None of us has seen it, so it's hard to say if it's the type of patina to save or not. If you like it that's what counts. Patina is a non specific word in truck language, It usually means original paint, rubbed off in many places, sometimes old lettering, mottled paint, slight surface oxidation (rust). It does not mean a rust bucket. You say "rust free" with a little surface rust appearing. It is now 58 years old, it's not going to rust to dust. These opinions are based on where we live and how we feel about patina we haven't seen. You live in WA, I live in AZ. It also all depends on how much use it will get, if it's stored in a garage, never driven in snow/salt, hosed off and wiped down and the undercarriage treated/painted. CLR puts a non original looking "shine" on it, patina to me is dull or waxed. Clear coat may ruin it, bubble or crack when it reacts to the paint or it may not. You won't know if you will like it until after you do something, you won't know if it will damage it until later on, possibly. I live in AZ so leaving it alone was right for me. DADS50's link is interesting but it does not show the drivers side hood before and after. What I see is some pics while still wet from water and the rest are just a cleaner truck? Some other photos show CLR just shines the rust. CLR is a calcium, lime, surface rust remover for toilets (porcelain). I do not see any info on it for protecting paint or rust areas from further rust. Most of the people using CLR are funky 60's and 70's four doors and Rat Rods. Yours is neither. Those guys don't know what they are doing and don't care. Maybe the chemists at CLR do, when they say on the bottle, "Do Not Use On Painted Surfaces". I think original red with pin stripe is rare and very popular for resale. Chrome wheels and red is like sexy, man!
I still recommend what I said in my first post. Try some wax in a safe place and see if you like it or not. Ran into this, but don't know anything about it other than what the guy says. You can google this product for more info:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Preserve-the-Beauty-of-Raw-or-Rusted-Steel-Iron-/
