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]

I believe in what I see and lean on a few in the hobby that have seen more!
I do remember the fiberglass nose cone debacle - Lol.
Your Purple Fish is coming along nicely! It's just too bad the restorer keeps dragging his heels!

[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.

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Some of it - yes. Good detective work!
Check out the lower core support - towards the front. No way was that black sprayed from below.

[A12pilot]

Jim,

Interesting, but I think that tray was replaced, no? It’s a uniform color, no overspray around it if it was shot in the car, and there is one body color bolt on the forward portion of the tray. If that tray was blacked out in the car there would definitely be more overspray around it, I’d think. Just throwing that out there. You can see the overspray on the inner fender from the fender black out (top portion crisp, lower portion not so much), so I’d think that if the tray was blacked out inside the car there would be a little a little haze around it everywhere.

Inner portions of that area show overspray undercoating from the wheel well since the cam adjuster covers were not installed during that time. The covers when installed, squished the undercoating remnants that were sprayed around it sloppily. It was like that on my Bee as well. These clues are fun stuff!!

I know, I know...I’m dragging my feet! But I’m back from getting my Instructor ratings reinstated so now I can teach you to fly so you can get down here and supervise all this trivial stuff followed by adult beverages!

Back on Reserve the next 6 days. More updates to come with color hopefully by the weekend!

Cheers
Dave

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Originally Posted by A12pilot

Jim,

Interesting, but I think that tray was replaced, no? It’s a uniform color, no overspray around it if it was shot in the car, and there is one body color bolt on the forward portion of the tray. If that tray was blacked out in the car there would definitely be more overspray around it, I’d think. Just throwing that out there. You can see the overspray on the inner fender from the fender black out (top portion crisp, lower portion not so much), so I’d think that if the tray was blacked out inside the car there would be a little a little haze around it everywhere.

Inner portions of that area show overspray undercoating from the wheel well since the cam adjuster covers were not installed during that time. The covers when installed, squished the undercoating remnants that were sprayed around it sloppily. It was like that on my Bee as well. These clues are fun stuff!!

I know, I know...I’m dragging my feet! But I’m back from getting my Instructor ratings reinstated so now I can teach you to fly so you can get down here and supervise all this trivial stuff followed by adult beverages!

Back on Reserve the next 6 days. More updates to come with color hopefully by the weekend!

Cheers
Dave

Hi Dave
Yes, the tray was removed, repaired (battery acid pitting) and re-installed. But it originally showed a bunch of blackout.
Somewhere I have a few pics of some of my past cars and pics I got from Roger Gibson and Frank Badalson over the years, showing some original blacked-out battery trays. It was not always done. I'll try and dig those up, for research reasons

[njsteve]

See if they having matching ballistic trajectory patterns from the square entry window in the rad support. It’s the “Magic Overspray Theory”, I tell ya!