Topic: red oxide application

[Ashley]

Hi: Thanks for all replies on firewall holes, photos were helpful. What sections of car was red oxide used on including doors fenders, back side of front and rear valance panels. Car is a 67 coupe, San Hose 10-66. Thanks

[J_Speegle]

Hi: Thanks for all replies on firewall holes, photos were helpful. What sections of car was red oxide used on including doors fenders, back side of front and rear valance panels. Car is a 67 coupe, San Hose 10-66. Thanks

Most of the parts made at the stamping plants were painted a red oxide primer  to protect them somewhat during shipping and storing, if sent to the ware house that supplied dealerships that used them or sold them to body shops or anyone else. Without going piece by piece, in general if the part was going to be used and welded to make up the unibody it was not primered as an individual part. Fenders and valances were.  Not sure of the reason you asking just in case it matters much of the red oxide applied to the unibody was later coated with a coat of light gray primer surfaces to reduce to cover the very small imperfections in the body and finish before body color was applied. This light gray was used basically on exterior surfaces of the car that inspectors cared a lot about. Runs and some flaws were over looked if they happened in the trunk or engine compartment area of the car so no reason to directly spray those areas during this process. Practice was pretty much standard in most body shops did at the time and for decades after

Couple of pictures

Primered fenders being unloaded on the east side of the San Jose plant. Notice the color - that is red oxide




And another in one of the plants. Notice that the metal is bare and the spot as well as other welds are highly visible at this point in the assembly process




Hope this helps. If I missed the make please write back and I'll adjust 



The exterior of the body was painted with a red oxide primer (not the epoxy primer sealer used under the car)  on the tops and sides pretty much and stopped somewhere in the front wheel wells and engine compartment, both which were coated over by the semi-gloss black.

[Ashley]

Reason for info on red oxide, 67 coupe going for sandblasting to bare metal. Would like red oxide to replicate assembly line appearance on floor pans and areas it could be seen. Did engine bay paint get applied to underside of front subframes. Were shock tower braces painted on car and were they engine bay color. Thanks

[J_Speegle]

Reason for info on red oxide, 67 coupe going for sandblasting to bare metal. Would like red oxide to replicate assembly line appearance on floor pans and areas it could be seen

Guess you haven't yet found the article on the 67 San Jose undercarriage preparation and painting in the Library section of the site. Suggest you take a few minutes to read. Will likely answer a number of questions. But yes as stated in the article one version of the epoxy primer sealer was applied by jets mounted below the moving jig or dolly the unibody was attached to. This fixture applied the color to the undercarriage of the body from firewall rearward to just short of the rear cross member as the body traveled over the jets. A second application from a second paint source (so the tint and tine were often off in finish from the floor color) by a worker spraying the lower sections of the front frame rails and bottom of them from the front cross member to about even with the firewall or slightly rearward to cover any gap with the floor color.

Did engine bay paint get applied to underside of front subframes.

Not directly the workers didn't want to bend over that much typically and they were standing above the engine compartment not in the pit as other workers were for other processes like sound deadener applications

Were shock tower braces painted on car and were they engine bay color. Thanks

Shock tower braces were not an item attached to the body when it was painted. Because of that the mounting hardware was unpainted and the braces were painted elsewhere. Still a version of semi- gloss black but the tint or tone could often be slightly different from the engine compartment itself. Just like things like engine pulleys and brackets. All painted different places and plants sometimes using different brands of paint, different applications, spraying and drying rooms,  as well as weather conditions.

[Ashley]

Wasn't aware of article in library, great in-depth info article on factory procedures especially color illustrations showing where and how paints and sealers were applied. Appreciate time and effort you put into article.   

[J_Speegle]

Thanks for the kind comments. Though it took time it was a good investment since I got tired of answering the same questions over and over during the many decades its been asked.