Topic: Underbody paint for 68' Metuchen cars?

[mungus]

Anyone care to share what the correct underbody colors would have been for March 68' Metuchen FB?

I always thought the red oxide was the way, as you so often see this a shows and in photos, however a knowledgeable chap has informed me this wasn't the case at Metuchen.
Saying that they used whatever they had or a green / grey primer, with some overspray at the usual places.
Another post I read said they were not strictly one colour but either red oxide or satin black underneath, depending on what was lying around.

Anybody able to confirm?

Many thanks.

[J_Speegle]

Sounds like a bit of confusion and mixing of different plants and years in the conversation

Fist I guess your car is too far gone to offer up what was originally applied to your car - the reason for the question

Without option gone we have to rely on other cars built the same plant around the same time - in your case March 68

So VINs in the 176xxx-191xxx range one would guess


So looking at my collection I found what I was expecting - red oxide from firewall forward and red oxide from firewall rearward like on the other years at NJ


Here are a couple of pictures from examples One durign the period and one right after that period

Hope this helps

[mungus]

Thanks for the reply. Very informative.

Actually March 68', per my post and signature. Perhaps that makes a difference. VIN is 8T02S - 182523.
I made the year and plant quite clear to all sources so there shouldn't have been any confusion, however the resulting stories do vary somewhat.
I am grateful that red oxide seems to be emerging as the favourite though. Despite what some say I quite like it when done well with the contrasting black and raw steel parts and the odd daub of inspection or ID colour here and there.

BTW the underside of mine is covered in red oxide but appears to be far more recent. Scraping off didn't reveal any other colors though...
Despite the front fenders being rotted out my cars main body had surprising little rust, and still shows the OEM primer and Aqua finish paint in many places.
The main areas of damage appears to come from  someone trying to jack it up under the rear floor pans and what looks like some rear tunnel damage from it perhaps slipping off whatever support was being used at some time. All being fixed soon...

[J_Speegle]

Actually March 68', per my post and signature. Perhaps that makes a difference. VIN is 8T02S - 182523.

Just a typo - fixed

I made the year and plant quite clear to all sources so there shouldn't have been any confusion, however the resulting stories do vary somewhat.
I am grateful that red oxide seems to be emerging as the favourite though.

Not that its the "favorite" - just what they used.

You'll also have body color and pinch weld over spray as well as the black sealant around and along certain areas

[Bob Gaines]

Anyone care to share what the correct underbody colors would have been for March 68' Metuchen FB?

I always thought the red oxide was the way, as you so often see this a shows and in photos, however a knowledgeable chap has informed me this wasn't the case at Metuchen.
Saying that they used whatever they had or a green / grey primer, with some overspray at the usual places.
Another post I read said they were not strictly one colour but either red oxide or satin black underneath, depending on what was lying around.

Anybody able to confirm?

Many thanks.

The procedure the chap was describing is what they did at the Dearborn plant line and not the Metuchen line typically. The floors are most typically  as Jeff described.

[Coralsnake]

I have seen hundreds of 68 NJ cars and all were red oxide. The color is actually a little browner, but definetly not batch paint or black.

Maybe "knowledgeable" chap is not a good description.

 

[mungus]

Guess as some are saying he might have just confused Dearborn with Metuchen.
He actually runs a couple of Mustang businesses, in OZ and the USA. Fairly well known chap in Mustang circles, and he is on many of the forums, but I wont mention his name.
In any case glad I've got the colour sorted...

[Bob Gaines]

Guess as some are saying he might have just confused Dearborn with Metuchen.
He actually runs a couple of Mustang businesses, in OZ and the USA. Fairly well known chap in Mustang circles, and he is on many of the forums, but I wont mention his name.
In any case glad I've got the colour sorted...

Those clues tell me who the chap most likely is . We all can make mistakes . He just got the plants confused.

[mungus]

Those clues tell me who the chap most likely is . We all can make mistakes . He just got the plants confused.

I think so. I've found him very helpful and quite knowledge so far.

[mungus]

UPDATE:

OK I finally finished degreasing the underbody, ready to replace the damaged rear floors.
This is what I found. Red Oxide with finish coat overspray, just as some had said. So there we go! Red oxide was the thing in 68' at Metuchen.
Thanks for everyone's help.