Factory Overspray

[6cyl57]

My 57 was originally white / blue. When I got the car home and put it up on jacks, I took soap , water and scrub brush. There wasn't any undercoat on it, just 60 years of grime .
I saw a hint of blue so scrubbed it all down and it looked intentional from the factory to paint the bottom blue.
I undercoated all except purposely left the driveshaft tunnel untouched so if someone ever wanted to see the OE blue.   

[hiball3985]

This may be a case of different assembly plants used different methods?

[geraldchainsaw]

would someone explain to me,  whats this over spray being talked about is?,   never heard it before,  thanks   jerry 

[lalessi1]

I think what is being asked is what is the paint sequence from the factory... As the color coat is applied to a factory '57 the unseen/underneath parts of the car not masked off so some color is oversprayed in various areas of the body. Some folks to be 100% accurate in a restoration will try to replicate all of these patterns and the order of application. Some manufactures will paint the underside/unseen areas of the car the body color, others leave those areas red oxide or black primer.

[RICH MUISE]

Jerry...it's along the same lines as having firewall production marks replicated, oem hose markings, oem looking battery, etc etc. The kind of stuff judges award/remove points for in a concourse type show. Knowing what sequence the car was assembled and finished (undercoating, etc.) would be a strong indication of when/where there maybe would be overspray.

[Randyh]

You are all correct, trying to do this car as factory correct as I can.  The problem is that Ford was not at all consistent, from the responses we have red oxide, black, white, and body color underneath and now a new variable, was sound deadener put on underside of floor of all cars or not this in addition to iwhat order were they applied.

[RICH MUISE]

Not all cars had undercoating for sure....mine did not.
What I don't know is HOW they were sprayed.....manually, or were they using spraying machines not unlike the robotic stuff they use nowadays. Obviously if they were sprayed manually, a flick of the wrist could change overspray patterns from one car to the next.

[gasman826]

All the pictures and video I seen shows the painted body lowered onto the frame.  All my '57s had the under sound deadening sprayed on after the car was assembled.  Very little was sprayed on the tunnel (missing the drive shaft) but not missing the frame, cross member, and a little on inner fenders and suspension parts.  I've never seen overspray on top of the bottom sound deadening.  If there was OEM overspray on the bottom sound deadening, it likely came from a spot repair due to a oops at the factory or during shipping.

[Randyh]

Thanks to everyone,  it looks like the consensus is that there wasn't body paint overspray on sound deadener on bottom side of floor, probably due to the order of application.  Ford certainly didn't do any masking so there had to be overspray some where but it must have been covered by the sound deadener.

[hiball3985]

Does anyone know for sure the factory sprayed the under coating or was it a dealer done option, I know some other makes of cars were done at dealers. I think they avoided the tunnel area to keep it off the driveshaft, anything on the drive shaft would throw it out of balance. I've seen that done by private shops that don't know better..

[lalessi1]

Seems to me I remember undercoating was applied by the dealer or an aftermarket supplier at least around here. I remember avoiding cars with it, it was a PITA. Undercoating may have been a factory option? My memory can be a fetal fickle thing though  ..... Ziebart??

[thomasso]

I was a grease monkey/ reconditioner/ new car prep/snow shoveler, you name it at a Cadillac Oldsmobile dealer in the early 60s.  No GM cars were factory under coated.  We used a very nice copper colored product from Cadillac.  Masked the driveshafts and tried to avoid exhaust system and transmission.  Needless to say coverage was inconsistent with poor coverage in hard to access areas.  Undercarriage overspray is very important in Tri Five Chevrolet. judging. I don't think Ford people are quite as fanatical.

[Randyh]

The Trim&Sealer manual that Jim Osbourne Reproductions sells has a drawing that shows sound deadener was applied to maybe half of the floor and the entire rear wheel wells.  I was considering using that as guide for this car. 

[Jeff Norwell]

all 3 57s I own .all have red oxide on the under side..... As for any overspray.. none..all my cars were made in the Dallas Plant..... none had any factory undercoating.

[hiball3985]

all 3 57s I own .all have red oxide on the under side..... As for any overspray.. none..all my cars were made in the Dallas Plant..... none had any factory undercoating.

Are you saying Texans shoot straighter