What is a good paint formula for the engine bay? Some single stage black with a flattening agent?
The original engine bay finish in this car does not resemble a generic chassis black paint. It has more depth to it. This engine bay paint also looks to be the exact same paint that is on the hood and cowl panel.
Paint types and brands may differ based on where you are located and what is available and legal to use in your area. There are a number of threads discussing this. Check out
https://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=12466.msg75783#msg75783https://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=14431.msg89871#msg89871https://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=16296.msg102057#msg102057https://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=12521.msg76059#msg76059Also the tail light panel is in the same color. Was a part like the differential painted with the same black paint? Were other black suspension parts dipped in this same paint?
Taillight panel (inside trunk and out) would be body color The parts painted black that bolt to the car would be a variety of slightly different tones and sheens because they were painted at different locations, by different people, in different weather conditions but most are a semi-gloss black. They can take on a slightly glossier look if they were dipped rather than sprayed. The only suspension piece I can think of at the moment would have been the lower control/A arms were dipped part way up the arm but it would have been different paint since they were not painted at the car plant. There are some brackets and pieces that were also dipped but all were done at the makers and not the car assembly plant
Car has a lot of undercoating on it.
Guess your referring to the undercarriage and that is something to be expected since it appears you may have a Mach I and the sound deadener (undercoating is a term used for after market slop the dealer or other companies applied after the car was delivered to differentiate the two.
Car color is under almost all of the engine bay paint.
A bit unusual but it did happen from time to time with likely a new hire or someone filling in. It was just a waste of time and product to do so
I am still putting together the exact order of how everything was painted, advice would be very helpful.
If you read the article on 69 Dearborn Undercarriage Details the process and order is pretty similar to San Jose that year. Firewall to cowl pinch weld finish (body color or engine compartment black typically comes up but there are threads that cover that also.
- Basics are that the unibody was primed twice with the doors and trunk lid attached from above. Under carriage, two applications, firewall rearward then firewall forward were painted with two different products from below.
- Between the two coats the end caps/quarter panel extensions were installed but spaced out from the body so the paint could wrap around the edges and not fill in the gap.
- After the primers the rear valance was installed using only two screws and left hanging so that paint again would not fill the gap but allowed to wrap around the edges.
- Interior surfaces that needed paint were painted next then body colors (door jambs and trunk first then rest of the body. Engine compartment black followed as well as an application in both front wheel wells. Pinch welds where then black out from front to rear
- The individual body parts were painted on a different line individually then installed later down the line. Most after allot of other parts were installed
- For a Mach I the hood and cowl cover details were added after those were installed
Good luck and it looks like you have some work ahead of you. Good to see that your starting off by documenting things as you go
