Topic: Nov 69 - Mach1 1970 San Jose under carriage - Finish

[silverelvis69]

Hi Guys,
Looking to freshen up my undercarriage of my 1970 San Jose mach1

I cant seem to find any info.
Tempted to paint it all black apart from obvious - diff (brown-leave)

any links or help would be grateful

[J_Speegle]

First welcome to the site. Hope you find the information and support here helpful in your restoration endeavors

Might want to incorporate some information about your car into your signature. Its going to be needed for allot of your questions and the following discussions.

As far as suspension there are plenty of threads and articles in the library that cover restoring and original finishes for those items both front and rear of the car. Search is likely also going to be helpful. Painting everything black would be something that might get suggested on other sites but not here on this site

Don't think we've covered 70 San Jose specifically but black would not have been what was originally used.

Has you car been stripped or is the original finishes still there?  You will want to look and document the bottoms of the front frame rails and the main floor. The more oil soaked or protected of areas the better since they will likely have held up better. If those are all gone (not likely) then provide when the car was completed and I'll look to see if I have records of another example built around the same time frame and plant as yours.

 

[silverelvis69]

Thanks Champ
Now My Car originally - according to marti report - ivy green
It is blue now (purchased a year ago and trying to work out the pieces )
Engine has been restored.

I have enclosed some photos. Under carriage looks some hint of blue which I believe this is incorrect

I cant see marking as per your suggestion  although saw something near pinchwelds which is also puzzling.
Please note the material that is applied for deadner or to prevent heat[/img]

[cobrajet_carl]

Pull the plugs for the seat attaching nuts and if you're lucky you might see some original batch primer.

[silverelvis69]

This is whhat was under when I installed the deadner?
Are you saying this is what I should paint it?
Under floor planes?

[silverelvis69]

Removed the plug - exactly the same as floor inside aswell as color of diff?
So go with that color - Whatever this may be bur imagine can match?

[cobrajet_carl]

I meant the ones on the outside. I posted a pic before of one of my 70 Dearborn cars as an example. This is from an originally Black car that had been repainted at least twice in different colors.

[J_Speegle]

I have enclosed some photos. Under carriage looks some hint of blue which I believe this is incorrect

I cant see marking as per your suggestion  although saw something near pinchwelds which is also puzzling.
Please note the material that is applied for deadner or to prevent heat[/img]

Your likely not going to be able to reach or see many of the areas that would show the original color without lifting the car and doing some cleaning. Over the rearend, under the edge of the seat mount plugs (as mentioned)  and along the bottom of the frame rails just behind the shock towers are often places to start. With out cleaning and even a little investigation you may see body color or a mix of it and what lays below and not the true base color. This will be the most certain way to figure out what color those areas were and provide you something to match to. Once we get there we can discuss sealers at the seat belt anchors, rocker to floor seams, trunk drops and then sound deadener which will/did cover approx 50% of the main floor area as a final coat.


Some examples below



Just confirming your car is 0R02M1188xx with a completion date of  11/13/69

[jwc66k]

What your pictures have confirmed is that the assembly line workers were sloppy. To be faithful to the "originality" of the assembly line, restorers should do a "sloppy job".
Jim

[67gta289]

When it came time to paint the bottom on my car, my painter called me over and asked me to do it.  I asked why.  He said "two reasons; first, so that when someone asks if you painted the car you can truthfully say that you painted part of it, and second, it is supposed to look ugly."  What a friend 

[silverelvis69]

Here are my photos - Does this help ?

[silverelvis69]

My Serial 0R05M1188XX Actual Built 11/17/69

[J_Speegle]

From the first few hole pictures it appears that the main floor color (firewall rearward was possibly a fairly typical mix of colors that resulted in a dark dray color. Hoped we would see some around the hole where the plugs would have been but it appears that there was not much or any floor color there and at least for a few the plugs were left off and they received the over spray from the later blue paint job.

Since you plan of "freshening up" the undercarriage you will be able to confirm the color as you go through the cleaning and preparation stage of the project. From there you can match the paint, remove everything from the undercarriage area and choose to strip or clean and scuff, followed by a reapplication of sealers and the sound deadener after repairing any areas that have fallen, scrapped off or was damaged

[silverelvis69]

Thanks All Champions for all your patiece. I new to the mustang works but must admit - have come along way

Thank you all!!