NEC Dilemma - Patina or Paint Job?!

[Kitch]

With BAH set to appear on our stand for the Classic Show at the NEC in November, I decided now was the time for a respray as though it's not in my nature to make an effort, the NEC is a pretty big deal car show-wise. It's not a wreck at the moment by any stretch, but it is original (so 120,000 miles (of probable heavy raggage) have passed under it's wheels.

But thing is, resprays aren't cheap and it's also proving tricky to find someone who's willing too.

There are a couple of dents I could get knocked out, but quite a few stone chips all over, the odd patch of pink etc. It comes up ok if you go to town with it, but it's not mint. It has patina!

So now I'm wondering whether to just make the best of it as it is, and present it as original, or to carry on trying to secure a paint job for it. Some of the other cars on the stand strike me as the types which get polished into oblivion, so should I keep the one that's made to be driven hard looking like it's driven hard?

Any thoughts from the club

[mat_fenwick]

Patina. Partly as it will make mine look less left out!

But seriously, I've always been more drawn to the cars at shows which look used but cared for...I don't really know why - perhaps because subconsciously I can see myself affording/driving them rather than a concours example which would be both out of my reach and a worry to actually use.

I'm going to stretch to some coloured polish, and definitely re-paint the grey bits around the windows; probably also touch up the stone chips. Maybe even refit the original dealer number plates and tax disc holder if I can find them (I removed them as I thought they looked naff, but might go down well in a show?)

[Thread Bear]

Always a fan of patina if that is tidy, and not placing the car at risk of degrading more than use will slowly have its effects anyway. There is space for the few totally original time warp cars, fully restored cars, the used and bangers. The area that gets confused is the cars that do not want restoring but require conserving. A whole differing approach to looking after a car. Over time the unrestored and unmolested cars gain great note as they become so few and indeed valuable as reference points to those who wish to restore a car to original. I am lucky enough to own 5 original, never restored Messerschmitts. These are extraordinarily rare cars now. Three most would say, repaint it. To do so is to loose originality that cannot be replaced or bought. I do not know or care if this enhances or reduces their price as I am not selling. These cars represent 35 years of being heavily into that marque of car. It means my restoration can be 99% accurate, important now these things go into high end auctions. They will out live me and I hope will be cherished for what they are. BX might be some way from that situation but the judgement remains conservation or restoration.

[Defender110]

I would only paint it if it really requires it i.e. had new panels or major rust cut out and renovation, if not keep the patina everyday, re-sprays never look right unless they are very expensive top jobs 3k +. Cheap re-sprays actually detract from the genuine condition of a good car and de-value them in my opinion. Once a cheap respray has been carried out there's no going back.

[Tim Leech]

Your car your call Kitch, those sodium lights are quite unforgiving though and I think you find cars seem to fall into two catagories.

1. Original and unrestored but obviously cherished.

2. Restored to look as best as possible.

Your obviously going to keep BAH so if you can afford to get it done then why not? once its done it will look great and I am sure you will be proud of it.

P2 16vs in red look awesome when polished up (I prefer P1 in white), just look at what colour they were advertised at when new in the brochure......

Personally I dont hold with the "its my daily drive" condition...people can be very critical at shows, which if they have paid £25 to get in and someone cba to give their car a wash then they have right to be!

Its great that two years running we have had a stand and we need to build on it year on year and get the best cars possible, Mat F's estate will be on the stand which is a solid, well loved but slightly worn workhorse (sorry Mat) which is also red so maybe it would be nice to have a contrast (like we did last year with Timex and my DTR which were the same colour) between the two?

My opinion of course, but we do want to be credible amongst all the other cheque book restos.

I guess you could touch up the chips, get the dents done and give it the mother of all valets and see how you feel with the results.

The DTR is the only car Ive totally repainted as it was f*cked, the TZI when I got it looked rubbish, dents done, a full machine polish, painted the bumpers and replaced a few bits here and there and it looks great now.

[bxzx16v]

I'd keep it original Kitch , get any issues sorted touch in the chips etc and a good machine polish and a wax should see her looking good . If you were local I would have been more than willing to lend a hand . If you do decide to machine polish remember to give the paintwork a thorough clean before using iron contaminant/fallout remover , tar remover then a clay bar with plenty of lube , if you go straight in with the machine the pad will just pick all the embedded crap on the paintwork and it will be swirl city underneath those NEC lights .

Mark

[patersom10]

claybar & machine polish get my vote....

I looked into getting my valver sprayed/wrapped but the cost was painfull

however I have jeffs lowering project pictures as my backscreen on my PC and im constantly haunted by how good it could look

[Dollywobbler]

Tricky one. Mike's battered Mk1 estate worked well last year precisely because it looked so far from concours. Yours sounds more like it just isn't top notch.

That said, I'm firmly with Mat - I get absolutely sick and tired of shiny garage queens packing out the halls, and stuff that isn't showroom draws me like moth to a flame. Not everyone pays their ticket to see museum pieces. That's what museums are for.

[CGATCX25GTITURBO]

The lights there make them look odd anyways



Patina works for me too

My Xantia has marks on it, could do with the bumpers re painting (previous owner '83' scuffing them) and a small dent removing from the top of the nearside rear door but I'll leave as is..

Ps CGAT is getting more and more to be a garage queen I don't have the time for it I need to finish fitting the (new two years ago) Engine management Kit I have for it.. just have to plug it in now! The hard work done but just can't get to do it..

I've even had the should I try sell it thoughts

[Citroening]

I've even had the should I try sell it thoughts

I know you're joking Neil (hopefully...!), but talking of CGAT if you can bring it to the CX 40th Anniversary Celebrations next year at the CX Rally it'd be much appreciated... A truly iconic car in the CX world...

Hope you're all well.

Cheers,
Franklin.

[CGATCX25GTITURBO]

I've even had the should I try sell it thoughts

I know you're joking Neil (hopefully...!), but talking of CGAT if you can bring it to the CX 40th Anniversary Celebrations next year at the CX Rally it'd be much appreciated... A truly iconic car in the CX world...

Hope you're all well.

Cheers,
Franklin.

We're all great thanks and it looks like you've given me the kick up my bum I need...

[Paul296]

There's patina and there's patina isn't there? In general, I prefer cars that have been used but cared for so that they're in nice original condition: for me, even the best resto jobs STILL look like resto jobs. My Hurricane isn't perfect by any means but the marks on it are there because it's been used while being loved, and any more marks it gets - which it will - are part and parcel of enjoying it and using it for what it was made for: I actually think a sensible level of regular use is part of what keeps cars healthy (bit like people in that respect). Having said that, I am going to get the bumpers and bonnet repainted and the wheels properly refurbed. In short, original trumps resto every time: the work and commitment of keeping a car nice year on year - and doing it on a shoe string - is far more impressive than just having a load of dosh. There will be more than enough cars at the NEC that are simply a testament to having a load of dosh - to be honest, I just get shiny fatigue in the end.

[CGATCX25GTITURBO]

All the years I had my BX.. I'm ashamed to say, I never took it to any rally It was always the CX not that I wasn't proud of it. I wish I had now, It was nice and original and half tidy. I bought when I moved to my current house, and I've not really attended many rallies since to be fair 'the kids' got most of my time betwen the age of 10 and 20... just getting a bit of life back so I may be able go do something about that.



if it still looks as good as it did when I had it, I'd have no reservations about letting it sit on the NEC stand..

Same as the Xantia I have.. may be one day that will get to sit on the stand. It is my everyday car and just gets abucket of soapy water thrown over it weekly and then synthetic leathered off.

[Jaba]

Rich, don't spend too much of your valuable time and even less of your valuable money on the BAH beast.
It will look great in its present condition as a daily driver example of the BX and will not look out of place whatsoever on the stand.

If mine had been chosen I was going to clean it up only and then make a feature of its various scars and scratches as a part of describing how it is being used and enjoyed regularly.

[mat_fenwick]

All I'll add to what I wrote earlier, is that I think you should make the decision for what will make YOU the happiest. If I had the money, I might try and justify the NEC outing as an excuse to get mine at least looking all the same shade of red, but I wouldn't even think of a respray unless it was something I really wanted.

Mat F's estate will be on the stand which is a solid, well loved but slightly worn workhorse (sorry Mat)

No need to apologise - I think you've hit the nail right on the head there. I'm hoping that now it won't be the only car I'll have on the road in the winter, I'll be able to keep the deterioration to a minimum.