Mopar B-Body Factory Undercoating?

[StevenGuthmiller]

I thought that I would throw this out there to the Mopar experts to see what your reaction is.

 

I happened to sit down this evening and watched a partial episode of "Graveyard Cars" where they were painting and undercoating the chassis on a '70 Challenger.

Apparently, according to the show, the chassis would have been generally primed and then the body color would have been sprayed around the perimeter. (The over spray we all know and love)

But then they continued on to spray what they called a "factory undercoating" just in the fender well areas just as haphazardly as the body color over spray.

I had never seen this before so I thought that I would look it up for a late '60s B-Body and found these shots.

I'm contemplating using this detail on my current 1968 Coronet project.

 

Anybody know anything about this undercoating method?

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

[SfanGoch]

Article on Mopar factory undercoating. It wasn't neat. According to the article, the photos show it was porous and thick.

Edited October 9, 2021 by SfanGoch

[StevenGuthmiller]

7 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

Article on Mopar factory undercoating. It wasn't neat. According to the article, the photos show it was porous and thick.

Thanks Joe!

 

From what I've been able to gather so far, it appears that the undercoating in the wheel wells, similar to what I posted in the OP, was applied on every car from the factory.

There seems to be some disagreement about whether or not "full chassis" undercoating was available from the factory or not prior to '69, but there does seem to be agreement that most likely, the vast majority of cars with full chassis undercoating were done at the dealership.

But, that's a moot point for me.

I was more interested in just the fender well application, and just being sure that this was actually a "thing".

 

 

 

 

Steve

[1972coronet]

There were 'stylistic' blackout applications as well . In 99% of cases , the blackout was sprayed on the radiator core support ( to hide body colour from behind the grille , esp. on brighter colours ) , the front and rear wheel wells ( look at how , for instance , G.M's pickups look with the stark rear wheel wells ! ) , and on the cowl ( E bodies , 1971 & later B bodies , etc. ) .

On a side note : Los Angeles Assembly used a locally-sourced black primer , which was unique to L.A.-built cars .

[tim boyd]

Steven....I've read in reliable sources that the factory undercoating was also sprayed along the transmission tunnel/driveshaft area, and under the rear axle/differential area.  I've replicated that on most of my own Mopar factory replica builds. 

But there does not seem to be evidence this was done on all the cars, whereas the fender area applications, as shown in your original post, do seem to be on most all of the undercoated cars....TIM 

PS - just a note to confirm John's info on blackout paint applications, too.  The outward facing portion of the radiator support walls on Mopars, for instance, was always painted black.  Sometimes from underneath, sometimes through the then-open grille area, but always messy and seldom a complete 100% coverage of the area...TB 

[Classicgas]

I wonder if the undercoating was largely on snowbound area cars?

[1972coronet]

1 hour ago, Classicgas said:

I wonder if the undercoating was largely on snowbound area cars?

Every 'classic era' MoPar I've owned -- all of them California-destined models -- had the textured 'undercoating' in the wheel wells and partly on the frame rails . These were different years of cars , from four different plants ( Hamtramck , Los Angeles,  Lynch Road , and St. Louis ) . 

All of them had the 'blackout' on the outward-facing radiator core support ; all in varying degrees of application ( partial / 75% coverage ; complete coverage with some overlap on to the top edge of the core support ; and hardly any on a dark green 1969 Dart GTS from the Los Angeles Assembly ) .

[StevenGuthmiller]

Thanks guys!

Appreciate the info.

I might look into the trans tunnel thing, but I will try to remember the radiator support for sure.

 

 

Steve