Thoughts...

[wldgtx]

So I have a friend who is restoring a 69 GTX, he has the broadcast sheet and it was ordered with undercoating. He has stripped all the undercoating off the car, and is in the process of getting it painted, etc.

So over the weekend we got into a debate over what he should do with the underside of the car. This is where the poll comes in.

+ He is restoring the car to original, it is a numbers matching car.

 

[Kern Dog]

I love a painted underbody. The full undercoat look might be a better choice for a car driven on gravel roads or in the snow.

 

[Budnicks]

depends on the type of build
or unless you are trying to show it & win OE awards or something
(& that's a very tough crowd to please)

if it's attempting to be like OE, needs to be not perfect
or it will be judged as over-restored

very lil' cars are built or restored to OE standards now
most cars are over-restored

because nobody wants 'a shitty 1/2 *** job', after is done
spending all that time & all that money, to make it less than perfect
like most of;
the "real" OE jobs came out (far from perfection)

if you're doing it for you & you won't be driving it in the snow & salt etc.
the car is garaged 90%+ time of it's life, make it 'perty' & shinny

"do it however it blows your skirt up/makes you feel good/happy,
do it how you want to, who cares what others think"

I said/voted for;
#3 'paint prime & basically show off underside'
but it's a lot of work to remove the org. undercoating,
detail, or finish the underside of an old car...

 

[RemCharger]

So I have a friend who is restoring a 69 GTX, he has the broadcast sheet and it was ordered with undercoating. He has stripped all the undercoating off the car, and is in the process of getting it painted, etc.

So over the weekend we got into a debate over what he should do with the underside of the car. This is where the poll comes in.

+ He is restoring the car to original, it is a numbers matching car.

My definition of restoring a car, is restoring it to new.

 

[wldgtx]

depends on the type of build
but it's a lot of work to remove the org. undercoating,
detail, or finish the underside of an old car...

That is a GD fact. We spent weeks under that SOB with a torch and scrapers. The good news is that the undercoating did it's job and the metal underneath is in great shape.

 

[68BabyBlue]

depends on the type of build
or unless you are trying to show it & win OE awards or something
(& that's a very tough crowd to please)

if it's attempting to be like OE, needs to be not perfect
or it will be judged as over-restored

very lil' cars are built or restored to OE standards now
most cars are over-restored

because nobody wants 'a shitty 1/2 *** job', after is done
spending all that time & all that money, to make it less than perfect
like most of;
the "real" OE jobs came out (far from perfection)

if you're doing it for you & you won't be driving it in the snow & salt etc.
the car is garaged 90%+ time of it's life, make it 'perty' & shinny

"do it however it blows your skirt up/makes you feel good/happy,
do it how you want to, who cares what others think"

I said/voted for;
#3 'paint prime & basically show off underside'
but it's a lot of work to remove the org. undercoating,
detail, or finish the underside of an old car...

I'm old enough to remember these cars sitting new in the showroom, and believe me, they were not as pretty as the restored GTX that sits in my garage today. I also owned a survivor '69 GTX that had a perfect original undercarriage with tons of gray primer, inspection markings, and factory undercoating. Having experienced both versions, I also vote for #3.

 

[Runcharger]

When you drive a painted underbelly you cringe every time the tires spit up a pebble onto that finish and you will hear every one of them.

 

[dadsbee]

When you drive a painted underbelly you cringe every time the tires spit up a pebble onto that finish and you will hear every one of them.

PFFT.... We have a mile of gravel every time we go in and out...

 

[Ron H]

Voted for 1st option given the owner indicated intentions of restoring it to ‘original’. Heady journey. Trailer queen or occasional driver? Wish to have the car judged? Like a bunch here, I restored my old ride to be a mostly weekend driver having installed upgrades…brakes, steering, suspension, larger wheels, and a few options the car didn’t have from the factory. All are reversible; no customization, looks stock from the exterior aside from the wheels/tires and ok, the dual exhaust tips. As a geezer now I had several old muscle cars back when as daily transport that didn’t have these mod’s and recall what mine drove like before the restoration – NIGHT & DAY with drivability and handling. Lol, you don’t miss what you never had; but once having it...I have NO desire to go back to how they rode from the the showroom..

 

[Jerry Hall]

Everything I have done for the last 30 plus years is probably considered over restored. I don't like light paint on the underside of the rockers and mists of paint on the floor pans. I'm either going to paint the whole thing, top, bottom, inside, and out, or undercoat and chassis black the bottom. If it's a under coated car that would be my vote (chassis black and undercoat).

 

[GetX'd]

I to voted for the undercoating. Sure you could get away without but you said original. My X was 3 years old when I bought it and of course undercoated. That car sat stored in a pole barn with a gravel base for too many years as I traveled the country and world for work and pleasure. When I finally hauled that puppy out and the undercoating came off the underbelly was darn near perfect. I only replaced the trunk pan. I don’t exactly recall but likely there was no undercoating beneath it because of the gas tank. Today as has been said you likely don’t need to do it - but for me I did it anyway. Wanted to make sure the car lasted a few more millenniums.

 

[oldkimmer]

PFFT.... We have a mile of gravel every time we go in and out...
View attachment 1247943

Ya, but at 3 mph I don’t think u have to worry. Kim

 

[eldubb440]

you can always add the undercoat...... then you're stuck with it

 

[Fran Blacker]

If your restoring not for show points prime and paint it. Once you undercoat it tough to undo it.

 

[eldubb440]

primer/overspray with a full mat clearcoat for the win...... maybe undercoat after years of abuse if necessary

 

[joe smith]

PFFT.... We have a mile of gravel every time we go in and out...
View attachment 1247943

It was the dust that always did me in on my old gravel road....

 

[65hemi]

Maybe over restored, but I like paint everywhere. I only drive on pavement.

 

[Kern Dog]

That is a GD fact. We spent weeks under that SOB with a torch and scrapers. The good news is that the undercoating did it's job and the metal underneath is in great shape.

Weeks?
In a few hours, I cleared off the undercoating and sound deadener in Jigsaw using one of these:

Air powered needle scaler.....Don't forget these:

 

[chtampa]

Factory "Undercoating" is very sparse. The entire bottom is not coated and it was also done after assembly.

 

[Kern Dog]

Remember that the stuff they sprayed in the wheelwells was NOT undercoating. It was sound deadener.