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  • bwracing00
    Apprentice
    • Nov 3 2012
    • 42

    60 bird restoration

    hey everyone, im new here i am working on a 1960 tbird its about ready for the final coat of primmer then wetsand and paint. my question is since there was soo much undercoating everywhere on the car im having a hard time trying to figure out the paint of the frame rails i have seen some are body color some black what is correct i want this car to be 100% correct so whatever it takes to get this car correct i would greatly appreciate the help if you need more information please let me know. i will post pictures very shortly just need to upload from phone.
  • jopizz
    Super-Experienced


    • Nov 23 2009
    • 8308

    #2
    Every Squarebird that I've had has been undercoated black and I've had a lot of them so I believe that was standard practice before they left the factory. Being unibody it would make sense that the under body including rails would be the same as the body color before that was done.

    John
    John Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator

    Thunderbird Registry #36223
    jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695

    https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm

    Comment

    • DKheld
      Super-Experienced
      • Aug 27 2008
      • 1583

      #3
      My Dad bought my car new. It's never been wrecked although it was resprayed on the outside in the '70's with the same color. Maybe you can determine some of the undercoating stop points from these pics when I had the suspension off replacing the bushings. Looks like the factory used some sort of square blocking panel to keep the undercoating spray from entering the engine compartment. (no undercoating seen when looking in from the top)
      On the frame rails it seems my undercoating stops about where the rail passes the firewall on the top but were undercoated most of the way to the front on the bottom and outside (as evidenced by the tire rub).
      OK - that's 50+ years of road grime so don't laugh......

      Eric




      The proportioning valve for my front disc conversion is not original but you can see the white frame rail exiting out from under the firewall.


      Both the front and center cross members are body color on my car. Notice there is no undercoating overspray coming through the suspension opening and only paint on the top suspension mount inside the engine compartment.


      Pretty bad pics but I was taking them for other reasons (showing my A/C addition on this one). I'm sure someone will have some better ones.

      Hope it helps though.
      Eric

      Comment

      • bwracing00
        Apprentice
        • Nov 3 2012
        • 42

        #4
        alright here is the Bird we put it on a rotissararie today wont see this very often. body is all dont will be painting the bottom friday.





        Comment

        • Joe Johnston
          Super-Experienced
          • Dec 23 2008
          • 720

          #5
          Lookin good - you've come a long way!!!

          At this point I always get anxious and get in a hurry and its the worst time to do so! Take your time and I can't wait to see more pictures!

          Comment

          • stu454bb
            Apprentice
            • Jan 27 2011
            • 50

            #6
            I have just come through that process. Yours is looking real good. More fun to come trying to remember where everything bolts back up. Good luck. Stu

            Comment

            • bwracing00
              Apprentice
              • Nov 3 2012
              • 42

              #7
              got it all painted today bottom side inside and engine compartment all GREEN!!! ill post pics i wish this forum had taptalk and or a phone setup so i can upload directly from my phone but thats alright just give me a few minutes to upload to photobucket. ENJOY!!

              Comment

              • KULTULZ

                #8
                It seems there would be a restoration or better yet an assembly manual which would detail this.

                Later uni-bodies seemed to have the factory undercoating applied (lightly - over primer/sealer I would imagine) before it went to paint.

                The problem is that dealer applied undercoating and/or outside shop applications would confuse a dedicated restoration.

                Comment

                • simplyconnected
                  Administrator
                  • May 26 2009
                  • 8778

                  #9
                  Since this car has already been sealed and painted, the processes are different. There's no phosphate to clean the metal, no Bonderite conversion, no electrocoat, no sealer deck.

                  In production, when a body comes from the Body Shop, it's nasty. Some steel has formed rust (from a pulled spot welding tip spewing water), spot weld flash and mig weld junk is all over different panels, and people have been handling all the parts with greasy hands and filthy gloves. Sometimes there are gaps between parts because they weren't located perfectly before being spot welded together. No two bodies are the ever the same dimensions, either.

                  Ford doesn't paint on bare metal because paint is porous and moisture will rust through the paint. We strip the steel with phosphate, then we do a bonderite conversion which causes little mountains of crystals. The car looks streaky and nasty, but straight and clean. Then, we dip in electrocoat. The E-coat sticks to the bonderite, not the steel. That's why a factory paint job is far superior to any other process.

                  After the car is electrocoated we bake it. Then it goes to the Sealer Deck and Prime, then another bake. The sealer swells like a sponge in some places from curing in the oven but it never hardens. Finally, the primer gets scuffed and dusted, a base & three clearcoats are applied, then the final bake @250*F. The process is tight with temp and humidity within spec's. The prime coat is waterborne, the booths incinerate all exhaust air and overspray is caught floating in water and removed in a separate treatment building. Everyone in the department wears lintless clothes, hair nets paper booties, and are dusted off before entering the paint plant. Dirt is serious business and rarely found because the plant needs to paint a car per minute, so they quadruple-filter the air. The Paint Dept. cannot repaint because of dirt and make money.

                  Now we get to aftermarket. The process is soooo different, and much more expensive per car. Ford painted the whole body one color, inside each compartment, around each hinged door (trunk lid, hood, etc.) and the outside got painted last. The painters get into a rhythm of repeated motion, 500 times per shift. The paint is constantly recirculating from the Paint Kitchen (so no pressure pots or gun cups). In some areas, he waves the gun upside down (like around bottoms of doors and rocker panels). The cars are on a monorail, hanging on front and rear chains attached to the skids. They are never tilted or tipped up to paint the bottoms (except when they get dipped in E-coat). It's amazing to watch but few 'outsiders' get into the Paint Dept because of dirt and dust they carry. - Dave
                  Member, Sons of the American Revolution

                  CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

                  "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
                  --Lee Iacocca

                  From: Royal Oak, Michigan

                  Comment

                  • bwracing00
                    Apprentice
                    • Nov 3 2012
                    • 42

                    #10
                    Update Pics!!!

                    hey everyone here are some pictures.





                    Comment

                    • bwracing00
                      Apprentice
                      • Nov 3 2012
                      • 42

                      #11
                      need some more help

                      alright so everythings all painted do the bottom side of the decklid and hood go shiny or semi gloss for clear coat can someone answere this ASAP thanks im paint those today within the next couple hours.

                      Comment

                      • jopizz
                        Super-Experienced


                        • Nov 23 2009
                        • 8308

                        #12
                        The factory paint was high gloss so that's what I would stick with.

                        John
                        John Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator

                        Thunderbird Registry #36223
                        jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695

                        https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm

                        Comment

                        • bwracing00
                          Apprentice
                          • Nov 3 2012
                          • 42

                          #13
                          awesome thank you very much for the help.

                          Comment

                          • bwracing00
                            Apprentice
                            • Nov 3 2012
                            • 42

                            #14
                            Update

                            hey everyone alrght here is another update i think we should move this to the members ride section if a moderator would do so kindly.

                            but here you go its all painted all buffed and we started assembley on the car. i just placed a $10,000 order :-) we are still waiting on the first $4,000 order parts like all the fuel lines brake lines some wiring and 2 BUSHING!!!! we cant put the rear end in without the front rear leaf spring bushings they will be here monday, FINALLY!

                            so we have the wheels on the front they look amazing.

                            here ya go enough with the talk here are the pics.


                            base the entire car wetsanded put it all together and then based it a final time, then clear coated!




                            Right after clear


                            buffed out




                            ill get better pictures right now our shop is very full.

                            Comment

                            • jopizz
                              Super-Experienced


                              • Nov 23 2009
                              • 8308

                              #15
                              I don't see any holes for the quarter panel hash marks or the door scripts. Are you going to leave it that way.

                              John
                              John Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator

                              Thunderbird Registry #36223
                              jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695

                              https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm

                              Comment

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