1986 Shelby Charger underbody color

[kurth]

I am working on the recently reissued MPC 1986 Shelby Charger. I can not find reference pictures of the underside of a K car .. or other FWD Chryslers of the 80s. So does anyone remember how they were painted underneath from the factory? 

We had a Reliant Wagon and Plymouth Sundance back in the day, and while I did change the oil on the Sundance, I do not remember getting underneath it to see what color it was. Were they like 60s and 70s Chryslers with body color overspray over primer, or were they painted with a different process?

 

Thanks!

 

[stitchdup]

My dad had a hillman avenger when i was a kid. They were sold in the usa as plymouth cricket? i think. I recall the underside being a very thin coating of matt black but it could have been undersealed before he got it. As i remember dads was a lot less rusty than other newer cars so it probably was done after it got sold. When you say reliant wagon i have a pic of del-boys van in my head, lol

[Iraceitall]

Unless they were undercoated they were usually body color I believe.

[BDSchindler]

I owned a Plymouth Turismo (Plymouth version of a Charger) and as far as I remember, flat black would be correct.  But that is for the Plymouth variant of the Charger.  The Charger may have been different.

[JollySipper]

I thought they were all oil-stained underneath! That and axle grease............  

[gtx6970]

I worked on those cars new. They were a medium grey primer or gelcoat. with just a tad of body color along the edges 

[PhilipLeblanc]

From what I understand, car makers in the 1980s, including Chrysler, used a consistent protective layer on the bottom of cars instead of spraying the body's color over a primer like they did with older models. This protective layer was usually black or dark gray and helped protect the car from rust and stuff kicked up from the road. This information could be useful for making car models more realistic.

[kurth]

On 2/28/2024 at 5:40 PM, gtx6970 said:

I worked on those cars new. They were a medium grey primer or gelcoat. with just a tad of body color along the edges 

Thanks!   It has been tricky finding pictures of the bottom of this vintage car. It is fun to do something different.

[PhilipLeblanc]

You usually need to ask the owner to take a few pictures for you. At exhibitions, they usually aren't allowed to do something like this.