How to keep your original Patina Clean

Have you ever bought a truck with its original patinaed paint and wondered how to keep it clean while preserving the paint and reviving its vibrancy? Well, today is your lucky day.

We recently picked up this 1965 Ford F-100 from the original owner. Last driven in 1992, this truck has been sitting on the side of the barn for the last 29 years in Virginia waiting for its time to get back on the road.

When we got the truck, the main attraction was the beautiful original Marlin Blue paint that had just the perfect amount of patina on it. We’re going to tell you our method to cleaning up this beauty and bringing back the color we all love. (Editor’s Note: Shout out to Kyle at DelFAB—he taught me this trick.)

We start out with a trip to our local Walmart. On the shopping list is Super Clean degreaser and some Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. Once you return home, the first step is to rinse the entire truck with water to remove dirt and regular surface-level filth. Next, get out the Super Clean and tackle one panel at a time. Spray the degreaser until the panel is nice and wet, and then scrub it with your Magic Eraser. You don’t need to apply any deep pressure; just go over the entire panel and leave no area un-scrubbed. I like to do a side-to-side motion from top to bottom. When you’re done, rinse it off with water and move on to the next panel. Repeat until you’ve gone over the entire truck.

In some instances, you might want to do a second or third round. It just depends on your personal preference. But this will remove all the oxidation and haziness from the paint, and it will make it more vibrant.