Topic: April '69 Cougar Convertible Resto Pics

[bjf1992]

Got the old girl back from the body shop. Here are a few initial pics. Hopefully we got somewhat close to what the factory did!
Dearborn car built April 2nd

[mikelj5S230]

Looks very nice, so they used the "slop" gray primer instead of the red oxide on the '69s?

[J_Speegle]

Looks very nice, so they used the "slop" gray primer instead of the red oxide on the '69s?

Depends on the time of the production year.

Got the old girl back from the body shop. Here are a few initial pics. Hopefully we got somewhat close to what the factory did!
Dearborn car built April 2nd

Since I'm guessing that you have already looked at the dozens of pictures that have been posted on 69 Dearborn sealant and painting details posted here on this site some of these details should be familiar

1- Looks like you forgot the seam sealer in the front wheel well and trunk that was originally covered with body color. Pictures #1, 3 & 4

Front wheelwell shot without the sound deadener was added over most of this surface - normally stops (sound deadener) before it reaches much of the outer frame surface. NOTE: that the vertical sealer application missed the intended seam - should/normally follows the inner fender to body seam to the rear by about 4-6 inches in the picture




Arrows show some of the seams that would have been sealed before exterior color










2- Front wheel well paint pattern looks similar to one of the many variations  of course much of this will be covered with sound deadener once you get the car together

3- See you didn't reproduce the look of the original sealer in the interior- but no one will see that once the car is together Picture #2





4- In picture #5  normally by April at Dearborn the cowl above the firewall (towards windshield) on Mustangs would normally be blacked out with engine compartment black as well as those small upper filler panels between the rear inner fender panels and the top of the cowl. Would expect that Cougars had the same details like the cougar shown below (white exterior car)






5- In picture #7 - noticed that you choose not to reproduce the cars dolly marks. Intentional or an oversight?   Your rear most one on the rear frame with be reversed compared to this 69 Dearborn Mustang example The3 Mustang dolly shadow would be forward of the Cougar (used) mark rather than this example where the Cougar shadow is rearward from the used, Mustang dolly shadow




Don't forget to black out the pinch weld

Your going to need to figure out if your model of Cougar had sound deadener applied to the floor pans from below - like the Mustang Mach I, some Boss 302's and Grandes


Hope this helps


PS I altered your title to reflect the subject a little better

[bjf1992]

Thanks for the pictures Jeff! I intentionally didn't reproduce dolly marks. And also haven't added seam sealer yet. (It looks so nice without all that slop on it I'm having a hard time bringing myself to put it on  (I know I need to) Will make sure to paint body color over once added. (Didn't want bare metal under it like factory did it)

When I tore my car apart the cowl was painted body color. Nor sure exactly when they started painting the cowl black. Mine is an early April car (April 2nd) so maybe it was one of the last before the switch ?

Going to do pinch weld after I get her off the dolly and onto jack stands.

[bjf1992]

Here is a cowl pic taken during disassembly.

I like how they just painted the door pieces (not sure what they are called) by laying them on the cowl. Also noticed the cowl was primered grey whereas the engine bay was red oxide???

[J_Speegle]

When I tore my car apart the cowl was painted body color. Nor sure exactly when they started painting the cowl black. Mine is an early April car (April 2nd) so maybe it was one of the last before the switch ?

Will check my files - sort of recall Feb or March at Dearborn but will check. Sure we've covered that in another thread here. Yours could just be a oversight allowed to get by since it was not a exterior location that could be seen. Who knows - but the pictures you took support your choice at this point as you might need the support to explain it in the future at some point

Here is a cowl pic taken during disassembly.

I like how they just painted the door pieces (not sure what they are called) by laying them on the cowl. Also noticed the cowl was primered grey whereas the engine bay was red oxide???

For the exterior body it would have gotten a coat of grey primer  to fill the minor defects up - didn't waste it on areas that were not important in Ford mind like the engine compartment

Looks like one exterior paint job over the years of the white it appears


Another thread that might be helpful

http://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=8852.msg51725#msg51725

[bjf1992]

The car did get a repaint in '78. Tracked down the guy who did it!
They must have missed painting the cowl black. There were still remnants of the inspection stickers on the cowl. When rubbed off it was body color underneath.

[J_Speegle]

They must have missed painting the cowl black. There were still remnants of the inspection stickers on the cowl. When rubbed off it was body color underneath.

Yes noticed that on your one before picture. Do you remember if there as a shadow left of the inspector punch out if there was one used on that sticker or others?

Just another detail I'm trying to track

[bjf1992]

I didn't notice. I'll try to look through more of my before pics to see if I can find any evidence.

[79mustangcobra]

Looks really good.  I also like the red SVO beside it!

[69eliminator]

Hi Jeff,
My cowl area appears to have the body color as well. I also have the door pieces placed in the same area that would have been painted body color. it has dark  paint underneath which I assumed was patch primer?

Could the black have been applied over the body color to only blackout the vent areas which would be seen from attached cowl and along windshield?
As you can see from the first photo the PO had painted the car black ( to further complicate things).

Regards,
Brian

[tobkob]

My April 7th Shelby (Competition Red) had no indication of black out on cowl or inside around the windshield and dash pad area. In fact the black doesn't even go quiet all the way to the pinch weld on the passenger side.The Marti report shows that it should have the blackout hood treatment. I have owned the car since July 1970 and it did have the door plate shadows. Although I don't have pictures, I remember seeing them when I removed the cowl many years ago.

[krelboyne]

Yes, those painted pieces for the window stops usually were placed on the cowl, I also have examples of them being layed on the package tray for painting. 1969-70 Dearborn.

[J_Speegle]

Hi Jeff,
My cowl area appears to have the body color as well. I also have the door pieces placed in the same area that would have been painted body color. it has dark  paint underneath which I assumed was patch primer?

The window stop location for painting is pretty typical though they have been found (shadows) elsewhere on some cars - though not as typical as your location

The gray primer is likely the grey surface primer that was shot over the exterior prior to the body color but after the red oxide primer sealer - typical application order

Could the black have been applied over the body color to only blackout the vent areas which would be seen from attached cowl and along windshield?
As you can see from the first photo the PO had painted the car black ( to further complicate things).

When they changed to painting the top of the cowl they did gain the added effect of blacking out the area below the cowl cover but I would guess this was a side benefit rather than the purpose since at Dearborn they did most of the year without this being done (San Jose started at the beginning of the year.

How far out on the ends of the cowl and what was covers is a product of the individual worker and their normal practices. By painting this area they saved the effort of masking off above the firewall pinch weld, blacked out the under cowl cover area and blacked out the windshield opening as well as the defroster duct area all in one pass. Surely this saved time and effort = $$'s

[emptys]

Jeff, in the last picture of the rear frame rail area, it certainly looks like the two vertical bolts next to each other are painted?  do you agree or is this some artifact of the way the picture was taken.

if those bolts are painted how can  this  make sense? the bracket associated with those bolts  seem to be natural...