Topic: Body Color & Primer, Where were the REAR Bumper Guards affixed when sprayed?

[67gtasanjose]

San Jose, built 11/2/66 1967 Mustang
I'm doing some Carchaeology (Thank's Scott, I like the term) and stripping the paint from my rear bumperettes. They have been repainted a few times under my watch and the car came with original paint when I bought the car in Spring of 1978.

During the first stripping, I have deterimined the whole outer surface of the bumper guard has been painted body color, this includes under all mounting hardware.

Under the body color is grey primer

Under the grey primer is what looks to be the salmon-color of the underbody.

Most interesting in this layering down of the paint layers (like peeling an onion, sort of) is that I find what looks like engine bay paint, semi gloss black, but on only one of them and this slightly sprayed onto the side of what would become the painted, SEEN side of the bumper guard. ONLY the  face-side was shot with body color, leaving this Semi Gloss Black on the back, potentially visible once the car was done. This SGB paint was clearly "masked" by an object  or tape where absolutely no underbody color, no primer and no body color hit the part. (see image below).

It seems to me this was likely painted near the engine compartment and got hit with engine bay paint slightly (possibly by mistake of the worker)
I am wondering if anyone else found where possibly they affixed these to the body of the car to shoot the sealer, primer and body color. I would think there would be a witness mark on the other painted surfaces nearby from the overspray of body color.

[ruppstang]

I have seen NOS ones that were painted black.

[Bob Gaines]

I have seen NOS ones that were painted black.

The base bumper guard brackets were attached to the body when the unibody was painted .The bumper guards may have been on a fixture close by but not painted in place. If you think about it would interfere with the painting of the rear valance.

[67gtasanjose]

The base bumper guard brackets were attached to the body when the unibody was painted .The bumper guards may have been on a fixture close by but not painted in place. If you think about it would interfere with the painting of the rear valance.

My point I was attempting to make is, as I stripped these originals down, evidence suggest they were painted near the engine compartment since there was a trace of what looks to be engine compartment semi-gloss black oversprayed onto one of them, (as seen on the one example pictured) These are NOT replacement bumper guards, they the originals to this example, period. This black was between the factory light grey primer and the body color, indicating to me the bumper guards were most likely someplace near the engine compartment when shot. I was hoping somebody had seen some witness marks in the cowl area perhaps where these may have been shot. Notice there is bare metal on the back sides, also indicating they were there for the entire primer/sealer coat, through body prep and on into paint of body color. I imagine this example is not the only one like it.

[Bob Gaines]

My point I was attempting to make is, as I stripped these originals down, evidence suggest they were painted near the engine compartment since there was a trace of what looks to be engine compartment semi-gloss black oversprayed onto one of them, (as seen on the one example pictured) These are NOT replacement bumper guards, they the originals to this example, period. This black was between the factory light grey primer and the body color, indicating to me the bumper guards were most likely someplace near the engine compartment when shot. I was hoping somebody had seen some witness marks in the cowl area perhaps where these may have been shot. Notice there is bare metal on the back sides, also indicating they were there for the entire primer/sealer coat, through body prep and on into paint of body color. I imagine this example is not the only one like it.

The cowl would be a problematic location to place them to be painted IMO. Most likely on a fixture and not directly connected to the car IMO. Interesting to speculate where they might had been painted but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter since they are top coated body color. 

[J_Speegle]

Trying to catch up with the conversation - was gone yesterday inspecting a car all day

San Jose, built 11/2/66 1967 Mustang
I'm doing some Carchaeology (Thank's Scott, I like the term) and stripping the paint from my rear bumperettes. They have been repainted a few times under my watch and the car came with original paint when I bought the car in Spring of 1978.

During the first stripping, I have determined the whole outer surface of the bumper guard has been painted body color, this includes under all mounting hardware.

Under the body color is grey primer

They were not on the car when the car was painted. What you describe (if I understand it all correctly) sounds like evidence that they were on during a repaint and picked up those colors and layer from that process.

Under the grey primer is what looks to be the salmon-color of the underbody.

Getting the paint from the undercarriage to those parts would be impossible IMHO since that was applied with jets from below the track/line belt I think this is just a coincidence and would need to see another half dozen sets painted the same way and even then it might just indicate that the supplier did not any other connection

My point I was attempting to make is, as I stripped these originals down, evidence suggest they were painted near the engine compartment since there was a trace of what looks to be engine compartment semi-gloss black oversprayed onto one of them, (as seen on the one example pictured) These are NOT replacement bumper guards, they the originals to this example, period. This black was between the factory light grey primer and the body color, indicating to me the bumper guards were most likely someplace near the engine compartment when shot. I was hoping somebody had seen some witness marks in the cowl area perhaps where these may have been shot.........

You refer to the finish as engine compartment black, why not semi-gloss black. Don't know that engine compartment semi-gloss black is any different in make up than any other semi-gloss black that a manufacturer would apply

[67gtasanjose]

OK, the consensus seems to indicate they were on another fixture when shot. The only thing pertinent seems to be that all three factory layers (salmon color sealer, grey primer and body color) all transition to the bare metal in the same line on the part indicating on this example at least, the guards remained attached to the fixture through the entire process.

What I have been refering to semi-gloss black may actually just be gloss black from another car's parts in the vacinity and may have have been hit onto these by accident but it is definately UNDER the original body color so not a result of any repaint.

I'll let this go now since it hasn't really developed into anything helpful to me or others.