Correct factory finishes for underbody (1970)

[Jon Fairbairn]

Hello, I am restoring a 1970 454 Corvette Roadster in Ontario orange (poly bronze.) I am an eighteen year-old student from southwestern Ontario, and have been restoring this car for four years, with help from my dad. The car is loaded with options (I think the only options it does not have that were offered that year are telescopic steering and burglerly alarm.) My question is regarding the correct factory finishes for my car:

1. What is the proper finish for the wheel wells? (overspray?)
2. What is the proper finish for the engine bay? (all semi-gloss? overspray?)
3. What is the proper finish for the underbody (near gas tank etc.)? Does it receive overspray? if so, where?
4. What is the correct finish for the interior of the car? (even though I know it will be mostly covered.)
5. Any other pertinent information or tidbits you may be able to provide that I may need to know

If you have any expertise to provide I would be more than grateful. Please reply to this thread or email me at staysmooth@hotmail.com

Cheers, Jon

[Warren F.]

Re: Correct factory finishes for underbody (1970)

Jon:

I'm sure others will comment as well to your inquiry. My suggestion to you is to try and make it to an NCRS chapter, regional or national meet and look at other "early sharks" for comparison. The upcoming Corvettes @ Carlisle meet in August would also be a worthwhile trip.

[Jon Fairbairn]

Re: Correct factory finishes for underbody (1970)

I would like to attend a regional or national NCRS meet so I could hopefully anwser my own questions and as a way to express my general Corvette enthusiasm. However, besides not knowing of any events around my area, (I'm from southwestern Ontario in Canada - car meets tend to be far and few betweent thanks our genereous geograhical distribution.) I am also limited in other ways e.g. I don't have a car to get there (mines all apart right now !)

Nonetheless, I thank Warren #12139 for their input and if I were in slightly different circumstances I may very well be able to take advantage of it. Anyways thats it for me, if anybody has any information they'd like to add to the discussion it would be much appreciated,

Cheers, Jon
staysmooth@hotmail.com

[Jack H.]

Re: Correct factory finishes for underbody (1970)

Why not join and get active in your local NCRS chapter? These won't be the last questions you're going to have along the way to restoration and you'll find knowing local NCRS members in your neck of the woods with experience + cars to let you look over is BEYOND value!

[Dick W.]

Re: Correct factory finishes for underbody (1970)

Jon, go to the contact section at the top of this page and go to the Ontario Chapter link. Maybe there will be something close to you that you may attend.

I will attempt to give you answers to your questions.

1. You should find some blackout on the inner fenders and very little in

other areas. There will be a very limited amount of undercoating also

2. Imagine that you are standing in the engine bay. The body is 18"

off the floor. You spray what you can get to easily with a semi/satin

gloss paint

3. Natural glass

4. All of the steel birdcage was zinc chromate. The fiberglass was attached

to the bird cage after the zinc. No finishes were applied to the

interior that was not exposed. Any that you may find is just overspray

[Chuck S.]

Re: Correct factory finishes for underbody (1970)

Jon, you desparately need to purchase the 1970 Assembly Instruction Manual (AIM) and the NCRS 70-72 Technical Information Manual and Judging Guide. Read them through and learn how to use the AIM before you go any further in your restoration. The AIM gives you a lot a fine detail that can not be communicated without writing or speaking volumes.

For example, Dick told you the wheel wells were blacked out lightly with a small amount of undercoating...that small amount of undercoating was applied to the rear of the front wheel well. On the rear wheel well, it was applied to the body bolt cover and front of the wheel well, the exposed side of the compartment, and also on the compartment sides near the differential. That undercoating should still be there on your car...use it as a reference.

You will find very little visible overspray on an assembled car...a big reason for applying black-out after painting was to cover visible overspray. Too much has been made of overspray on restored cars. You only see overspray in areas where it was not important to cover it (e.g. on the floor under the carpet, hood hinges, etc.); the time and materials it took to prevent or eliminate such overspray was not justified. The only overspray on the body exterior will be on the sides of the floor pans under the door thesholds...you may see body color overspray there. The inside front grille area was hit lightly with black out, but you may still be able to see some body color and red oxide overspray there.

[Chuck S.]

Correction

"On the rear wheel well, it was applied to the body bolt cover and front of the wheel well, the exposed side of the compartment, and also on the compartment sides near the differential.

Someone has emailed to remind me (Thank you) that body drop and installation of body bolt covers occurred AFTER the undercoating and black-out process was done in the paint shop. This explanation makes perfect sense to me, and there should be no undercoat on the body bolt cover plate.

My observation and memory of an undercoating type material deposit on the body bolt covers is probably accurate, but it's origin was likely not the Saint Louis plant. I suspect this light, incidental appearing deposit may have come from road tar and grit being thrown off the tire. Similar observations by others may have led to inaccuracies in the judging references.

Good thing we have some thinking people to keep us straight sometimes.