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1929 Willys Knight Barn find Should I leave the dust or wash it?

Guest ModelTguy

By Guest ModelTguy
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Guest ModelTguy

Guest ModelTguy

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Hello everyone, 

This is my first time posting on AACA forums, so please don't bash me, I figured this would be a good topic for general discussion. My grandfather recently purchased a 1929 Willys Knight in original Barn find condition. This is a perfect HPOF car, and will be left as such. My question is, should we wash the dirt off, or leave it on there? This car has been in storage since 1949, I would greatly appreciate anyone's input. 

Thanks 

Tyler  

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Guest AlCapone

Guest AlCapone

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I agree, Tyler, with the majority:  clean it and 

get it running.  When you go a museum and see,

for example, the Wright brothers' original plane,

you may see it in its original state, but it has been

cleaned up.

 

There's nothing historic about dirt.

A wise man has spoken! Wayne

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capngrog 5,000+ Points

capngrog

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Hello everyone, 

This is my first time posting on AACA forums, so please don't bash me, I figured this would be a good topic for general discussion.

Thanks 

Tyler  

 

Why would anyone bash you, especially when your question is an excellent topic for general discussion?

 

As to whether or not to clean the car, you should first decide what you want to do with the car.  Most folks when fortunate enough to  acquire a genuine 'barn find', clean them up to drive and to take to shows.  I believe that is what most of us on this forum want to do ... enjoy the car by driving it and sharing (car shows etc.) it with others.  There is a growing, but still minuscule part of the hobby, that thinks a barn find should be preserved just 'as found', flat tires, dirt, dust,mouse crap and all.  I believe that if that is what the finder wants, leave the 'find' in the barn, buy the barn and enjoy your 'barn find' from the cracked open doorway of the barn itself (We wouldn't want to leave any recent footprints in the authentic dust, now, would we?).

 

I own a 1938 Chevrolet Master Deluxe 4 door sedan, while not a 'barn find', I intend to keep as close to original as I can while safely driving it on the local roadways ( I have even kept the "WWI Veteran decals in the rear window).  I have replaced or repaired parts as needed to keep it driving SAFELY.  If an original part cannot be repaired, I keep it, but install a new or rebuilt one on the car.

 

As to your original question, I would clean the car up as best you can without destroying the original finish, then repair whatever needs repairing, then hit the roadways and enjoy it.  As to 'clean up' standards, you'll know you're there when your wife/sweetheart, daughter etc. enthusiastically agree to go for a ride in the thing.

 

Just my opinion,

Grog

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Guest clare30

Guest clare30

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A car is only original once. Give it a clean and a full mechanical service. Then enjoy the car. Cars in this condition are a very hard to find.

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Guest LuxDriver

Guest LuxDriver

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I'm always careful how I clean it , rinsing it off gently first then wash with Ivory soap, and not tons of water.. How do you know what you have till you wash it by hand? Washing it tells you plenty about the body paint n chrome.. You know enough to be very careful with mechanics and the interior....

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Guest AlCapone

Guest AlCapone

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I'm always careful how I clean it , rinsing it off gently first then wash with Ivory soap, and not tons of water.. How do you know what you have till you wash it by hand? Washing it tells you plenty about the body paint n chrome.. You know enough to be very careful with mechanics and the interior....

I am curious why not use lots of water. To me the more water the better so you are not turning the dirt into an abrasive material? Wayne

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Matt Harwood 25,000+ Points

Matt Harwood

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Don't use Ivory soap, either--it strips any waxes and oils from the paint and I've found it leaves streaks in the paint if you don't get it off instantly. If you must use soap, use a quality car wash soap designed for cars.

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60FlatTop 25,000+ Points

60FlatTop

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Dirt holds moisture. If the car is ever parked where its metal temperature is below dew point moisture will condense. Air circulation will dry it but dirt will trap it and hold water on the car longer.

 

I have kept my garage heated above the average dew point to keep the panels from being wet, particularly in spring and fall.

 

Dirt in upholstery acts as an abrasive. It will wear the surfaces.

 

I polish paint and wipe down unpainted areas like engine compartments with a light coat of WD-40 for protection. Works for me.

Bernie

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Guest LuxDriver

Guest LuxDriver

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Not too much water as they weren't very water proof and we don't want damp rotting areas from water getting in..Ivory soap, a little bit , in water .. Take off the wax.? Really? .. after all these yeas.. What wax?

Guess we each have our own way. I wash a car starting at the top... Probably others will say that's wrong too. Yikes

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Matt Harwood 25,000+ Points

Matt Harwood

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Not too much water as they weren't very water proof and we don't want damp rotting areas from water getting in..Ivory soap, a little bit , in water .. Take off the wax.? Really? .. after all these yeas.. What wax?

Guess we each have our own way. I wash a car starting at the top... Probably others will say that's wrong too. Yikes

 

Do it however works for you, there's no right or wrong way. All I'm saying is that when I worked in a body shop, we used Ivory soap to strip a car bare before bringing it inside to avoid contamination. It also removes Armor All from tires, which is critical in a bodyshop environment because the silicone molecule is what causes fisheyes in new paint. You want a car squeaky clean with nothing on the surfaces, Ivory will do it. If you want to preserve any wax that may or may not be on the car, then don't use it. And if you let it sit on the surface very long, it will leave streaks, especially on lacquer which has a very porous surface. On a car like this, it may make no difference, but why chance it? Use soap made for cars and you'll have no issues. Keep the Ivory in your bathtub.

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Terry Bond 25,000+ Points

Terry Bond

Posted
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Thanks Tyler-can't believe you've not posted before!  Am glad it ended up where you can help Dan play with it.  It's a neat car and Neil Sugermeyer can help you withi plenty of advice as his original HPOF 31 is an amazing time-capsule. 

 

The dirt isn't original so get rid of it (carefully).  No high-pressure water and would recommend a special auto cleaning product.   For all who don't know, Tyler is one of our younger members here in Tidewater Region - drives (and works on) a 1924 Model T Roadster, owned by one of our clubs earliest members who sadly passed away recently.  Tyler serves on the region Board of Directors and loves the earlier cars, so am glad to see this great orignal casr ended up where it did.  Enjoy - and we'll see you on the next Square Car Tour with it. 

Terry

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ScarredKnightfan 5,000+ Points

ScarredKnightfan

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As others have written, Tyler, clean it up & enjoy it!  Thanks for posting the pics ... looks like a great find ... congrats!

 

 

Cort :) www.oldcarsstronghearts.com

1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve
"All the water in the ocean couldn't put out the fire this time" __ Atlanta __ 'Atlanta Burned Again Last Night'
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Pomeroy41144 5,000+ Points

Pomeroy41144

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My 1937 Ford sat for over 50 years and looked like hell when I bought it.  I washed it, vacuumed it, cleaned it up real good and pounded/scraped about 40lbs of road crud off of the suspension and frame.  I waxed the car with Zymol and really buffed the hell out of it (by hand).  I waxed it a few more times and now it looks pretty good. 

 

What is the point of saving the dirt and crud?  Make the car roadworthy, clean it up and enjoy.  Take a bunch of before and after photos. 

 

I think the trend of keeping barn finds as found, dirt, mouse turds and all, is a bit silly. Clean it up, fix anything that is unsafe and enjoy it. There are no extra point given for crud and poop. 

 

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Edited by Pomeroy41144 (see edit history)
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auburnseeker 25,000+ Points

auburnseeker

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The buick in my Avitar was covered with sand.  Every nook and cranny.  I actually carefully vacuumed the whole car off in a  using a very soft dust brush in the few nooks and crannies just enough to free up what was trapped.  The car had been stored in a very dirty/dusty garage and was actually sweating one of the days I went to look at it and the water was running off the body.  The paint while being pretty much shot (there are pimples of surface rust coming through it throughout the entire car ) is original and I have been fortunate enough to beable to wet sand (without water) away alot of surface damage including bumps and surface rust stains and put a shine back to the car buffing it with mother's wheel polish. It seems to work better on Lacquer than the conventional 3 M polishes.  It's a technique I wouldn't suggest to someone unless they have done it before though.  People are amazed at how good it came up and fortunately the paint was still near 7 mils when I got the car.  It'a amazing what you can save enough to still pass the muster especially being able to say it is worn but presentable and original.post-86835-0-09144400-1440183624_thumb.j

Edited by auburnseeker (see edit history)
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60FlatTop 25,000+ Points

60FlatTop

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I ran over the end of the hose in my garage about a year ago; smashed the nozzle and flattened the threaded part. I have been using polishing cloths and detail spray for quite a few years. The hose was just for white walls anyway. It still rinses them.

 

I got enough dust on the convertible from running across the muck land on Thursday that I had the tread of my shoes in the dirt I wiped off the car. I gave it two thorough wipe downs and a coat of detailer. It looks good. That's all I use; maybe a few dabs of wax after supper tonight if things are quiet.

 

Original dirt could get kind of tricky for 400 point judging. If some got brushed off and one had to replace it for appearance sake. Imagine the situation if I had to match the original chassis dirt on my Packard  AND get the correct shade of gray on the 288 engine Now, that's serious stuff.

Bernie

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Guest

Guest

Posted
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Tyler,

             Great find, terrific looking car! I agree with all the others here who all seem to agree. Clean it and bring it back to its former glory. No car deserves to be left looking neglected like that.

Greg

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C Carl 10,000+ Points

C Carl

Posted
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Not too much water as they weren't very water proof and we don't want damp rotting areas from water getting in..Ivory soap, a little bit , in water .. Take off the wax.? Really? .. after all these yeas.. What wax?

Guess we each have our own way. I wash a car starting at the top... Probably others will say that's wrong too. Yikes

You are 100% correct. The problem with water on these ancient cars is the easy access water has to all kinds of regions prone to rot. The top should NEVER be exposed to water . It will be porous to some significant degree. ( WHAT TOP DRESSING DO YOU GUYS USE/RECOMMEND ? ). Just wipe with a damp towel , as the entire top structure is vulnerable. Deep cleaning is not needed here. Once it starts to mildew ( Rot ) , that exquisite old car smell will be tainted. How many times have we old folk been saddened smelling this ? Repeated wet/dry cycles in the poorly protected structural wood invites rot. Good luck my friend. I hope you read this before giving it a bath. - Decaying , old , Carl

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Guest ModelTguy

Guest ModelTguy

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Thanks everyone for all of your help. We decided to wash it with regular car soap. (with minimal water and also hand wiped the roof). So far, I have managed to claybar half of the car, and boy does it shine. Here are some pictures. Not too bad for origional paint :D. This is a great car, it is all origional, and even has the factory tool kit under the seat!!

Btw, the last two pictures are before and after I clayed the rear fender.

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auburnseeker 25,000+ Points

auburnseeker

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Looks great.  Now aren't you glad you cleaned it?  

The car looks well cared for now,  not neglected.

I've had luck cleaning chrome with Mother's mag and aluminum polish and that's on beautiful show chrome as well as NOS parts that have been in storage for decades.  It works well on nickel as well.  Be sure there is no course dust/ sand on it before you start and use a nice soft clean cloth.  If it's to rough I also use 0000  Steel wool with WD 40 to lubricate it.  I wipe it down with WD first then reapply to provide lubrication for the steel wool.  The nice part is it stays wet a long time where water keeps drying.  I usually follow up with Mothers for a final polish.   You will want to be gentle especially on the grille shell as the plating is probably a little thin as it is.  

Keep the photos coming.  We like to see progress. 

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60FlatTop 25,000+ Points

60FlatTop

Posted
Posted (edited)

Same thought; that looks great. Aren't you glad you cleaned it?

 

A couple vacuum cleaner bags of dirt can restore that benevolently neglected look in a few minutes.

 

I use the WD 40 on my engine compartments. If you want to get into the true feel of a 1920's car owner put a little kerosene and a corn cob in a two quart bucket. Give 'er the once over every Saturday morning. It might be a little dusty for that fish fry on Friday night, but it will look great in the church parking lot on Sunday.

 

Now you can sit in a chair and admire the reflections off all those shiny curves; peaceful and satisfying like meditating.

Bernie

Edited by 60FlatTop (see edit history)
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cahartley 10,000+ Points

cahartley

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If you want to go one step more without breaking your back or the bank I recommend Meguiar's Cleaner Wax for a final finish.

I wanted to wax my '65 Mustang but didn't feel like working my rear off for a day doing it and discovered Meguiar's......glad I did too and I'm not the only one....... ;)

 

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/tires-auto-parts/car-wax/car-wax-ratings/models/overview/meguiars-cleaner-wax-a1216-99031507.htm

 

http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-A1216-Cleaner-Wax-Liquid/dp/B0002NYE5M/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1440621536&sr=1-1&keywords=meguiars+wax+cleaner&pebp=1440621536879&perid=185SW6W34C3MKV3DKJ8S

 

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cahartley 10,000+ Points

cahartley

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Posted

LOL Paul.......  :P

 

Just thought I'd mention something about the Meguiar's  Cleaner Wax: The directions say a THIN coat. Believe it!

After properly applied you should barely see it's there. If you see a sea of white you went way overboard and WILL work your butt off removing it.

If you're from the "more is better" persuasion you'll regret it.......  :unsure:

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