spray gun to apply the product on your vehicle). You can for example see some "wipe marks" (for lack of a better term) on the surface. Also, there was a minor chemical reaction with the paint on left front fender. The product details did mention this might happen when clear coat is applied on low quality paint. I will add some photos for you to see better. The surfaces where there was no paint at all or had surface rust, I think it needed the second coat. But they turned out great !
On the positive side, it was easy to use, it definitely added depth on the paint colors. Poppy´s Patina wipe on clear coat on the 1950 Ford shines better than my 1960 Thunderbird - which has original factory paint! And most importantly, it will also It seal the surface rust and prevent further deterioration. The Ford won´t be getting any worse.
Before and After. The photo on the right shows the surface after two coats of clear (step 5).
The left photo shows paint after the clean up and ready for clear coat (step 3). The photo on the right shows the surface after two coats of clear have been applied (step 5).
Right rear fender and side after the scrubbing (Step 3) and again after two coats of clear coat (step 5).
Bare metal and surface after two coats of clear coat (step 5). They are definitely protected from further deterioration.
Hopefully you can see the couple defects on these photos. Trunk lid shows some "wipe marks", but I couldn't really see them elsewhere. The second photo shows left fender which had a chemical reaction with the old paint. These are photo taken after the second coat of clear (step 5).
The clear coat turned out great! This photo is after the 2 coats of wipe on clear coat (step 5).
