Topic: What’s your thoughts on this fender?

[woolshire]

Here’s a photo of the inner front fender on my 66 GT. The car was resprayed in 2002 and I was told it was media blasted first. Both front fenders look the same.  That is bare metal with sound deadener.
I know that this should be red oxide with black overspray and likely body color overspray, under the sound deadener. I’m wondering if the inner fenders were media blasted and it took the paint off, but the sound deadener might be original? Thoughts?
 I should mention late Oct 65’ NJ build

[J_Speegle]

Hard to tell from the pictures but the high contrast (may just be camera settings) between the fender sound deadener/undercoating is allot darker than one would expect for 50 year old factory sound deadener. Compare in person the thickness and texture of that product and what may be left on the inner fender panel. Is it as thick? Texture the same?  Edges feathered? Compare to the other side of the car?

Well that is the place I would start with

[woolshire]

The other fender looks the same and the sound deadener is pretty thick, except where it is feathered out. The stuff looks like it’s been there forever. Makes me wonder if they took the fenders off when painting?? I first thought they must have to get bare metal to show, but??? Does the spray pattern of the sound deadener match what you’ve seen before?
This car has 37k miles on it and from southwest. Plenty of original red oxide under the really old (probably 1965) undercoating, on other parts under car. The date code on the fenders match close to build date (within 6 weeks before).

[J_Speegle]

The other fender looks the same and the sound deadener is pretty thick, except where it is feathered out. The stuff looks like it’s been there forever. Makes me wonder if they took the fenders off when painting?? I first thought they must have to get bare metal to show, but??? Does the spray pattern of the sound deadener match what you’ve seen before?

Remember 20 or 30 year old product product will look just as old as many of the 50 year old products. Or it could be something applied by the dealer especially if delivered on the eastern half of the country or to someone from that area. Dont' have enough 65 NJ examples to compare with but in general the short half pass does not look like what typically workers would do in that area.

This car has 37k miles on it and from southwest. Plenty of original red oxide under the really old (probably 1965) undercoating, on other parts under car. The date code on the fenders match close to build date (within 6 weeks before).

So the material is on other parts under the car. If so that is typically a big clue that its not factory.

[woolshire]

The stuff is chunky, like deadener. The undercoating looks a little different.
I guess bottom line is I should put something on that bare metal!
Thanks

[J_Speegle]

The stuff is chunky, like deadener. The undercoating looks a little different.
I guess bottom line is I should put something on that bare metal!

Yes exposed metal in most regions is not going to fair well Originally there would not have been bare metal under the sound deadener either

[woolshire]

Wow! I would have sworn this was bare metal. I decided to clean it with some wd40 and fine steel wool before doing anything else, and look what I found! The original white overspray with the red oxide underneath!
This photo shows the sound deadener in better light, too.
Thanks to all of you that answer the inquiries, especially J_Speegle! I knew what should be under there, thought I didn’t have it, but I do.