How do I determine, if it is possible, whether my car was originally undercoated or painted; and what information would help me determine that (like the VIN). Or, if undeterminable, would it make any difference which I did in terms of keeping the car near concours.
Which finishes (paint vs undercoat vs ?) are the most durable, easiest to keep clean looking.
Thanks,
Brian
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1969 Mach 1 390, Sportsroof, Red/black, rear window louvre, front & rear spoilers. BFG Radial TA's. Factory stock, nearly all original. Was good, gonna be great!
it would have come down the line primed/painted underneath. only sound deadner was applied at the factory. any 'undercoating' would have been done at the dealer.
Hi, thanks for responding. Other questions:
So, is it more correct to restore the car to how it was when it left the factory or to how it was after the dealer did his thing to it?
Additionally, I see a lot of "concours" cars which are left primer red with body color over-spray underneath along the outer edges (rocker panels?), which I understand to be correct according to how it left the factory. But, when you write above that it was primed/painted, what do you mean by painted?
Also, how would you describe the difference between sound deadener and undercoating. I suspect that sometimes the two terms are used to describe the same thing. I have thought sound deadener referred to that dense carpet-pad-like material that is layed around in the trunk and under the interior carpet to quiet the outside noise. And that undercoating referred to that black spray-on, rubberized material that is seen in the drive shaft channel and in the wheel wells.
Thoughts?
Brian.
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1969 Mach 1 390, Sportsroof, Red/black, rear window louvre, front & rear spoilers. BFG Radial TA's. Factory stock, nearly all original. Was good, gonna be great!
All mustangs were painted underneath. 65-68 - left over paint mixed together and ended up with a redish color people mistake for primer. If I recall the 69 and 70 were mostly body color underneath. I recommend just climbing under your mustang and clean a smal spot down to the painted surface. Keep in mind that a sealer was used on all the seams.
It appears that somewhere in it's history someone may have done an unskilled "restoration"; the underside appears to be all black (no layers under that, and a suspicious absence of seam sealer in places. Therefore my questions and interest in what may have been there originally.
Can anyone respond to more of my questions posed above?
Thanks.
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1969 Mach 1 390, Sportsroof, Red/black, rear window louvre, front & rear spoilers. BFG Radial TA's. Factory stock, nearly all original. Was good, gonna be great!
All mustangs were painted underneath. 65-68 - left over paint mixed together and ended up with a redish color people mistake for primer.
That's not totally accurate. I've seen plenty of Dearborn and Metuchen cars with black underside. I've also seen about every mix color you can imagine (blues, pinks, etc.) sprayed on the bottom of early car's , so to say that all 65-68 cars should be a reddish color is incorrect.
When the unibody came down the line, it ran over a series of jets that sprayed the bottom of the entire unibody. The coats were pretty heavy, that's why you will see drips on the bottom of the seat pans of original cars. When the body was painted, you got overspray onto the bottom of the car as painters leaned over to get the rockers and bottom of the quarters. That's why original overspray can vary from just a hint of color to almost full coverage under the car.
The sound deadener people refer to is the thick stuff you will find inside the wheelwells, on the inside of the rear quarters in the trunk, etc. 3M's body schutz is similar in consistency and look. The areas of application vary from plant to plant and year to year.
Search older posts here for Jeff Speegle's threads about original sound deadener applications. There is a ton of information that he has posted in the past.
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65 Mustang Convertible 289 C-code
Rangoon Red with White w/Red Appointments Deluxe Interior
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Last edited by ivygreen65; 11-03-2009 at 04:15 PM.
QUOTE:
So, is it more correct to restore the car to how it was when it left the factory or to how it was after the dealer did his thing to it?
That depends on you. What are your intentions with the car. If you want a driver that you don't have to worry about the bottom side getting wet or dirty, then undercoat it and make it somewhat maintenance free. If you want to show the car, then you need to restore it to MCA specifications, which is how it left the factory.
However, I do believe you can show your car in the driven class and have it undercoated on the bottom. I believe, though, if one thing is undercoated (according to MCA), everything has to be undercoated. I'm going from memory and don't have a rule book with me, so you need to confirm this.
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65 Mustang Convertible 289 C-code
Rangoon Red with White w/Red Appointments Deluxe Interior
[IMG][/IMG]
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Was my car originally undercoated or painted?
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