pros and cons for under coating what to use

[JJ 5821]

i am new to the mustang arena. i have a 1970 mach 1 that i have had all the metal work completed on. it is currently in my garage and is epoxy primered. i am debating on what to do underneath the car. bed liner or what? Any input and how it affects the cars value is appreciated.

[slim]

Some swear by certain undercoats. If you research the forum bed liner is often praised. Many including me are suspicius of what's hiding under the tar like stuff.


Slim

[bryancobb]

There's ABSOLUTELY NO REASON to undercoat or bed-line the underneath of a 70 Mustang unless you are trying to hide something you wish wasn't there.

Ford never undercoated them and look how long they lasted, some as daily drivers.

You will preserve your value more if you do a little research on date/plant for your car and try to copy what Ford did.

They DID put sound-deadener on the wheelwells, inside quarter panels, inside doors.

[mjb1032]

Thoroughly seam seal...
3M Ultrapro MSP Sprayable Seam Sealer - 08374

Then undercoat the wheelwells....
3M 08883 Underseal Rubberized Undercoating Black

You can take pictures prior to spraying to prove you're not hiding anything.

Is the undercarriage in final-coat?
epoxy sealer/primer may not be enough...
My bodyman went over that with SEM 38101 semi-gloss black.

[Fstbk]

Bryan is right.... Just leave the epoxy alone, after all it is better than most paints. If you want it to look like a factory finish from a california car you could use some of the Red Oxide SPI primer.

[John Gold]

My 65, 5R07C is black underneath, not red oxide. No undercoating.

[bryancobb]

Like I said ...do the plant/date specific research. Some were black, some were yuck colored. Most by far, were red oxide epoxy.
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[Candoo]

Just finished my undercarraige paint. Mine was previously painted same color as car.
I went with flat black and it looks great. Used rattle can enamel from a local auto body supplier, cost me about $100. I would not undercoat the underside unless I wanted to hide issues.

Only pic I got is the engine compartment.



This pic shows the inner fender with rock gaurd.

[graywolf_14]

Um didn't these rust pretty early?

[Smitten]

My '66 I bought in Massachusetts in '74 was rusted out so bad, the entire gas tank supports were gone by mid '75. It made a great parts donor, tho'. Salt on the roads didn't help it at all. Maybe not a problem for California, Texas or Georgia cars, but in the Northeast, yeah, they rusted. Quickly.

[Fstbk]

Originally Posted by graywolf_14

Um didn't these rust pretty early?

A lot of bare metal was left exposed on these cars when they were made, depending on the shift and the overall mood of the dude with the spray gun.

My car had a ton of goo under it, all that did was trap moisture between the goo and the metal and it rusted out with nobody seeing it, either that or they just applied more "goo" to hide it.

I will not spend real money on a nice car with "Goo" under it ever again, if you use it its because you are hiding something.

I had to replace the entire underside of my car, and after doing the work myself and spending a bunch of money I am willing to gamble on Epoxy.

I drove it all last summer and got caught in the rain many times, the bottom of the car was cleaner than the top at the end of the summer.

Goo has no place on the bottom of a car.

Goo.



No goo.




It amazes me that guys want Epoxy on the garage floor to protect it, but they worry about it on the bottom of a car where nothing can lay on it, or really even touch it?

[JohnnyK]

I used urethane paint, and then some rubberized stuff.. It was a pretty thin coating..

dang the purists, I want to quiet down the floor (yes, I did add deadener to the inside).

[Smitten]

I had the original goo that Fstbk refers to on my 64 1/2. Took a long time to remove all 40 + years of it down to metal and it hid some rust like Fstkbk says. While I do like the red oxide and considered it, I went with 3M's Body Schutz. I know some aren't a fan of that stuff but I was quite pleased. Did the wheel wheels and underneath. I also think the additional quieting is a worthwhile trade.

[wareagle]

I'm sorry but that red oxide epoxy primer looks good... Fstbk your pictures made me smile.

[Fstbk]

Originally Posted by wareagle

I'm sorry but that red oxide epoxy primer looks good... Fstbk your pictures made me smile.

Thank you. I still can't beleive that's my car in bothics. It sounds silly but I have wanted one of these cars since I was 18 and thought I would never actualy own one. Turns out the only way for me to have one that was nice was to do it myself.