Topic: Headlight Blackout for a Dearborn Car

[RocketScientist]

I have found lots of pics detailing headlight bucket blackouts on this forum but I haven't seen any with the headlight removed! I would like to know how extensive the blackout was around the inner headlight housing? Both my headlight buckets indicate that they were body color and the blackout was around the outer edges but the car has been repainted and it's hard to be 100% sure. When I cleaned the grease of the parts, black paint started coming through but I don't know if I am removing old body paint or overspray from a previous paint. When I paint stripped the bucket I saw that the whole part looked to be originally painted black and I am assuming that the body colour was applied at a later date.

I am curious to know if my buckets are correct or the black should be more extensive.

Brad

[J_Speegle]

Didn't find the old thread in the search. If we do in the future we can merge this one and it together.  Did find that I had a number of pictures in my gallery - I assume they are there and were posted before but will post them below. Unfortunately (my mistake) I didn't label the pictures so we could compare when each car was built















May have collected more examples since 2017 when these were uploaded but its a start. Hope this helps

[RocketScientist]

Thanks Jeff and in someways it looks a bit like the headlight blackout on 69 cars. In that respect, the inner part of the bucket is blacked out so no body color shows between the headlight door, light assembly and chrome trim.

[1970 Snake]

My car was also repainted but the headlight buckets where never touched which still had the original blackout paint in them. See attached picture which has a lot of blackout on the DS and a bit on the PS.

[J_Speegle]

Thanks Jeff and in someways it looks a bit like the headlight blackout on 69 cars. In that respect, the inner part of the bucket is blacked out so no body color shows between the headlight door, light assembly and chrome trim.

Focusing just on 69 and 70 Dearborn built cars I would agree. Same basic areas of application and for the same purpose - blocking exterior from being seen through the grill and around the headlights.

How well the worker did and how much effort as usual comes into play 

[RocketScientist]

Thanks both Snake and Jeff for the information and it looks like the painter was in a hurry when mine were done. Possibly one of those Friday afternoon jobs!!!
Brad

[ExportMach]

Brad,
Ive been getting my Dearborn-built Mach ready to go to the paint shop and prepping pieces for primer and sanding. My Mach has been repainted once (poorly) but the blue original color top coat appears to have been applied first and the blackout applied later. The blackout is extensive on my mid-March built Mach.

[RocketScientist]

Thanks Mark and they're some really nice pics. It seems that mine must have originally been painted black, to get such a solid base color, before being painted normally. Now it will be nice to go back to a more original configuration.
Brad

[J_Speegle]

Of course - if you still have the parts (want to always check both sides) you can clean down through the top coat and confirm if another layer of color lay below.  Have had to do this many times to determine which came first

[RocketScientist]

I agree and the confirmation will come from checking both sides as a lot can happen to a car in 50 years.