What would you do?

[Laughing Coyote]

As I make slow progress on my 61 Mercury Meteor restore I wanted to know what you would do for the under side of the car.  I'm currently taking off the old coating and crud and when it's all done I'm going to coat it with a Rhino liner type product.  The question is: should I leave it black or paint it the color of the car?  I have notice that Ford painted the inner sides of the rockers and inside the rear fender wells with the body color.  Thanks for any comments. 

[Rusty_OToole]

Originally it was body color where it was painted at all.

[8E45E]

If the old undercoating was black, then definitely go with the black Rhino box liner finish.  If it was actually body color, which I doubt, (unless it didn't have undercoating), then go back to the original body color or red oxide primer as it was.

 

I plan on using Rhino product, or an equivalent to replace the original undercoating on my car.  The Studebaker I'm working on used that tar-like undercoating, which has the same characteristic as asphalt pavement:  It looks nice and black and beautiful when freshly laid, but looks old and dirty once the dust is absorbed into it and despite best efforts at cleaning it, that original new look never comes back to its 'just freshly applied' appearance.  The Rhino coating is supposed retain that nice, solid black 'like new' appearance when hosed clean.

 

Craig

Edited May 25, 2015 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[Bleach]

The areas that weren't painted should probably be the brownish / copper colored oxide primer. That's what shows underneath my 56. There's no undercoating anywhere, just some paint in the wheel wells and a little beyond. Undercoatings were probably added by the dealer. Since you live Arizona you don't need any coatings unless for sound deadening.

[Guest AlCapone]

If it will be judged I think you have no choice ! You must go with the original. After all that work you should not make a choice you may well regret later in life. Ascertain what the original was and go with it ! Good luck. Wayne

[rick60]

The bottom of my 1960 Ford is unrestored original.  It was painted red oxide primer with black undercoating applied in a random pattern.  The outer portions of the floor pan were covered completely. The driveshaft tunnel had primer only. The area in the rear wheel wells were covered completely.  The area by the rear bumper had very little undercoating, almost like overspray.  I don't think the procedure changed much from 1960 to 1961.  Keep up the good work.  I enjoy your restoration posts. 

[capngrog]

If it will be judged I think you have no choice ! You must go with the original. After all that work you should not make a choice you may well regret later in life. Ascertain what the original was and go with it ! Good luck. Wayne

 

I don't know anything about judging for an AACA event, so please correct me if I misstate the obvious.  It seems that in the 50's and 60's, undercoating was a popular dealer-applied option that was not, as rick60 described, always applied in a consistent manner.  I'm guessing that a car would be judged better if it had no undercoating at all but did have chassis paint as applied by the factory.  With that said, would a similar car lose points if it had an "as new" simulated dealer-applied undercoating?  Do dealer-installed options generally detract from the judging/scoring of a car?

 

I agree with Wayne that if you're going to go through all the trouble to refurbish the underside of your car, expend a bit more effort to make it as "correct" as possible.

 

Cheers,

Grog

[JamesBulldogMiller55Buick]

AACA does not count dealer applied items as "original"

[West Peterson]

AACA does not count dealer applied items as "original"

False. AACA DOES accept dealer installed items as long as it's factory authorized.

[rick60]

I believe the undercoating on my car was applied by the factory.  There is no overspray on the frame or suspension components.  I don't think the undercoating was intended to prevent rust.  I think it was an attempt at sound deadening. There is also an undercoating like product sloppily sprayed on the engine side of the firewall. It is supposed to act as a sealer where the insulation retaining pins pass through and around the blower motor.  It is the same product used on the bottom of the car.

[JamesBulldogMiller55Buick]

False. AACA DOES accept dealer installed items as long as it's factory authorized.

Thank you for that correction.