Maybe it's because I'm a New Englander, but I just don't get the whole "patina" thing.. whenever I see an old car or truck being lauded for it's "patina", all I can think is Boy, he better sand and prime that quick or he'll have a big problem next spring. Of course, since most of these come from places like California where rust hasn't been invented, that's not really true I guess.
Anyway, sorry for my digression.. your '55 Ford looks like a cool project; I'll definitely be interested in following your progress.