clear coat over the aging paint for a rat rod look

paint failure wont necessarily get the aggressive type of bubbling rust, it normally just oxidizes over with faint orange rust on the surface which is minor . if anything fords have poor weatherstripping and rain channel design. if you notice most rust spots are on the body weld seams or near window edges because they are waterlogged from backed up drainages. a cheap paintjob wont help in that situation because they dont bother sanding to bare metal and dont blow out the drip lines with compressed air.
maaco type paint jobs are not worth getting. they are poorly applied with next to no prep work involved(most important part of any coating) and their paint usually fails within a few years anyway. you have to garage it after or it will not last. id get an air compressor and hvlp gun and try it myself before taking it there.
id just use a rust stopping product like vinegar or even better corrosionX, and then a good wax to seal it all in and stop it from getting worse. collinite #845 would be solid. a quality liquid spray sealant would be easier to apply and reapply though.
if it already is bubbling you could sand it and hit it with primer, but bird crap and other stuff is hard to wash off because of the grabby nature of the primer. a top coat would be ideal.
post a pic of the roof. hood is easier, roof is the bigger problem.