The Crusty Cuda: Whole lotta Shakin' (N96) Goin' on!

[A12pilot]

Interesting, Jim. I have the factory bulletins describing the black out and where it goes. Didn’t know about the battery tray blackout. You have some reference photos of that?

What I think is funny is that you mentioned the lower radiator cradle part not getting a whole lot of color or blackout. I’ve even seen the lower edges of the rockers just covered with a slight mist of color. But in regards to that, the common belief is there was some kind of “pit” that the car rolled over and the guy spraying the blackout was in there spraying upwards. No such “pit” existed to my knowledge, and no photos exist if this “pit”. I always found that myth funny. Think about it, if there was one, wouldn’t that bottom portion of the radiator support get a full coat? And furthermore, you think they’d shove some dude in a pit all day just to spray one section of a car that would take about :30 seconds? What’s he going to do in between cars? It’s not like cars were heading down the line so fast that guy would be doing 2500 a day! And if he was in a pit, how’d he reach the other areas of the grille to be sprayed? Would he be halfway in the pit so he’d have to duck every time a car came his way or he’d be run over on the assembly line? And how would they keep others from falling into this pit? Or if they did, do they now become “pit people”?!? See, think about it logically and it just doesn’t add up.

Thanks for answering all my questions! You’ve forgotten more stuff than I’ll ever know...ever!

Beers and Beck then blackout to come!

Cheers
Dave

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

One magazine writer has forever been saying it's from a pit.
Looking at original cars will show exactly where the person was spraying from. I don't think they ever looked at the factory bulletins!
No question - it's from the top on E-Bodies.
I'll dig up some battery tray blackout pics. Mostly seen on lighter colors - but on darker colors sometimes as well. And not on every car.
And then there is the rocker blackout....

[njsteve]

Don't believe the magazine writers. :-)

(I was one - a tech editor for Mopar Muscle, back in the 90's). When lazy they don't bother doing their own research and just quote other people who didn't do their research either.

Remember how for most of the 1970's, they would always repeat the same crap about Charger Daytonas and Plymouth Superbirds being factory equipped with fiberglass nose cones? That drove me nuts!

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Originally Posted by A12pilot

Interesting, Jim. I have the factory bulletins describing the black out and where it goes. Didn’t know about the battery tray blackout. You have some reference photos of that?

What I think is funny is that you mentioned the lower radiator cradle part not getting a whole lot of color or blackout. I’ve even seen the lower edges of the rockers just covered with a slight mist of color. But in regards to that, the common belief is there was some kind of “pit” that the car rolled over and the guy spraying the blackout was in there spraying upwards. No such “pit” existed to my knowledge, and no photos exist if this “pit”. I always found that myth funny. Think about it, if there was one, wouldn’t that bottom portion of the radiator support get a full coat? And furthermore, you think they’d shove some dude in a pit all day just to spray one section of a car that would take about :30 seconds? What’s he going to do in between cars? It’s not like cars were heading down the line so fast that guy would be doing 2500 a day! And if he was in a pit, how’d he reach the other areas of the grille to be sprayed? Would he be halfway in the pit so he’d have to duck every time a car came his way or he’d be run over on the assembly line? And how would they keep others from falling into this pit? Or if they did, do they now become “pit people”?!? See, think about it logically and it just doesn’t add up.

Thanks for answering all my questions! You’ve forgotten more stuff than I’ll ever know...ever!

Beers and Beck then blackout to come!

Cheers
Dave

Here is an original paint FJ6 T/A - battery tray and some of the inner fender that got hit with black-out.
The T/A's and AAR's cowl and fender blackout (Organosol was used on them only) was done neater (masked) at the cowl area because of the fender Organosol.

[njsteve]

I think I see something in that photo: could it be that the blackout you see around the battery tray area was actually the overspray coming through the small square opening to left of the radiator open area that happened when the front end blackout was done? It lines up perfectly with that square opening.