Topic: Engine Bay Details, Dearborn '66

[drummingrocks]

I'm redoing my engine bay in my '66 fastback, built Dec. 8th, 1965, at Dearborn.  I have a few questions about the engine bay assembly and painting process.

Please correct me if I have any of this wrong:
1. Brake master cylinder: It was installed when the engine bay was painted.  It should be almost completely blacked out, including the cap and mounting hardware.  Were any of the brake lines installed, and do they get blacked out?  On a disc brake car like mine, was the proportioning valve blacked out also?

2. Steering box blackout: The steering box was in place also when the engine bay was painted.  Going off of the thread and pictures Charles Turner posted once before on his Hi-Po restoration, the steering box received a fairly decent coat of black paint.  Were any of the other steering components in place when the bay was blacked out? I'm mainly thinking about the idler arm and pitman arm--did the blackout extend that far down?

3. Air conditioning: Was the A/C condenser and dryer in place when the radiator cradle was painted?

4. On fender aprons, I seem to remember sealer being used between the front fenders and the tops of the fender aprons.  What's a decent product to replicate this, and how much of it should be visible once the fenders are bolted down and aligned?  Again, I'm going off of memory here, so I may be imagining this.

5. Was the battery tray already installed when the engine bay was painted?

Firewall and Sprayable Sealant:
6. I know that almost any areas of the firewall where components protruded through to the interior were coated with sound deadener/sealer.  On my car, a brake fluid leak had pretty much taken off any original paint and sealer around the master cylinder. Did this area originally receive any sealer?

7.  Were items like the heater hoses, the heater blower motor, the A/C lines, and the wiring harness connectors already in place when the firewall sealant was applied? If so, was any effort made to keep the sealer off of any of these items, or was it allowed to pretty much flow wherever and however the worker applied it?

8.  Should there be any type of sealer between the throttle linkage and the firewall, where the linkage bolts to the firewall? 

Sorry for the million questions, I didn't set out to write a book!    I just want to get these details as correct as possible.  I'm already on my second re-do of this engine bay in four years, I don't want to have to do it again for a while!

[carlite65]

i take a few of these. there was absolutely nothing installed whan the bay was painted.

1. the master cyl is black but it was painted at the manufacturer and is a slightly different shade of black, more glossy iirc. the lines are plated.
 
2. the steering box is a p&o finish. the blackout was done after installation.

3. the a/c condenser again was painted at the mfgr and is also a different shade of black.

4. 3M strip caulk is a good substitute. very little if any shows along the edges.

5. battery tray also painted at mfgr. different shade of black.

6. sealer was applied before engine was installed. sealer around all items except engine ground strap. no effort made to mask items. it was not a 'pretty' job there.

[CharlesTurner]

For '66, there would have been no parts installed prior to engine bay paint.

Strip caulk was used between the fenders and inner fenders.  Sometimes a little squeezes out here and there, but don't make it excessive, looks like you tried to hard.

Almost all of the components would have been installed in the engine bay except for the engine when the sealant was sprayed to seal firewall pass-through parts.  Hood hinges typically were not installed yet, but you would need to verify with other Dearborn '66 cars.  The accelerator bell-crank might not have been installed or if it was, was covered prior to sealant.

[drummingrocks]

Almost all of the components would have been installed in the engine bay except for the engine when the sealant was sprayed to seal firewall pass-through parts.  Hood hinges typically were not installed yet, but you would need to verify with other Dearborn '66 cars.  The accelerator bell-crank might not have been installed or if it was, was covered prior to sealant.

Ok, just to be 100% certain I've got this correct, the engine bay was painted black, then most of the firewall-side components like heater hoses, wiring harnesses, etc., were installed, then sealant was sprayed on as the final step?

[CharlesTurner]

Ok, just to be 100% certain I've got this correct, the engine bay was painted black, then most of the firewall-side components like heater hoses, wiring harnesses, etc., were installed, then sealant was sprayed on as the final step?

Yes, most every hole would be filled with a fastener, clip or part before sealant sprayed on the firewall.  The amount used depends on plant and time of production.

[drummingrocks]

The amount used depends on plant and time of production.

Not to worry, I have pictures of the original, unrestored engine bay.  However, I did sandblast the firewall when the car was restored, and now I'm worried about duplicating the look of the factory sealer, especially around the blower motor where it appeared to be have the heaviest application.

I think I can probably get by with aerosol undercoating in most of the firewall areas, but I don't think an aerosol product will build up thick enough around the blower motor to recreate what was there originally. 

[J_Speegle]

.....I think I can probably get by with aerosol undercoating in most of the firewall areas, but I don't think an aerosol product will build up thick enough around the blower motor to recreate what was there originally. 

Try chilling the can - and shake it a full two minutes. Chilling worked with the spray gun products. Depending on the brand you use some will allow you to add additional coats without dissolving the earlier ones