Topic: Tunnel coating for 68 NJ cars

[67gta]

I'm assisting a club member with cleaning and painting the underneath of his 68 NJ built stang. What should the transmission tunnel be covered in. Right now there is falling off undercoating around the top curve from above the bell housing to just before the axle. Lower areas look to have black paint.

Thanks
Jim

[Coralsnake]

Normally a red oxide primer, the 68 NJ primer tends to be a little browner

The transmission tunnel was not undercoated or with sound deadner unless added by dealer

Body color overspray would not reach in that far

I have seen black above the rear axle and certainly it could be coming in from the engine bay, but the bottom of the trans tunnel is going to exclusively primer.

[ruppstang]

I agree that normally the tunnel is just primer.  Cougars got sound deadener on the top of the tunnel were the Mustangs did not. Both cars were built on the same line and IMHO some Mustang unintentionally got the deadener on the tunnel.

I restored a 68 SJ J code hardtop that I found the deadener on. I did not replace it because I felt it was in error.

[J_Speegle]

Agree that for a NJ car there was typically no sound deadener applied down the driver line tunnel and there would have been no reason for the worker to have been in the area (Cougars we're built there) but there is a possibility IMHO given the OP description that they found it above the transmission bell housing area

Would have been nice if a picture of the area in question was included as it might clear up a number of details.

There is a seam right above that general area where the firewall and main floor come together. In that center section the two mating surfaces sometimes did not met up nicely (read gaps produced) so the line brushed on some heavy seam sealer or sprayed sealer/sound deadener over that seam in an effort to seal the joint. Does not appear IMHO to be something that was done on every car and method of sealing differed between years and plants.

Just wanted to offer this as a possibility to what the OP was possibly describing

 Hope this helps

[67gta]

I agree that normally the tunnel is just primer.  Cougars got sound deadener on the top of the tunnel were the Mustangs did not. Both cars were built on the same line and IMHO some Mustang unintentionally got the deadener on the tunnel.

I restored a 68 SJ J code hardtop that I found the deadener on. I did not replace it because I felt it was in error.

Thanks for the responses.

Pretty close to what I saw. It extended a little further towards firewall. Should have taken pictures before we scraped it. Underneath mostly the red primer. Red also under the black paint on the tunnel sides, the black reminded me of the tint of the engine compartment black. What a YUK standing under a lift scraping and then media blasting.