Painted underfloors on Wingcars???

[500Jon]

Hi Aero's,

There seems to be a rash of yellow 'unrestored' Wingcars up for sale.
The thing that gets me is the abundance of 'PAINT'!
Am I mistaken to think that no Mopars had color painted underfloorpans???
My C-500 has so little paint its more dark-gray than green LoL!

I personally think they look like POO!

My friend restored a Hemi Challenger in Cali and the Judges refused to Judge it.
Why, because the owner wanted the underfloor painted in color!!!  
The following year the judges saw sense and gave him a special waiver for this heinous crime.
Now the powers to be have said this is the 'BEST' Challenger on the PLANET!!!

All be it as a fully painted floorpan LoL!

Anyways I still thinkit looks bad, and how did they think the guys on the production lines were gonna paint underneath anyways?
Most of them didn't even get painted rockers, enough said, original paint, no WAY!!!

Thanx and goodnight 500Jon

[Highbanked Hauler]

      Hey Jon,

   My 500 had paint on the underside back onto  the rear foot well and undercoat onto the foot well from the back end so there was some primer showing,kind of a no mans land if you will but it was rust  when I finished it in the early 90'S.  Somebody produces paint that looks like the gray primer that the cars came with so you win both ways.

    Al

[C500]

I'm painting the underside of mine, for rust protection. Originality comes second to rust protection and safety upgrades. Will I paint the underbelly in gray? Possibly, but its going to have underseal over it anyway.

[500Jon]

Hi C500 guys.

Definitive underfloor finishing has been decided by Galen.
Dark Gray and some 'overspray' depending on size and shape of  topcoat-applicator MAN!
Shorter spraymen gave more 'overspray' to rockers and underfloor.
Taller spraymen gave less paint to lower areas, but were used more on 'non-vinyl' cars for obvious reasons.
As most 500's were 'non-vinyl' they all seem to get less underfloor topcoat!!!

As for underseal, now thats a no-no in my bookywook.
Most Mopar Folks I know who have done rotisserie resto's spend good time and money, removing every inch of it!!!
Wheel-house and front wheel-wells are mandatory for the best protection money can buy.

Maybe the originality 'THING' is becoming less important now.
But ten years ago certain Folks were letting their million dollar cars rust away in the search for perfection!

Each to their own ideas, as long as it runs/drives and stops, you have achieved the ultimate GOAL!!!
5J

[C500]

Hi C500 guys.

Definitive underfloor finishing has been decided by Galen.
Dark Gray and some 'overspray' depending on size and shape of  topcoat-applicator MAN!
Shorter spraymen gave more 'overspray' to rockers and underfloor.
Taller spraymen gave less paint to lower areas, but were used more on 'non-vinyl' cars for obvious reasons.
As most 500's were 'non-vinyl' they all seem to get less underfloor topcoat!!!

As for underseal, now thats a no-no in my bookywook.
Most Mopar Folks I know who have done rotisserie resto's spend good time and money, removing every inch of it!!!
Wheel-house and front wheel-wells are mandatory for the best protection money can buy.

Maybe the originality 'THING' is becoming less important now.
But ten years ago certain Folks were letting their million dollar cars rust away in the search for perfection!

Each to their own ideas, as long as it runs/drives and stops, you have achieved the ultimate GOAL!!!
5J

Two reasons I'm going with underseal....

1) Provides very good sound deadening
2) A painted undercarriage is going to get stone chips very easily, and I plan to drive mine. Chipped paint will lead to rust spots 

I also removed every inch of it, but with a top coat of paint, its not going to rust under the underseal 

[hemi68charger]

Jon,
You can sort of have the best of both worlds. If you don't want the look of the black undercoating, you can still paint the car to have the primer/overspray look as original. I did this on my '68 Hemi Charger R/T. You have to paint the bottoms of the floorpans and framerails any how, so just use the paint sold by various vendors that duplicates the "primered" look, then just paint the car like you would normally do, but paying attention to the underside by just shooting it with "overspray". This process is not to be over-thought. What I mean is, I told the shop that painted my '68 just to shoot the sides and bottoms of the rockers, fenders/quarters and rear like you would normally do. Whereever the paint falls on the underside, it falls... So, this way, you get the primer/overspray OEM look and still have real paint for metal protection....... Just a thought...

[maxwellwedge]

Exactly!
Although no Chargers were built there - the LA plant used a black dip color a number of years - not the gray dip the other plants used......just a little fun fact.  :^)

[r4daytona]

I had mine done with the gray paint to get that primer look and also let the overspray stick where it wanted.  I think it looks great.  Lets face it, most of us don't drive on freshly graveled roads and avoid the rain.  My car is suppose to have the rocker blackout treatment but I'm still debating if I want to do that.  With the overspray the car still looks clean and is protected from most mild road hazards.   

[500Jon]

Good replies guys!

The gray 'DIP' primer on my 500 is almost white now!
I think some Folks are confusing undercoat with underseal???
One is GREAT the other is low grade tarmac put on with a trowel!
(Most modern underbody treatments are in fact 'rough texture' paint.)
The stuff that some sweaty salesman sold to your Dad for his new car was 100lbs of water entrapment!!!

Now that's sorted, we can safely say that no more Mopars will have to suffer a brown bottom.

Its funny how threads always seem to get misread???

If you want to put 100lbs of tarmacadam on the bottom of your prize car, go ahead!

For me that 100lbs of saved weight will get me a TENTH at the Strip!!!
5J