Topic: 69 Dearborn - Engine Compartment Seam Sealer

[ddonzella]

I have searched for a material reference for the sealer that was used on all the panel joints in the engine compartment and on the front inner fender wells on a June 12, 69 Dearborn Shelby. Sealer should be same as mustang correct? Upon media blasting the front end of my car a somewhat flexible beige ish color seam sealer is in place at all the metal joints. My car appeared to have been hap hazardly restored by a butcher some years ago so don't know if that material was correct. Couldn't find a reference for what is used today to mimic the old stuff. 3m flexible body and joint sealer??

Thanks for the help.

[J_Speegle]

Not exactly sure which seams your referring to but haven't found a light colored seam sealer used up there.  Will be the sane as the same month and plant Mustang the difference int he front is the sound deadener applications after the paint was applied.

Can't recall any seam sealer between the firewall and the inner fenders in the engine compartment(except for about 1" at the cowl to firewall pinch weld) . Now if your referring to the wheel well side then that's different

[ddonzella]

Ok,

Let me try to be more descriptive. Each shock tower, both on the inside of the engine compartment and the fender well side has a beige ish color sealer on the joints where the shock tower meets the battery panel assembly and the windshield washer reservoir area panel. Additionally the radiator support joining those previously described panels has a seam sealer joint applied where the left and right panel join it. Where those previously described panels meet the frame rails also has seam sealer applied at the panel weld joints of each panel. The color and type of seam sealer reminds me of the stuff General Motors used on its 60's cars. Mind you, this seam sealer is on bare metal with red oxide primer covering it then the black compartment paint?? Finally this seam sealer is also present on the panels joining the fire wall on the fender well sides.

Thank you!

[J_Speegle]

Let me try to be more descriptive. Each shock tower, both on the inside of the engine compartment and the fender well side has a beige ish color sealer on the joints where the shock tower meets the battery panel assembly and the windshield washer reservoir area panel.

Have never seen any applied in those locations. Sometimes we find a sprayed seam sealer or close application of sound deadener like material on the wheel well side in those joining points.

Additionally the radiator support joining those previously described panels has a seam sealer joint applied where the left and right panel join it.

Have never seen  a classic Mustang or Shelby (any plant or year) that I recall having a sealer along those joints

Where those previously described panels meet the frame rails also has seam sealer applied at the panel weld joints of each panel. The color and type of seam sealer reminds me of the stuff General Motors used on its 60's cars. Mind you, this seam sealer is on bare metal with red oxide primer covering it then the black compartment paint?? Finally this seam sealer is also present on the panels joining the fire wall on the fender well sides.

Like the first response above have found spray on sealer on some examples from that period and plant along the front frame to inner panels. A dark almost black product

Maybe all explained since the car has been played with /"restored" in the past


No sealer in these examples



No sealer along the wheel side















No sealer along the radiator support to inner fender panel joint




Sprayed sealer along the rear lower seam



But the spray missed the upper seam on this example

[ddonzella]

Thank you Jeff! Yes the restorer I affectionately call "the butcher" must have added seam sealer to all of the weld joints and panel ends. I will remove all of it. Work , Work, Work.

[J_Speegle]

Glad to help out

Lets "talk" after you get everything stripped off and before you start with the redone.   Yours will be different in some details since its a Shelby

[69GT350H]

I'll be listening. I do not believe my front end has been touched, can provide photos though I am sure you have plenty Jeff.

[ddonzella]

Ok Jeff.

All "after market" flexible sealers have been removed. All steal is clean. I have used Alumibond body filler to correct all the "steal acne" a couple of the surfaces have suffered over the years. What I call the outside shock tower area floor "under where the upper control arm rests" has been cut out and replaced. "It was rotted enough to be removed".

In removing all the paint I found semi gloss black over red oxide primer on bare steal on the interior engine bay area. On the outside fender wells I found only red oxide primer on bare metal with semi gloss black on front well to rear well and outside area of fire wall. NO WHITE PAINT under any of the paint I removed rearward of the shock towers.

Anxious and waiting!

[J_Speegle]

In removing all the paint I found semi gloss black over red oxide primer on bare steal on the interior engine bay area. On the outside fender wells I found only red oxide primer on bare metal with semi gloss black on front well to rear well and outside area of fire wall. NO WHITE PAINT under any of the paint I removed rearward of the shock towers.

Anxious and waiting!

On your car where does the exterior color stop?  Forgive me if I don't remember, it is all original paint with out a repaint or an earlier "restoration" attempt.

What I've provided is a pattern we typcially see on Dearborn cars going all the way back into 1964 paint practices at that plant

[ddonzella]

Ok,

My car was all redone in black semi gloss from the pinch weld next to the fender/fire wall. It should of been white there. No traces of white. Only red oxide primer and black semi gloss was removed.

Thank you!

[J_Speegle]

Ok,

My car was all redone in black semi gloss from the pinch weld next to the fender/fire wall. It should of been white there. No traces of white. Only red oxide primer and black semi gloss was removed.

White has to be on the body somewhere - did you start finding it on the firewall section of the front wheel well, on top of the cowl, at the outer surface of the cowl ....?

Same on both sides?

Maybe the painter cheated a little on your car and didn't go as far forward as usual. You'll need to document where all the finishes stopped and started to support your choices going forward since they sound not of norm. Remember that when we clear we remove paint with the process. I know some of the wheel wells I cleaned by hand with only water - the brush removed at least 20% to 80% of the overspray and I have to include that fact when I post those related pictures so that others will not get mislead by what they see

[ddonzella]

Ok, I understand.
The upper cowl and what I will call the air box housing that bring outside air into the car just in front of the door jams is white. I can only document that lateral to the pinch welds by the air boxes was all black with no over spray... This leads me to believe that it must have been taped off and then sprayed red oxide then black all the way to the front. Upon careful dissection of the areas I removed black then red oxide (almost brownish) and finally the beige flexible seam sealer I spoke about earlier in the seam joints. Not knowing Fords at all but listening to your great experience I would conclude that the car was media blasted to bare metal and then reconstructed with beige seam sealer, very dark red oxide (almost brownish) then black semi gloss top coat. Of special note is that the shock tower area on the spring side had a very thick layer of seam sealer under the upper control arm on top of the frame section inside the tower area. ??

[J_Speegle]

Have never found any area (when connected to the spraying of the unibody) was was masked or tapped off intentionally. Sometimes an attached sheet of paper left on the body will provide a small rectangle shadow but this is very rarely seen

I think what your finding is the evidence of the prior attempts that in turn are producing findings that do not fit the normal production methods and practices. Just what I'm getting from your description and not seeing what your seeing in person

As for seam sealer in the shock towers - its often found in a big puddle at the base blocking the "brain" holes. Today it appears counter productive but we were not there

[J_Speegle]

I'll be listening. I do not believe my front end has been touched, can provide photos though I am sure you have plenty Jeff.

Just adding another example to the pictures I posted earlier - this one is from David's car 9F02M481982. Looks close or identical to the last two pictures I posted above - even the same color exterior. Looks like normal clean up - the top layer of body color often comes off from on top of the seam sealer making it look (in some places) like it was added later/after body color