Topic: 66 NJ - door hardware paint?

[evantugby]

gents,
I have my doors torn apart for restoration. In terms of the hardware bolts, three screws and the single cap on each outer edge on each door, would those have been painted while on the car or put on after paint?

[ChrisV289]

No paint on the hardware, including the two bolts that are currently painted now...

[evantugby]

No paint on the hardware, including the two bolts that are currently painted now...

Does hardware include the screws and access cover plate too?

[J_Speegle]

Here are some examples showing the differences in finishes. Its not unusual for a repaint in the past or in some cases today for the painter to paint the car assembled and just shot over all the mounting hardware and tape around other parts

Thought it should be mentioned that it appears there is an extra hole drilled at the lower corner of the door you showed in the picture and it appears that the paint break from interior to exterior are also not like they were normally done originally

Originally the access plugs were painted off the car then installed

[Bob Gaines]

Also thin white foam gasket under the round plugs.

[evantugby]

Also thin white foam gasket under the round plugs.

Bob,
Are you saying I should have a thin white foam gasket under each of the four plugs, because I must be missing them.

[Bob Gaines]

Bob,
Are you saying I should have a thin white foam gasket under each of the four plugs, because I must be missing them.

It depends on if you are trying to duplicate the nuance assemblyline detail or not. Many times they are destroyed when the plug is taken out . Other times they crumble with age. They can be hard to see sometimes even if they are still intact. 

[evantugby]

Copy that, Bob. Thank you for that detail.

Follow-up question: my driver side door is not original to my kar, as indicated by the metal stamp in the door. The passenger side is.

My driver door on the inside has red oxide primer in the center while my passenger door has silver-ish color in the center. So which is correct for a metuchen-built 66?

[J_Speegle]

Agree with Bob. If they are still there they are almost invisible though about 90%  of the time on your run of the mill Mustang they are long expired or missing

My driver door on the inside has red oxide primer in the center while my passenger door has silver-ish color in the center. So which is correct for a metuchen-built 66?

Like other plants the door was primed then the interior color was applied to the inner surface. Then a mask was normally applied that protected the outer (what would be visible once the door panel was installed), a small strip along the inner face of the door on the bottom edge (not going to the weather strip channel and a small jog out at the top rear edge at the top where the weather strip would end. 

Then the exterior color was applied to the car and the paint application would cover the door jamb (not always a full coat along the bottom of the door to the mask edge). The end product typically has the center of the door where the mechanisms attached - behind the door panel body color like what we see in later years and in 65 at other plants 

[evantugby]

Jeff,
So do either of these inner door colors (silver or red) look appropriate? 

[J_Speegle]

Jeff,
So do either of these inner door colors (silver or red) look appropriate?

No - not exactly and we're all about being exact as possible here

The inner area would have had a sharp masked/taped edge between the two colors. Of course some may not car since its not seen on a finished car

The edge at the bottom is not typical IMHO but more like we see on "restored" cars and doesn't replicate 66-66 NJ doors.

This example was offered up a while back from one of our members

The car had a exterior repaint with the door jambs done with weatherstrip left in place. Though they did repaint the bottom of the door it appears that they masked along the original line as evident by the rear edge where they didn't repaint

Inner paint edge



Top rear upper edge



Forward front surface



Bottom edge/surface