Topic: LH & RH outer Apron under paint markings

[tim_morrison82]

I scraped and used the leftover fuel from my fuel tank a few years ago my aprons, and i just noticed these the other day. excuse the damage...





San Jose 68 J code AC PDB PS Heavy Duty Suspension too.

has anyone else come across these?

[J_Speegle]

I refer to these markings as "the grocery/shopping list" or the "long code" just to have a name for them. Believe the markings were placed on one of the top panels in  a palletized shipment of panels from the stamping plant to the assembly or service replacement warehouses. You will notice that these were applied to bare metal before any paint was applied

These show up on maybe one out of 50 or 100 cars on San Jose cars and normally (but not always) include multiple lines of letters and numbers. Have seem similar markings on cars from  three plants and years from 64-70 at least in my hunting

They have no relationship IMHO to your specific car or how it was equipped IMHO

Must say WOW - Interesting that your car does have (I'm guessing that it is) all that body color that far forward - for a San Jose. 

[tim_morrison82]

It is more a grey primer than anything else. The car is wimbledon white so its not body colour.

Same colour on the battery tray side.

where exactly does the red oxide start and stop? I have just started to uncover some red oxide after scraping grime off the underside. Would they just use a grey primer for under white cars?

[tim_morrison82]

Body colour is definately present on the battery tray side, all the way to the radiator support forward, and to the battery tray reinforcement down. Cant see signs of it below the tray. I will show pics when i get inside. I have more markings on the battery tray side. So far i can make out a vertical line, followed by a B. Need to rub it back some more to read it. Very faint but less damage on this side, so easier to pick out the markings. I have overspray of the body coloir on my radiator support, so i am guessing its original?

I cant make out any markings there yet. I will get to them though.

Its a labour of love isnt it... Scrape off the black paint to body colour, a right scratch with a wire brush and a bit of fuel to rub the body colour off with a rag... It hasnt removed the markings yet, so i am not scared i am going to loose them. The other side i went nuts on the fuel and rubbing and i still made them out.

[J_Speegle]

where exactly does the red oxide start and stop?

In the wheelwell/front of the car - normally it doesn't - all the way back to the end caps

I have just started to uncover some red oxide after scraping grime off the underside. Would they just use a grey primer for under white cars?

It was normal practice to apply a surface primer of light grey primer over the red oxide but before body color - never seen it that far forward at San Jose. From time to time we do find alot of body color forward of the cowl but have just explained with the thought that it was produced by a fill in painter that didn't do allot of cars or a new guy that didn't get the message (to not waste all that paint on areas that were just going to be blacked out anyway) right away. Dearborn is different since they applied (normally) body color much further forward than San Jose and NJ in the early years

Body colour is definately present on the battery tray side, all the way to the radiator support forward, and to the battery tray reinforcement down. Cant see signs of it below the tray. I will show pics when i get inside. I have more markings on the battery tray side. So far i can make out a vertical line, followed by a B. Need to rub it back some more to read it. Very faint but less damage on this side, so easier to pick out the markings. I have overspray of the body coloir on my radiator support, so i am guessing its original?

As long as its below the black and you don't find black under the body color/primer than its likely a result of something like I mentioned above IMHO

Its a labour of love isnt it... Scrape off the black paint to body colour, a right scratch with a wire brush and a bit of fuel to rub the body colour off with a rag... It hasnt removed the markings yet, so i am not scared i am going to loose them. The other side i went nuts on the fuel and rubbing and i still made them out.

Most of the time the marks will be still visible if you strip all the paint away since the crayon wax seems to get in the metal below everything - leaving  visible evidence of where it was applied. As mentioned would expect two or three lines of letters and numbers. Let me know what you find I'll added them to the spread sheet I keep records in


BTW check both front panels as it seems that often when a car has one of the marked panels on the drivers side the passenger side is marked also.

[tim_morrison82]

battery tray side:

like i said before a vertical line which can't be defined right now, possibly a 1 followed by a B. you can just make out the top of the B coming around.



the paint over this had body deadener on it and was easy to remove. the stuff from here on in is hard work... not sure how much i will get done, but i will try.

it only looks like one line of words to me at this stage. the other side if going to be difficult to make anything else out cause of the damage.

if you have any idea what the yellow marking was from this before pic, that will be great as i will need to put that one back on. it was before i started taking notice of the markings... could this be one of the 8's with a line thought it? it turns back on itself right at the front and back, but dissapears?

[tim_morrison82]

Ok, a little more rubbing and i have a bit more of an idea of the vertical line. its not a 1, it loops at the top and comes down parrallel to another vertical line i failed to see. i can see the start of a horizontal line scratched in to the steel, so i assume this is another A.

[J_Speegle]

The battery box looks to be the normal (and expected for a small block that plant and year) D we often see. Can take on the shape of a "1" and a backwards "C" or a "O' with a line through it . Look at thousands of these and you can start seeing patterns IMHO indicating the three or four regular workers who's task was to apply this mark



The "8" with the line through it IMHO was a different plant and different year



Here's an example of another long code from 68 and San Jose after some cleaning

[tim_morrison82]

i was looking for something like that, but the lettering is huge compared to the one you posted. the AB took up the whole side of the battery tray!

the damaged side is difficult to make anything out. alot of the primer is gone due to some panel beating i gave it to make it semi straight before i get the chassis rails straightened. i will have another look over that one and see if i can find anything else.

[DM_1964]

Tim, can you make out any of the markings on the radiator support panel?

[tim_morrison82]

No i can't. I have an inspection stamp on the inside of the panel, dated may and what could be '78, so i thonk that may have been a casualty during the accidents it has had.  It says "insp. 29 may 31 78 - 2"

[J_Speegle]

Tim, can you make out any of the markings on the radiator support panel?

Would not expect any on the radiator support other than possibly up to two over the black given the year, engine and plant.

Have you seen any 67 San Jose Mustangs marked under the the black ??

[tim_morrison82]

I have made out another marking on the right side of the 'B' which looks like a '+' ? its really hard to make out and the horizontal line of the + goes into the rusty area around the hole...

i haven't managed to get a good pic of it. might try and get one on the weekend.