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I’ve just pulled the body off the frame of my Nov ’56 built ’57 and have cleaned the grime and dirt from the bottom. Excluding the engine compartment and front wheel wells, I know the general consensus is that blackout paint would be expected only in the rear wheel wells and maybe under the rear on the spare tire tub (and, of course, some overspray). However, I find that I have solid blackout from just behind the center body mounts where the floor pan kicks up behind the seats all the way to the rear, side to side, even completely into the channel over the shock mounting cross member.
Only one or two small areas over the rear most tail pipe hanger brackets on the side rails behind the axle even remotely suggest the blackout might have been done after body mounting (primer but no blackout in an area which might have been shielded by the exhaust hanger, but nothing else is similar). The areas over the frame rails which would be inaccessible after mounting are completely blacked out (except for a couple of areas each side where the body rubbed on the front of the kick up of the frame rail over the axle due to body mount failure which allowed the body to rest on the frame). Of course, there is primer and body color overspray in various places under the blackout and on the central flat seating section of the floor, as well as a fuzzy black paint line along the outer edge of the left frame rail (overspray from a frame touchup after body drop?).
Any thoughts? Could this be what it seems, complete factory blackout? Any other ways to discern and confirm that this is factory applied?
Should I document and restore with the blackout as it appears, or try to restore to an unpainted state, which will result in some repairs being visible?
Are there any suggestions for restoring the discolored fiberglass to the original color where it has become stained by heat or rust, etc., after the paint is removed?
Thanks for any comments or suggestions.
Only one or two small areas over the rear most tail pipe hanger brackets on the side rails behind the axle even remotely suggest the blackout might have been done after body mounting (primer but no blackout in an area which might have been shielded by the exhaust hanger, but nothing else is similar). The areas over the frame rails which would be inaccessible after mounting are completely blacked out (except for a couple of areas each side where the body rubbed on the front of the kick up of the frame rail over the axle due to body mount failure which allowed the body to rest on the frame). Of course, there is primer and body color overspray in various places under the blackout and on the central flat seating section of the floor, as well as a fuzzy black paint line along the outer edge of the left frame rail (overspray from a frame touchup after body drop?).
Any thoughts? Could this be what it seems, complete factory blackout? Any other ways to discern and confirm that this is factory applied?
Should I document and restore with the blackout as it appears, or try to restore to an unpainted state, which will result in some repairs being visible?
Are there any suggestions for restoring the discolored fiberglass to the original color where it has become stained by heat or rust, etc., after the paint is removed?
Thanks for any comments or suggestions.
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